d&d 3.5 Help with Arcane Sight

[samduke]

hey gang take a strong look at ( Arcane Sight )
2nd paragraph

If you concentrate on a specific creature within 120 feet of you as a standard action, you can determine whether it has any spellcasting or spell-like abilities, whether these are arcane or divine (spell-like abilities register as arcane), and the strength of the most powerful spell or spell-like ability the creature currently has available for use.

My question is, this is a bit ambiguous on what it actually sees, will it sit see the actual highest level spell IE Wish, or does it see the highest spell level IE 9th

[Biggus]

I can't see how "the strength of" can be interpreted to mean a specific spell. How are you reading it differently?

[Paragon]

Personally I feel like Arcane Sight is a better Detect Magic (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/detectMagic.htm) so I just use the default rules from it with the Spellcraft skill.

[Fizban]

"and the strength of the most powerful spell or spell-like ability the creature currently has available for use."

My question is, this is a bit ambiguous on what it actually sees, will it sit see the actual highest level spell IE Wish, or does it see the highest spell level IE 9th
It doesn't tell you the exact spell, only the strength, so the question is whether it tells you they have say 9ths or not. Because it says "currently has available," this means that if they have no 9ths available, it won't report any 9ths.

You could potentially hang some sort of plot on a caster "sandbagging" by depleting their high level slots so they look weaker than they actually are- if you have a world or situation where Arcane Sight is actually being used to measure people that way.

[Seward]

You get everything Detect Magic's 3rd round of concentration normally gives you (so you might see what layers of buff spells they have on or clock their magic items, if any) but the std action concentrate thing only gives you one thing, the literal highest level spell or SLA they have prepared.

If on a half-fiend Blasphemy, there is a "7" hovering over their head, if it is Horrid Wilting, there is an "8" hovering over their head. If an epic mage somehow cast all but level 1-3 spells today, you would get a "3" hovering over his head tonight and "Epic" tomorrow after rest/spell prep.

To quote my character who used to run that spell pretty often in social situations, after ducking out of sight and using prestidigitation to change the color of the distinctive blue eyes the spell causes "Why is that washer-woman able to cast 8th level spells?"

Arcane sight is a detect-type spell, so the usual magical defenses against such (plus also just having total concealment or cover) will block the effect.

[Remuko]

It doesn't tell you the exact spell, only the strength, so the question is whether it tells you they have say 9ths or not. Because it says "currently has available," this means that if they have no 9ths available, it won't report any 9ths.

You could potentially hang some sort of plot on a caster "sandbagging" by depleting their high level slots so they look weaker than they actually are- if you have a world or situation where Arcane Sight is actually being used to measure people that way.

that also makes me wonder. what if you prepped level 1 spells in your high level slots. would it detect the level even tho theres no spells of that level prepped? they "currently have available" 9th level SLOTs but not any 9th level spells.

[Tohron]

One might also wonder if a Persistent level 3 spell in a 9th level slot would register as 3rd level or 9th level.

[Seward]

At my table, for what it is worth.

A Level 1 spell in a Level 9 slot without any metamagic etc, would clock as a level 1 spell.
A twin spell, quickened Level 1 spell in a level 9 slot would clock in as a level 9 spell.

Basically the same rule I apply to how big a metamagic rod you would need - It is the same size rod no matter which slot it is prepared in.

Note that for a spont caster, a level 9 slot would count as a level 9 spell if they had any level 9 spells known, but if their best spell known was level 8 and had no metamagic higher than a +0 effect, they'd clock as a level 8 power.

[InvisibleBison]

One might also wonder if a Persistent level 3 spell in a 9th level slot would register as 3rd level or 9th level.

Metamagic (except for heighten spell) doesn't change the level of a spell, and arcane sight checks the power of the spell, not of the spell slot, so I'd say it would register as 3rd level.

[Seward]

Spell level is a thing that is used imprecisely in the rules.

You get into this problem with metamagic rods and what you can use them on too.

No, metamagic does not affect spell level for purposes of setting its DC or penetrating a globe of invulnerability.

It does affect spell level for the minimum level slot a spontaneous caster can use to activate the spell, and for the minimum level slot in which a spell can be prepared, and also whether or not it can be put in a potion or a wand (with level 3 and level 4 limits, respectively).

If you think a lesser metamagic rod should work on a persistent Haste spell, then you clock it at level 3.

If you think a greater metamagic rod is needed to work on a persistent haste spell you clock it at level 9.

Me, I consider the slot interpretation of "level" more convincing than the original spell level interpretation of "level" for arcane sight and metamagic rods. However I admit others read same rules differently. I would just hope if I was sitting at another table the GM would be consistent one way or the other.

[KillianHawkeye]

I've never had this come up in an actual game, but I'd probably not give a specific numerical answer. Rather, I'd use whatever the ranges of spell levels (1 to 3, 4 to 6, etc.) are called as described in detect magic.