Some more 5th Ed questions

[ElterAgo]

Ok, I've only been playing 5th Ed for a little while. It has all been Adventurer's League and mostly Dragon Heist in case that makes any difference to your answers.

1. Detect Magic - I've been at several tables now with a fair number of casters. I was surprised that absolutely no one has taken or has any plans to ever take Detect Magic. When asked the response was "It just never works out. You can only check out one item at per casting. Each casting costs a 1st level slot (unless cast as a ritual). It won't find anything hidden. So you pretty much have to already know it was 'the' magic item before casting the spell. Then you need the Identify spell because you already knew it was magic, you just need to know what it does now." I was again surprised since the very first sentence of the spell description is, "For the duration, you sense the presence of magic within 30 feet of you." I was told that no one interprets it like that... Is there some sort of official errata that completely nerfed the spell or am I missing something?
2. Find Familiar - My Eldritch Knight has to mostly take wizard evocation and abjuration spells. However, I do get a few spells from any school on the wizard list. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that makes Find Familiar on my spell list. So I can buy and use a scroll of Find Familiar. Correct? Yes, if it gets killed, I will have to buy a new scroll to replace the familiar. I think that might be worth the cost of a scroll every so often for a nice sneaky scout. Hmm... Which familiar would be the sneakiest scout?
3. Ritual Caster - filling the book - I am seriously considering taking this. We've found several wizard spellbooks and I could use those to fill my ritual book. But then I realized in AL you don't get to keep anything. So will I be able to put those spells in my ritual book or will it only be what books we find after I take the feat?
4. Ritual Caster - other spell lists and filling the book - I was considering taking some class other than wizard for the ritual caster feat. Our sorc has an obviously limited spell selection. The bard is probably quitting. The cleric technically 'can' change his spell list, but never has. We don't have a druid in the group. So I started think about whether or not ritual spells of one of the other classes might be more useful to our group. But that got me wonder how will I fill it if I choose something like druid. We haven't found a single scroll of any type. Will I have to pay for every spell in my book? Blow that for a lark. We get so little cash in AL that I can't afford to pay for hardly any ritual spells. Is there any other way to fill it that won't cost a fortune?
5. Replacing stuff in AL - consumables and/or used up gear. There seems to be some disagreement on whether this is allowed. In about half the sessions I've played, we have found hundreds of gps worth of treasure or other rewards that we can not keep past the end of the session. However, we can use it during the session to bribe someone or get a disease removed. Yes? We have gifted a healing potion and a flute to help make a new friend, thrown down oil/bearings/caltrops to slow the opposition. Had a couple of weapons destroyed. Used up a bunch of arrows/bolts. Etc... I get differing opinions on whether or we can use the vanishing gold to replace those used up items. Can we or can we not?

Ok, I think that's all my questions for now. Thanks in advance for any answers or assistance you can provide.

 

[dave2008]

Detect Magic - I've been at several tables now with a fair number of casters. I was surprised that absolutely no one has taken or has any plans to ever take Detect Magic. When asked the response was "It just never works out. You can only check out one item at per casting. Each casting costs a 1st level slot (unless cast as a ritual). It won't find anything hidden. So you pretty much have to already know it was 'the' magic item before casting the spell. Then you need the Identify spell because you already knew it was magic, you just need to know what it does now." I was again surprised since the very first sentence of the spell description is, "For the duration, you sense the presence of magic within 30 feet of you." I was told that no one interprets it like that... Is there some sort of official errata that completely nerfed the spell or am I missing something?

I don't play in AL games, but I have never seen that interpretation before. The spell is concentration based, up to 10 minutes, with very specific description of what prevents detection. There is not a limit to the number, in fact it says: "An aura forms around objects or creatures..." Notice it is plural. AS long as it is magical, you can see it, and it is within 30 feet you can detect it. My group finds it useful for finding magical traps.

 

[jasper]

