Identify
- Thread starter Kae'Yoss
- Start date
I'm with PKitty. Identify tells you what an item does (one property per level), and Analyze Dweomer doesn't exist. I don't find it fun for the party to have a bunch of items they don't know how to use.
An IDed wand or staff I also tell the players how many charges it has left. One, it isn't fun for me to try to remember if that wand of detect magic they found five games ago had sixteen or seventeen charges. Two, if you can't tell how many charges are left, what's to stop you from making a wand (you know it has fifty) and running it down to one charge then selling it? Answer -- nothing! Because if you can't tell one charge from fifty neither can the shopkeeper.
An IDed wand or staff I also tell the players how many charges it has left. One, it isn't fun for me to try to remember if that wand of detect magic they found five games ago had sixteen or seventeen charges. Two, if you can't tell how many charges are left, what's to stop you from making a wand (you know it has fifty) and running it down to one charge then selling it? Answer -- nothing! Because if you can't tell one charge from fifty neither can the shopkeeper.
mkletch
First Post
We use it just like in the book. If its got multiple abilities, chances are it is worth the 810gp to have someone cast Analyze Dweomer on it for you. It might even make for an interesting quest, if you have no high level arcane spellcaster handy.
If identify does 'the whole thing', then there is no way to keep anything a mystery without adding artifact level items. I as a DM don't do that for 3rd level characters (usually). If you want to be lazy about a particular item (which is fine; I do it sometimes), then make the item self-identifying or barely intelligent. But AD really is the spell; I was glad it was a base spell in 3E. Maybe it would have been more appropriate around 9th level, so a 'halfway' spellcaster could cast it.
Edit: spelling
-Fletch!
If identify does 'the whole thing', then there is no way to keep anything a mystery without adding artifact level items. I as a DM don't do that for 3rd level characters (usually). If you want to be lazy about a particular item (which is fine; I do it sometimes), then make the item self-identifying or barely intelligent. But AD really is the spell; I was glad it was a base spell in 3E. Maybe it would have been more appropriate around 9th level, so a 'halfway' spellcaster could cast it.
Edit: spelling
-Fletch!
Last edited:
JoelF
First Post
I use it as printed. It's fun to have a bit of trial and error for additional powers. Plus, how often do lower level characters find multiple use powers that aren't obvious? For instance, you find a magic sword, which is flaming. You cast ID, and find out it's +2, so you know you have a +2 flaming or flaming burst sowrd. Sure some stuff is not as obvious, but pleanty is. Also, once you know 1 power of something, if it's a standard item, you can often ID it just from knowledge (either player knowledge of the items in the book and/or knowledge arcane or bardic knowledge checks.) If you find boots that make you walk twice as fast, it's a good guess they can help you jump also, which you can then verify.
JoelF
JoelF
ConcreteBuddha
First Post
I have seen many different ways to handle this, ranging from the strict book interpretation to a plethora of house rules. The one common thread that I have seen is:
Control Freak DMs prefer the strict PHB rules and Fly-By-The-Seat-Of-Your-Pants DMs prefer to house rule.
The first type of DM has oodles of notes on everything in he campaign world, including magic items. This type of DM does not let the players know anything about their magic items except by the strict definition of the Identify and AD spells. This type of DM is authoritarian when it comes to metagaming, and doesn't let the players ever have the chance to fully know the properties of their magic items (unless the PCs create the items). Cursed items are a real pain for the players and the game bogs down during combats due to the DM fiddling with notes.
The other type of DM does not want to be bothered keeping track of the loot for the players. This DM shares the responsibility with the players because the sheer amount of work required. Cursed items never actually represent a danger, but combats never drag because the players all know what their stuff does. Metagaming is more of a problem, however, because magic items tend to be straight out of the DMG.
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All in all, I prefer the second style of playing because I like it when players help out with DMing and take charge of their characters and the gaming world in general. My gaming group is comprised of adults, who are fully capable of separating in-game knowledge from player knowledge.
Identify, as written, bogs down the game (especially at mid-levels), and is too much work for too little benefit. Of course, YMMV...
Control Freak DMs prefer the strict PHB rules and Fly-By-The-Seat-Of-Your-Pants DMs prefer to house rule.
The first type of DM has oodles of notes on everything in he campaign world, including magic items. This type of DM does not let the players know anything about their magic items except by the strict definition of the Identify and AD spells. This type of DM is authoritarian when it comes to metagaming, and doesn't let the players ever have the chance to fully know the properties of their magic items (unless the PCs create the items). Cursed items are a real pain for the players and the game bogs down during combats due to the DM fiddling with notes.
The other type of DM does not want to be bothered keeping track of the loot for the players. This DM shares the responsibility with the players because the sheer amount of work required. Cursed items never actually represent a danger, but combats never drag because the players all know what their stuff does. Metagaming is more of a problem, however, because magic items tend to be straight out of the DMG.
.
.
.
.
All in all, I prefer the second style of playing because I like it when players help out with DMing and take charge of their characters and the gaming world in general. My gaming group is comprised of adults, who are fully capable of separating in-game knowledge from player knowledge.
Identify, as written, bogs down the game (especially at mid-levels), and is too much work for too little benefit. Of course, YMMV...
