Identifying treasure

[ffone]

We have a low-magic party. How do they go about identifying valuable/magical items from among the loot, geting them appraised/identified/etc?

Assume they're in a wealthy, high-magic urban area, where NPC services are available. NPC spellcasting services for Detect Magic, then Identify on magic stuff? Is there a better or more 'en masse' way?

By the 'Goods and Services' SRD, I believe Detect Magic would be 5 gp per NPC Casting, and could detect all the magical items (but not exact function) from a large group of objects.

Identify would be 110 gp (10g + 100gp in material components) per item.

Analyze Dweomer would work out to 60 gp per item (10 gp x spell level 6th x caster level, and since it lasts 1round/level and lets you identify one thing per round...)

[Greenish]

An artificer with Artificer's Monocle might not be terribly expensive, for they can Identify magic items for no cost to themselves other than a minute per item of their time.

[ffone]

An artificer with Artificer's Monocle might not be terribly expensive, for they can Identify magic items for no cost to themselves other than a minute per item of their time.

This sounds like an excellent suggestion. I also like the 'feel' of it, and the fact that a party often has more magic items than any individual NPC would realistically have prepared spell slots (they killed a bunch of low level mooks, but it's a high level campaign where each mook has a few items of this-or-that +1).

What would be a sensible charge per item or per hour of his time that an NPC artificer might charge the party for doing this?

Another thought: cloistered cleric gets Identify as a L1 cleric spell (and the Magic domain has it at L2). Do divine versions of usually-arcane spells still require expensive material components? That'd cut it to 10 gp or 20 gp.

[KillianHawkeye]

Analyze Dweomer would work out to 60 gp per item (10 gp x spell level 6th x caster level, and since it lasts 1round/level and lets you identify one thing per round...)

As a 6th level spell, it requires a minimum caster level of 11, making this spell cost much more than you think it does.

EDIT: Wait, I get what you're saying. But if you have less than 11 items, the price per item will go up a lot.

[Greenish]

Another thought: cloistered cleric gets Identify as a L1 cleric spell (and the Magic domain has it at L2). Do divine versions of usually-arcane spells still require expensive material components? That'd cut it to 10 gp or 20 gp.

Identify specifies Arcane Material Component, so the divine version doesn't involve vine, feathers nor pears.

[Seffbasilisk]

Complete Arcane IIRC has rules on making skill checks.

I believe it's DC 25 Knowledge Arcana to identify a magic item.

[Marnath]

An artificer with Artificer's Monocle might not be terribly expensive, for they can Identify magic items for no cost to themselves other than a minute per item of their time.

And it could even become free if you make a good friend of the artificer with this capability.

[Greenish]

And it could even become free if you make a good friend of the artificer with this capability.

Yeah, even "friendly" has "offer limited help". Looking a few magic items over is no biggie.

[Marnath]

Yeah. I know mechanics in real life that would give me a free inspection and quote me a price to fix whatever odd noise or smell my car makes. Normally you pay big time for that.

[ericgrau]

You can identify potions and scrolls with spellcraft. Wands sometimes have the command word written on them, so if you want to throw the PCs a bone you can hand some of those out. Otherwise you have it right. Though with analyze dweomer I'm sure the caster would expect the PCs to pay for the whole spell, not for only as many rounds as they need. And the caster might not be exactly level 11, if the city is even large enough to have such a legendary caster in their midst.

The spellcraft DC is over 50 to mimic an identify. Whoever suggested doing it with a skill check probably has something mixed up.

[Emperor Tippy]

Psion's with transparency can do it, for no cost except PP.

[Greenish]

Psion's with transparency can do it, for no cost except PP.

Though that'll take a while. (Manifesting time: one day. )

[Hawriel]

You identify magic the old fasioned way. trial and error.

[HunterOfJello]

Artificer's Monocle and an Eternal Wand of Identify are both good ways for identifying any magical treasure


Artificer's Monocle would be the best choice for a player. One of the party members in any group should be able to cast Detect Magic pretty often.



An Eternal Wand of Identify is a good choice for a DM. It allows players to identify items without necessarily having to be a spellcaster and reduces their identify casts per day if you don't want them spam identifying everything they see.

[Tukka]

Bardic Knowledge can give you a hint.

The Magic Item Compendium has some stuff that may help:

A Knowledge (arcana) check of 30 gives you a hint.

A detect magic spell where you exceed the Spellcraft check to identify the item's aura by 10 or more tells you the item's functions, method of activation and charges remaining.

An Artificer's Monocle is the way to go, if it's available. Detect magic and a few ranks of Knowledge (arcana) is all you need.

Dragonfire Adepts can get an invocation for unlimited, free identifies (probably not a good selection if the monocle is in play, though). Swordsages can identify weapons for free at a certain level. If you have an NPC perform these services, they'll probably expect payment like they had just cast identify for you though -- at least according to the MIC. But if they're friendly, maybe they'd do it for free (charm or Diplomacy, maybe).

[Tetrasodium]

I'm going to N'th the artificer's monocle thing. Also if your using houserules for unlimited level 0 spells, an arcane could easily cover it with the monocle too since it requires an artificer skill check or a casting of detect magic to get the effects of identify. Even without a houserule like that, they could still probably cover most identify needs in a reasonable span of a few days.

[Jornophelanthas]

You can identify potions and scrolls with spellcraft.

Actually, I thought spellcraft only works for potions. Scrolls require a casting of Read Magic.

Additionally, if you've used (drank) a certain potion in the past, you can automatically identify it by just smelling or tasting. This does not require any skill or spell.

[Kylarra]

Actually, I thought spellcraft only works for potions. Scrolls require a casting of Read Magic.

Spellcraft works on scrolls, read magic allows you to skip the check.

To decipher an arcane magical writing (such as a single spell in written form in another’s spellbook or on a scroll), a character must make a Spellcraft check (DC 20 + the spell’s level). If the skill check fails, the character cannot attempt to read that particular spell again until the next day. A read magic spell automatically deciphers a magical writing without a skill check. If the person who created the magical writing is on hand to help the reader, success is also automatic.

[DementedFellow]

Truenamer can do it for free. The only cost is being a truenamer.

[Marnath]

Truenamer can do it for free. The only cost is being a truenamer.

Some costs are simply too high.