How Do You Like Identifying Magic Items to Work?

[the Jester]

I know how it's supposed to work in each edition from 1e on up; but how do you like identifying magic items to work?

Me- I prefer learning by experimentation. I've actually changed the way I'm doing magic item identification in my 4e game so that, for instance, if a pc has a weapon that does extra stuff when it attacks an elemental creature, I'll tell the player, "Okay, remind me that you have this weapon when you attack an elemental." If you have a cloak with an immediate interrupt triggered by an attack targeting Reflex, I'll say, "Remind me you have this item when your Reflex is targeted by an attack." And so forth.

I also like having a spell/ritual that identifies items, but has an appropriate cost and a "can be tricked by artifacts and cursed items" clause.

What about you? What's your preference?

 

[Crothian]

But in average D&D game I just like the PCs to spend 100gp on a pearl and then know what they have. However, I do use artifacts and relics that they don't know what they do and have to experiment and discover what it does.

 

[Voadam]

I like either experimentation or a minor hand wave and done. 100 gp is an annoying in game resource drain. So a wizard studying something for a day is fine by me to find out a sword is +2.

 

[Jhaelen]

I like the Earthdawn / Weapon of Legacy approach: Research!
At the very least, it should require a couple of skill checks.

Edit: Naturally, I wouldn't bother with this if it's just a toothpick +1, but I'd definitely use it for every item that is supposed to be interesting.

 

[Chainsaw]

Guess it depends on what kind of treasure and whether it's activated or passively used. Generally speaking, if the benefit is passive, like the +attack/+protection on a sword/armor/cloak/amulet, our DM just tells us. He identifies the workmanship as being finely crafted, then says it's a + whatever. Sure, maybe a little meta-gamey, but our group all agrees that our hero would get the bonus regardless of whether they knew it was magical. Even if he didn't know it was magical, he'd be like, "Dang, this is way better than my old one.. I'm so much FASTER with these new Reeboks."

For weapons/armor/other that is activated, our DM *usually* has a bad guy using the item against us, so we get a pretty good idea that it's special before we ever take possession. If a sword has a lightning component, he'll have the bad guy point it at us and yell something. That experience usually qualifies us to activate it. Sure, maybe we ought to have to go back to town to figure out the keyword or thought or whatever, but nobody seems to care that much.

As for activated artifacts, special items or weapons/armor that are not demonstrated in combat, I guess it really depends. I think going to a sage or mage or cleric or using a spell is a cool way to do it.

I suppose it's all pretty situation specific for us.

 

[Chainsaw]

I should add that back in the old days, when I *first* started playing 2E with my little brother and whatever friend was over, I DM'ed and rolled *ALL* the dice behind a screen - even their rolls. I'd never witnessed anyone playing, so I really didn't know any better/different. I thought the player was just supposed to describe their actions and let me resolve everything behind the DM screen. In *this* case, the player never really knows whether he's getting a + to this or that, so the players were usually taking everything back to town trying to figure out if it was magical or not.

 

[Remathilis]

After 20+ years and countless 100 gp pearls, I prefer Pathfinders "DC X Spellcraft check while casting detect magic" approach. Its not foolproof (sometimes things get misidentified) but it allows PCs to know what their sword +1, cloak of elvenkind, or necklace of fireballs is without a lot of metagaming or needless "holding your head in the horsetough to find if its a ring of waterbreathing" gimmicking.

 

[Ahnehnois]

Handwave.

For artifacts or exceptional things, perhaps not, but I just roll up some Knowledges or give the party a free eternal wand of Identify. I hate using game time on identifying/distributing/buying/selling magic items.

 

[Moon_Goddess]

In a more mysterious game I use various methods, but usually I just tell the players, it's so much better



Right now, I litterally print off power cards from the Character creator, and simply tell the players, you find 100gp, and "this" they can look it over, see what it does and who it should go to that way.

 

[EricNoah]

Detect Magic works like a quick identify spell in my game, with no cost, and with the understanding that some items are mysterious and will not respond to such a simple spell.

On a somewhat unrelated note, Read Magic grants a +5 on UMD checks w/regard to scrolls and written magic items in my game.

edit: these modifications are for my 3.5 game.