Ritual: Identify Magic Item

Personally I always ask for an arcana check to identify magic items, usually I am looking for the old "anything but a 1". Sometimes if it is a plot related item I will have another arbitary number in mind.

If anything I am a bit light on the amount of magical kit I hand out in game, so if I made it difficult for my party to identify what they did get I would be adding insult to injury :D
 

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sheesh, I knew DM's in 1e that just described things as a +4 sword of sharpness way back when.... oh man
they must have been playing too many video games where you know
what all the gadgets are... I forgot there really werent an rpg videogames.

Just because one DM decided to do something different does not necessarily make it a good idea. I also find it amazing the amount of detail people can remember from 2+ decades ago from a game when they take an opposing POV. :lol:
 

Really, don't make it too complicated. I don't think a mini-game is required for that. ;)

Identify
Casting Time: 1 Minute
Duration: Instantenous
Component Cost: 25 gp.
Market Price: 50 gp
Key Skill: Arcana
Effect:
You identify one object.

If you cast this on a non-magical object you know what it is and what its general purpose is. (So if it was an unusually formed key made from stone, you knew it is a key, though you wouldn't know who created it or which door it was made for.) If you had just a piece of an item you would know what the original item was. (For example, if you touched the remains of a wall, you might know whether it was originally part of a temple or a fortress wall.)

If you cast this spell on a magical item, you need to make a Arcana Check DC 10 + 1/2 item level. If you succeed, you identify all its magical properties.
If the item is cursed, an artifact or intelligent, the DC is 20 + 1/2 level to identify this property.
 

All of these problems with free identification can be mitigated by a DM who's not actually ten house cats standing on top of each other and wearing a trench coat.
 

Just because one DM decided to do something different does not necessarily make it a good idea. I also find it amazing the amount of detail people can remember from 2+ decades ago from a game when they take an opposing POV. :lol:

Yeah OK I admit hated it and saw it in 2e too (Heck I like keeping the numbers secret till somewhat later.). Which is why it stands out in memory..

I am amazed out how things that seemed endemic in D&D get attributed as inventions of these other games... that annoys me yes both the bad and the good bits of D&D.

The newest D&D has all the mechanisms in place to maintain this mystery when we want it (skill checks and even specialized rituals mentioned directly)... and for those who aren't in to it... well permission to do it that way too.
 

My ID magic Items

DM makes an Aracana Check at 10+2 per level of the item for the PCs while resting. If the check is successful the PCs know the item. if it fails they don't. If the item is cursed (added to the game by me) then the DC increases by 5. A failed check reveals what the item would have been if it weren't cursed.
 

Instead of a ritual, how about making it work kind of like a skill challenge? More complex items require more successes. Relevant skills would probably include Arcana, Religion, and History. Maybe other stuff like Dungeoneering and Nature, depending on what the item actually is.
 

Free identification is a crap idea, because it doesn't contain the all-important "unless the DM says otherwise" clause.

In other words, I agree there is no need for obstacles to identifying general crap loot.

But as written, a player can shove the PHB in the DMs face, demanding to know all the powers of the Mysterious Plot Item of Doom. And if the DM isn't strong enough to simply override the rules, that is a loss for the game.

Also, this power can be used to locate treasure (and monsters wielding magical weaponry) through doors and walls, which is simply absurd.

So I understand your elation. The idea was good, but the rule is horribly sloppy.

As someone pointed out already, it does have an exception clause for any items that you don't want identified for story reasons.

However, I'm confused why you want to add a ritual to require identification that you have basically admitted would be annoyance for the vast majority of items, so that you can circumvent a restriction that has been pointed out has already been accounted for, so that players can't point out that the rules say something differently.

You want to ignore a rule to prevent players from pointing out that you are ignoring a rule? Isn't there a certain irony here?

The DM certainly has the power to make thees changes, however I think you should consider the change carefully. You can bet there was a lot of thought and a lot of debate that went on internally with WotC before they made this choice, and there just might be some wisdom in their choice (and again, they left the door open for you to ignore it in special cases already).

I personally wouldn't add a ritual to the game. You really aren't adding anything of value to the game and are just creating a hoop to jump through and something to spend gold on for no compelling reason other than to preserve a mechanic that was often a source of frustration and annoyance in earlier editions.

However, as said again and again here, there are exceptions that the DM may choose! You might even want to make a quest or ritual that is nothing but identifying one special magic item... but make it something special, not just a +1 Flaming sword.

To the person who said that gamers will just assume that an item that isn't easily identified is cursed, that's only going to happen if every non-identifiable item your DM throws as you is cursed. That's not a game problem, that's being a predictable DM.

If it's an item that can't be identified by the players, that should only signify that this item is something other than the average run-of-the mill dropped magic item. It might be cursed. It might be a powerful artifact. It might be some mysterious relic that is either the subject of a mystery, or the key to unlocking one. Failing to identify an item should be a way to inspire curiosity, not inspire disinterest. If it's not, then maybe you are doing it wrong.
 

If you charge a 5% surcharge on identifying magic items, you need to hand out about 15% more monetary treasure to cover the charges.

My personal view is that handing out 4 magic items per level and bickering about them consumes enough time at the table as-is; I can't see any reason to complicate the process further. If you run a low-magic game, I can see reasons to make each item more unique. In a standard game, the base rule works just fine.
 


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