(MIC) Identify with a high Spellcraft

[Tarril Wolfeye]

From Magic Item Compendium (p.217)
When using Detect Magic you can determine the school of an item with a Spellcraft check, but we all knew that. It also says: "If the character exceeds the DC for this check by 10 or more, the character magically divines the item's funtions, it's means of activation and the number of charges remaining."

Is this a new rule? I couldn't find anything like that anywhere else. If this rule is not new, where can I find it?

 

[Bagpuss]

First I've heard of it, saves a fortune in pearls.

Epic use of Spellcraft was DC 50+spell level to effectively work as Identify*, this seems to make it just 25+spell level




*oddly 70+spell level let you know command words and charges, which are included in identify anyway, must be a throw back to 3.0

 

[jasin]

You might also permit a character to attempt a DC 30 Spellcraft check or Knowledge (arcana) chek to determine if she ca nattune herself with the item's power or if she remembers reading of it once in her studies.

We've been using knowledge (arcana) to identify items, but not spellcraft since we figured it would be too much of a freebie.

It's probably not intended that you can identify any item, but then, it's also intended that about 30% of items have features which provide clues to their function, so we figure it all evens out: the players don't nag the DM for clues, the DM lets them identify items with knowledge (arcana).

The MIC rule seems similar in terms of difficulty: DCs should range from 25 to 35.

I'm still not sure I how items are identified using a skill that every wizard will invariably have, while sorcerers or cleric might or might not have it. But then, that might be just nitpicking, since I've yet to see a wizard without knowledge (arcana) either.

 

[hong]

I haven't bothered with identify for some years now. Generally I assume that the PCs figure out what's what when they get back to town. If they want to do it in the dungeon, I might use a Knowledge (arcana) check.

 

[frankthedm]

As erroneous as Cold Iron costing double to enhance.

 

[PallidPatience]

More accurately, as erroneous as the invention of the Swift Action.

Since it's a new rule, that is, and not a misprint of one not already included.