Can a spell with no components and no saving throw be detected?

[Stalker0]

Let's say mr. wizard is in the bushes, he casts a silent, stilled, remove components whatever with no saving throw.

Can a spellcaster still detect that a spell is being cast?
Can a nonspellcaster?

 

[Infiniti2000]

Does a green ray shoot out from the bushes? Is Mr. Wizard effectively hidden?

 

[Stalker0]

Yes, he's hidden, and no rays or anything to indicate direction of the spellcaster.

 

[KarinsDad]

For things like SpellCraft to determine the spell before it is cast, no.

For things like SpellCraft to determine the spell after it is cast, maybe. If the spell has visible unique effects, yes. If the spell has non-visible effect, no (at least in my game). If the spell has non-unique visible effects, it depends (e.g. an illusion of a Fireball with no components would look like a Fireball and would fool practically everyone watching it).

For things like a Ready action, according to RAW, yes. In my game, no. I have a problem with a Wizard screwing up his face and the Archer always absolutely knowing that he is casting a spell, even though there are no components to definitively indicate it.

 

[Henry]

Let's say mr. wizard is in the bushes, he casts a silent, stilled, remove components whatever with no saving throw.

Can a spellcaster still detect that a spell is being cast?
Can a nonspellcaster?

From the Spellcraft Skill:

DC 15 + spell level: Identify a spell being cast. (You must see or hear the spell’s verbal or somatic components.) No action required. No retry.

Extrapolating from this, if you can't see or hear a spell being cast, you can't "detect" it, period. If you were somehow using detect magic on the area the hiding spellcaster was in, I suppose you would detect the presence of magic, but that's about it.

 

[Hypersmurf]

From memory, Tome and Blood had a line that said something like "There is no mistaking the concentration that spellcasting requires", which meant that even a stilled, silent spell could be recognised as 'He's casting a spell!'

Of course, if you're hiding in the bushes, that makes it harder for someone to notice

There's a divination spell in one of the supplements that alerts the subject to any spell being cast in the area, isn't there?

-Hyp.

 

[Artoomis]

From memory, Tome and Blood had a line that said something like "There is no mistaking the concentration that spellcasting requires", which meant that even a stilled, silent spell could be recognised as 'He's casting a spell!'...-Hyp.

I don't know if that's in the 3.5 rules anywhere, but I think it's an important concept and should apply to spell-like powers as well - else how could you ever interrupt one except through on on-going damage effect of some sort?

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Why does that person look like he's suffering from a headache, a hernia and trying to pass a kidney stone all at the same time? Concentrating on a spell is hard, and it shows in the face.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

Well, in 3.0 it was. Now it's not so hard, apparently.

Actually, my question is, how do you know if a spell has a visual effect if there's no indication of such? Compare Mage Armour and Protection from Evil. Mage Armour specifically says that the field it generates is invisible. PFE says nothing about the visual effect of the spell. Does is make a visible bubble around you? An invisible one? Can someone make a spellcraft check to identify it? Is Protection from Law a different colour?

Quite often I find myself having to make decisions like this when a player wants to know whether a caster is buffed or not. It's easy enough to recognize Stoneskin or Fire Shield, but other effects aren't so clear-cut.

 

[TheGogmagog]

I had the same question in a discussion about touch spells. Does the held charge of Cure light or Heal glow a golded or bluish white light, does harm and vampiric touch make a shadowy aura around the hand, and poision green?

Delivering a touch spell doesn't draw an attack of opportunity. Because the caster is armed (I'm not sure if it's written or my interpetration). How would an opponent know the caster is armed unless there was a visual effect, or could you bluff that you were holding a charge enough to initiate a grapple without an attack of opportunity? I couldn't find the holding the charge description in SRD, and can't recall if there is a visual effect for held spells.

By RAW, I don't think continious spells, like protection from evil or charm person, have a visual effect. If someone with spellcraft interacts with the spell, they could use it to identify an ongoing effect, but I don't know what information they really use. Is the attack deflected because i'm evil or because i'm chaotic?