(small) essentials rules change

[BASHMAN]

Either method is silly. The more magic an item has... the HARDER it is to notice? The fainter the magic, the easier it is to detect? Fail.

In older editions, you would get a sense of "how much" and "what type" of magic was emanating from an area, like "Overwhelming Abjuration magic is coming from that chest" would be a good clue to be careful when opening it.

 

[P1NBACK]

In my group that wouldn't be over until the Wizard was searching the charred remains of the Rogue, in the hallway

Lol. Yeah. In the sequel, immediately after the DM says, "Alright. So you continue onward..."

The Wizard is like, "Wait. What? NO! Show me your pockets, Rogue!"

 

[P1NBACK]

Either method is silly. The more magic an item has... the HARDER it is to notice? The fainter the magic, the easier it is to detect? Fail.

You could argue that the mere fact that the item is so powerful makes it hard for anyone but the most trained to detect it. It all depends.

Use whichever method makes sense in your game, in your world. Just tell your players and stick to it.

 

[keterys]

You can have more powerful magic easier to detect, it just makes detecting magic automatic almost immediately... at least if you want detecting magic possible at low level, then any scheme that makes it much easier as you level (cause you both increase your Arcana _and_ the magic gets more powerful)...

Eh, the way it works is probably fine.

 

[Ryujin]

The way that it works is consistent with good game play, if not "the common wisdom." Think of it this way: Rather than containing more power, higher level magic "operates at a higher frequency", that is more difficult to master. You need a "trained ear" to "hear" it.

 

[Insight]

The way that it works is consistent with good game play, if not "the common wisdom." Think of it this way: Rather than containing more power, higher level magic "operates at a higher frequency", that is more difficult to master. You need a "trained ear" to "hear" it.

Yeah, that's a totally legitimate, alternate way to look at it. Depending on your campaign, either one makes sense.

 

[DracoSuave]

The way I see it is not that higher magic is harder to detect... quite the opposite. Higher magic is extremely -easy- to detect. So what happens when you detect magic? You detect the most magical thing in the area.

The world itself.

The actual skill of Arcana in this case isn't detecting magic, but detecting pockets of lesser or different magic amongst the noise. Like trying to find a whisper in a orchestra.

 

[keterys]

Probably takes effort to separate out all the magic you're schlepping about yourself, too

 

[Brys]

Either method is silly. The more magic an item has... the HARDER it is to notice? The fainter the magic, the easier it is to detect? Fail.

Think of it differently. A low level magic item is low level because it's magic is poorly contained in the item. To magical senses, it's a sputtering bonfire of wasted potential - not going to be very powerful with the energy being wasted, but easy to locate. A high level item has had it's magic very tightly contained and so almost none leaks out. It is only released when being used and can tap all the potential of the magic stored, more like a high powered laser. A new wizard can only find the things leaking large amounts of magic into the ether. A highly sensitive wizard can detect more subtle emanations.

 

[Gradine]

I was always under the impression that magic naturally resists detection (hence the need for magic detection), and that the more powerful the enchantment on an item, the more effective that enchantment is at hiding itself.

Obviously go with whatever flavor you prefer though.