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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Garthanos" data-source="post: 5064450" data-attributes="member: 82504">Not quoting here just expounding on the gist of it.4e made detect magic one of the trained in Arcana skill features. But Detect magic isnt always needed.In  4e there are implied various grades of items all basically up to the DM to decide.a) common straight forward item ... you can figure it out just by using it (handling it etc during a short rest). No arcana skill required.... swing it with passion and it burns what it hits.  Note in 4e Arcana checks can be made even by the untrained... so the DM might allow raw intuition and familiarity with magic items to grant sufficient insight... or maybe a history/religion check to remember that childhood story about a similar item.b) relatively common but not so straight forward  (like maybe you have to learn to speak the password that is written on the blade in magic runes - arcana rolls by someone trained? basically the same as what you mentioned. The knowledge checks may just give you clues that there is more than meets the eye here....c) Something unusual, or rare or powerful or cursed ... (it may just be an item the DM decided is weird not particularly powerful  his/her choice) so you may have to quest or find/purchase a specialty ritual to acquire more information about it.  Items that are not always straightforward can be awesome story fodder.</blockquote>