What are the various methods of detecting magic and/or locating that magic, either via magical auras or "magic potential"? (I don't care about determining strength, school, or other such properties; the detection and locating itself is undesirable). And what are the various methods of avoiding detection?
The magic detections I know of are:
Detection and Line of Sight
Analyze Dweomer requires that you be able to see the creature in order to analyze it, so it's easily avoided via mundane stealth.
Arcane Sight also seems to imply that you have to be able to physically see the creature or object in order to detect its aura. It uses wording like "You know the location and power of all magical auras within your sight", and "If the items or creatures bearing the auras are in line of sight". However, it says it functions much like Detect Magic, and that spell makes no mention of line of sight until giving the option to make Spellcraft checks to determine school of magic (as an optional step of the third round). Detect Magic's first round gives "Presence or absence of magical auras" (and the third round gives location), so that means they auto-detect me if my aura is present on the same plane, irrespective of physical detection. Should I assume that Arcane Sight would auto-detect presence and location as well?
[Also, see "True Seeing" below.]
Masking Effects (and the checks / saves to bypass them)
Nondetection works against Detect Magic and Arcane Sight, though only if they fail the CL check.
What is Misdirection like? I'm not sure how useful it would be. For one, it allows a Will save (rather than the CL check of Nondetection; is that better / worse?)
Mask Dweomer is interesting. It's basically like Nystul's Magic Aura, except that it can target creatures too, and instead of Identify being able to bypass it on a successful Will save, Arcane Sight can bypass it on a successful Will save (and importantly, it completely thwarts Detect Magic, unlike the above two).
True Seeing
How would True Seeing work alongside the detection effects? A couple of the hiding effects (Misdirection and Mask Dweomer) are of the Illusion school, so I assume True Seeing would negate their benefits. Can this negation be used in conjunction with Arcane Sight or other to properly see the aura? I am not sure how the clause that says "the spell effects cannot be further enhance with known magic" works. Also, True Seeing relies on being able to see a creature, so if I were hiding normally, it wouldn't help out anyways.... right?
Monster Abilities -- more limited or less limited than the spells?
What about the monster abilities? Is there any way to avoid them? Would they also get to make caster level checks / will saves against Nondetection and the like?
What other detect and mask effects are there? Is there a better way to mask magic than these?? I would like my character's magic to be nigh undetectable! All options are open to me -- I'm still building him, and this is a core component for the campaign.
The magic detections I know of are:
- Detect Magic
- Identify
- Arcane Sight
- Analyze Dweomer
- Dweomersight (Balhannoth, MM4, p. 15)
- Magic Sense (Mageripper Swarm, MM4, p. 98) -- sounds just like Arcane Sight
- Nondetection
- Nystul's Magic Aura
- Misdirection
- D&D 3.5 version of Pathfinder's Mask Dweomer?
Detection and Line of Sight
Analyze Dweomer requires that you be able to see the creature in order to analyze it, so it's easily avoided via mundane stealth.
Arcane Sight also seems to imply that you have to be able to physically see the creature or object in order to detect its aura. It uses wording like "You know the location and power of all magical auras within your sight", and "If the items or creatures bearing the auras are in line of sight". However, it says it functions much like Detect Magic, and that spell makes no mention of line of sight until giving the option to make Spellcraft checks to determine school of magic (as an optional step of the third round). Detect Magic's first round gives "Presence or absence of magical auras" (and the third round gives location), so that means they auto-detect me if my aura is present on the same plane, irrespective of physical detection. Should I assume that Arcane Sight would auto-detect presence and location as well?
[Also, see "True Seeing" below.]
Masking Effects (and the checks / saves to bypass them)
Nondetection works against Detect Magic and Arcane Sight, though only if they fail the CL check.
What is Misdirection like? I'm not sure how useful it would be. For one, it allows a Will save (rather than the CL check of Nondetection; is that better / worse?)
Mask Dweomer is interesting. It's basically like Nystul's Magic Aura, except that it can target creatures too, and instead of Identify being able to bypass it on a successful Will save, Arcane Sight can bypass it on a successful Will save (and importantly, it completely thwarts Detect Magic, unlike the above two).
True Seeing
How would True Seeing work alongside the detection effects? A couple of the hiding effects (Misdirection and Mask Dweomer) are of the Illusion school, so I assume True Seeing would negate their benefits. Can this negation be used in conjunction with Arcane Sight or other to properly see the aura? I am not sure how the clause that says "the spell effects cannot be further enhance with known magic" works. Also, True Seeing relies on being able to see a creature, so if I were hiding normally, it wouldn't help out anyways.... right?
Monster Abilities -- more limited or less limited than the spells?
What about the monster abilities? Is there any way to avoid them? Would they also get to make caster level checks / will saves against Nondetection and the like?
What other detect and mask effects are there? Is there a better way to mask magic than these?? I would like my character's magic to be nigh undetectable! All options are open to me -- I'm still building him, and this is a core component for the campaign.
