D&D 5E (2014) Is there a spell....?

[Fenris-77]

I'd keep the material component for sure. It's at least a small gesture in the direction of spam prevention. I think 3rd level is the right level too.

 

[CleverNickName]

I normally allow any character to make an Intelligence check to learn something interesting about a creature as an action. The DC equals 10 + the creature's Challenge Rating, and certain skills can apply for certain creatures (like Nature for beasts and plants, Religion for undead and fiends, etc.) I try to be fairly generous with what they discover.

This "something interesting" is usually something useful and important (remember, this is costing them their action.) It's usually something like "you've heard that this creature can spit venom up to ten paces away," or "this is a rare type of undead with a deadly wail." And I let the player make as many checks as they like during combat, each time learning something new.

It's expensive enough that it costs an action; having it also cost a spell slot would be a bit overpriced IMO.

 

[Eltab]

There is an 'alternative paladin' feature, I think in 3e FRCS - Know Greatest Enemy - that tells you if the enemies are tougher than you, a fair fight, or weaker than you. The DM uses CR to calculate, but you as player get only the bracket answer. You also know which creature is the highest CR, but not why. (The boss Warrior looks tougher than the rest but you aren't told he has Ftr2 in addition to his Warrior status.) If you are clever you can also find out who is not your enemy at all ... and not attack them.

This feature might make a good 5e class ability also.

 

[DND_Reborn]

If the player is not trying to min-max by using the spell as a substitute for arcana/nature/etc, then you might consider a spell along the lines of 3e's find traps and letting her add half her caster level to the roll. Or if the player is trying to min-max by using the spell as a substitute for arcana/nature/etc, then you might consider a spell along the lines of 5e's find traps that would automatically confirm the presence of an anomaly but wouldn't provide detailed information about exactly what the anomaly is. That would make the spell simultaneously more and less powerful than arcana/nature/etc without being a complete substitute for them, and might not even require a consumable material component for balance.

You know, I'll have to talk to him more about it on Friday. I was thinking about his character and he has +13 to Arcana and +11 to Nature due to Expertise in both skills (he is a Bard). I sort of like the idea of adding half his caster level (round down) to his checks. So, for really high DCs (25+) the bonus will help but not make it guaranteed. I don't know, but it is an idea.

The player is not a min/maxer type at all. I think it his first thought was more about a way to learn something magically that his character might not have had exposure to before.