5.5.Replacing stuff in AL - consumables and/or used up gear. There seems to be some disagreement on whether this is allowed. In about half the sessions I've played, we have found hundreds of gps worth of treasure or other rewards that we can not keep past the end of the session. However, we can use it during the session to bribe someone or get a disease removed. Yes? We have gifted a healing potion and a flute to help make a new friend, thrown down oil/bearings/caltrops to slow the opposition. Had a couple of weapons destroyed. Used up a bunch of arrows/bolts. Etc... I get differing opinions on whether or we can use the vanishing gold to replace those used up items. Can we or can we not?
....
Ok Season 8 really did a twist to treasure. You can't keep the gold or mundane stuff. It disappears at the end of the session. But you can used them during the session. Magic items are unlocked at the end of session. That wand of fireballs disappears at the end of session. But you can buy stuff from the magic item tables.
Consumables can be bought before and after the session. You can buy scrolls. see chart
Spell Scroll GP and TP = Treasure PointCost
Cantrip 25 gp, 1st 75 gp TP 4, 2nd 150 gp TP 4 ,3rd 300 gp TP 4, 4th 500 gp TP 4,
5th 1,000 gp TP 4, 6th-9th TP 8
Some potions
Healing 50 gp
Water breathing 100 gp
Climbing 75 gp
Superior healing 500 gp
Animal friendship100 gp
Supreme healing5,000 gp
Greater healing 100 gp
Invisibility 5,000 gp
Before and after the session you can buy anything listed in the Players Handbook if you have the gold. Oh 1 treasure points converts to 50GP. And you get gold as you level.
Individual Treasure
Level Gained ,GP Reward ,Associated Lifestyle
2-4, 75 gp ,Modest
5-10,150 gp, Comfortable
11-16, 550 gp, Wealthy
17-20, 5,500 gp ,Aristocratic

 

[Blue]

I can't help you with most of these since they are AL specific - which are effectively club rules that are lain on top of D&D rules but are not part of them. I can say I've never seen that interpretation of Detect Magic before, and it's directly contradictory to what's in the PHB.

 

[Nutation]

As stated, Season 8 really changed the rules of the game, so no one is comfortable with how things work now. Let's see what I can answer:
1. That rules interpretation is probably wrong, but as a matter of culture, Detect Magic is not that useful for the cost of the slot. We don't keep magic items, so the main use would be in detecting magical traps, auras, etc., that would denote clues or danger.
2. Sounds right.
3-4. Ritual caster could certainly be useful. I would say stick with wizard, though, which you have the INT for and are already invested in. Spellbooks are one of those things you can take out of an adventure. (One person takes it, per the ALDMG.) And, of course, you could copy rituals from other PC wizard spellbooks. Copying is a downtime activity, 8 hours per day.
5. This is a pain. Gold found in an adventure is ignored, not usable. Other mundane equipment may be used but not sold. You gain (not very much) gold when leveling, and that is what you spend to replace consumables. Consumables found in an adventures may be either used or distributed at the end. Gold is going to be really, really tight this year.

 

[5ekyu]

Detect magic...

It detects magic, not specific items. Is anyone in your party buffed? Anybody under mage armor spell? DM says "there is magic in 30'. Same group walks up past bookshelf with magic books, still getting the same "yes magic". There is no "hey, now there is more magic" to let you know you are not still detecting that same old stuff.

But you can burn an action...

"If you sense magic in this way, you can use your action to see a faint aura around any visible creature or object in the area that bears magic, and you learn its school of magic, if any."

Personally I read the "any visible..." as equivalent to "every visible" because it doesn't give you anything about picking an object to scan. But I can see it going the other way.

Mostly I see it ritualized, not cast.

 

[ElterAgo]

1. Glad to see you read it the way I do. I will discuss with the players I see.

2. I think I will probably buy a scroll of Find Familiar.

3. & 4. So I can keep the spell books no one else wants! Awesome. I don't think anyone else in the group realizes that. Definitely will take Ritual Caster Wizard since this is the case.

5. Ok, see there it is again most of your explanation says I can not use the vanishing gold to replace things destroyed in the session. But a few lines sound like I can.

"...But you can used them during the session...."
"...Other mundane equipment may be used but not sold...."

That's what I'm talking about. Using the gold we find to replace something destroyed (in whatever way) before the session ends.

 

[jasper]

5. No you can use the long sword and plate mail you found in room 5 to the end session.
DM SHOULD NOT allow you to use any gold to replace stuff destroyed in the Session. HOWEVER some dm will. This is covered barely by the quote "Expect Table Variation".
May I ask what was destroyed and replaced in your session?

 

[Charlaquin]

Re: detect magic - yeah, I have no idea why anyone would think it only works to detect one object. It detects any and all magic within the range for the duration. That said, it’s still a pretty weak spell. Since it takes a spell slot or 10 minutes, you basically end up only using it on things you already suspect of being magical, to confirm or deny your suspicions. Which is somewhat useful, but it won’t find you any hidden magic. So, better than the people you’re playing with think it is, but still not that spectacular.

 

[Campbell]

Re: detect magic - yeah, I have no idea why anyone would think it only works to detect one object. It detects any and all magic within the range for the duration. That said, it’s still a pretty weak spell. Since it takes a spell slot or 10 minutes, you basically end up only using it on things you already suspect of being magical, to confirm or deny your suspicions. Which is somewhat useful, but it won’t find you any hidden magic. So, better than the people you’re playing with think it is, but still not that spectacular.

Yeah. Personally, I favor an approach where Arcana and Religion become a sort of supernatural Perception when trained.