D&D 5E How to deal with a Warlock gaining Detect Magic as a cantrip

[Sloblock]

hello all


time for some help and advice…


I have a PC who is a warlock character who has the Detect Magic spell as a cantrip.


He enables this at all times, making it quite difficult for me to have any surprises for the PCs. Any magical traps are seen as are any hidden weapons.


How have other people coped with this? are there any tricks I can use to shield some of these things from him??


help would be appreciated

 

[Tainted Powers]

Isn't detect magic a lvl1 ritual spell?

 

[Ancalagon]

don't forget to impose the rules - it takes one action to cast, and at least one action to use, and requires concentration.

If this still doesn't work, consider using the 3.x rules, which required a number of round to "zone in" onto the magic.

 

[Xeviat]

Isn't detect magic a lvl1 ritual spell?

Invocation makes it at-will; functionally a cantrip.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[guachi]

Am I to understand he took Eldritch Sight?

Advice: read and understand the ranges and limitations of detect magic. It is quite easily blocked by one foot of stone or a thin sheet of lead.

Detect Magic is the most common spell there is. Anyone who can afford a magic item can afford to keep it hidden in a lead lined chest. Or anyone who can afford a magical trap can afford to keep it hidden from detect magic.

 

[Oofta]

As Tainted Powers pointed out, Detect Magic is a level 1 spell that lasts only 10 minutes, not a cantrip [EDIT - unless you have the silly warlock thing that was just pointed out] . Having any leveled spell as a cantrip is likely to have unintended consequences.

Second, since it's a concentration spell, fee free to add rules when he tries concentrating for long periods of time (over say, an hour).

You can use Nystul's Magic Aura to mask items.

It only takes a thin sheet of lead or 1 inch of common metal to block detection. So add lead to weapon sheathes, put magic items in jewelry boxes and so on. I'd probably even go as far as saying that leaded glass may stop detection.

 

[Fanaelialae]

Just for starters, there should be plenty of non-magical traps and weapons in your campaign to surprise your players with.

Additionally, Detect Magic only indicates that there is magic within 30 feet. The warlock has to spend an action in order to learn the location(s) and school(s) of that magic. If an assassin is outside that 30 foot range, it will not detect him. If he comes within the 30 foot radius, and the warlock or someone near him is the target, the assassin may strike before the warlock can pinpoint the source.

Keep in mind the limitations of Detect Magic. If the interior of a chest contains a glyph of warding but is also lined by a thin sheet of lead, the warlock isn't likely to detect the magic until it is too late. Also, it just tells you where the magic is and what school of magic is associated with it. The warlock can't necessarily tell the difference between a concealed magic weapon and a potion in someone's pocket. It doesn't tell him whether the magical stone up ahead is trapped or is enchanted with a Magic Mouth spell that reveals a clue to the location of a hidden treasure. Not everything magic should be harmful, and as long as that's the case the warlock will only know that there IS magic, not necessarily its intended purpose.

Finally, and use this sparingly because if you overuse it the player won't be happy (IMO justifiably), but Nystul's Magic Aura can conceal the presence of magic from Detect Magic. It normally lasts 24 hours, but cast it enough times on something and it becomes permanent.

 

[FarBeyondC]

hello all


time for some help and advice…


I have a PC who is a warlock character who has the Detect Magic spell as a cantrip.


He enables this at all times, making it quite difficult for me to have any surprises for the PCs. Any magical traps are seen as are any hidden weapons.


How have other people coped with this? are there any tricks I can use to shield some of these things from him??


help would be appreciated

There's simple things you could do if you want to, on occasion, catch the warlock by surprise.

1. Just use non-magical traps and hidden weapons, or mix non-magical traps and hidden weapons in with the magical traps and hidden weapons. Detect magic is absolutely useless against those.
2. Use magical traps with triggers that aren't magical or within the 30 foot detection range. A pressure plate that triggers a lightning bolt spell going off 50 ft down the corridor doesn't get picked up by detect magic.
3. Have the trapmaker use / find someone to use Nystul's Magic Aura on the trap or hidden weapon. Even if you can't or don't want to spend thirty days casting it continuously (one casting a day, every day) on the trap in question, it's still good for traps expected to be triggered within 24 hours.

Don't forget to impose the rules - it takes one action to cast,

So, for one round in every ten minutes, they don't have the spell up? Six seconds is an awful small window to try and surprise an entire group in.

and at least one action to use,

Only if you actually care to know where and what type (school) of magic you've picked up on. Sensing magic in general requires nothing.

and requires concentration.

Just means they can't concentrate on Hex, which I guess some people would be happy with?

If this still doesn't work, consider using the 3.x rules, which required a number of round to "zone in" onto the magic.

If I'm detecting magic that I believe shouldn't be in an area, where exactly in the area it is doesn't matter- I'm going into full red alert mode.

 

[Ancalagon]

You will *always* be sencing magic due to the items and spells that you and your party members have!

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using EN World mobile app

 

[Delazar]

Spell say "you can use your ACTION to see an aura around VISIBLE creatures or objects". So you need to use your action every time you wish to see the aura, and if it's not visible (hidden assassin, hidden trap) it doesn't work. All in all, it's just useful to check if the loot is magic before leaving it behind.