Supernatural abilities vs. Detect Magic

[jcfiala]

Now that's good to know! My players use Detect Magic a lot, and I have a changeling rogue accompanying them incognito. Honestly, I hadn't even thought about it!

"Hey, nondescript human rogue-type guy, why do you light up like a torch every time I detect magic?"
"Um... no reason."

"Hey, nondescript human rogue-type guy, why do you light up like a torch every time I detect magic?"
"It's an old family curse. Either myself or my brother shall die before our 30th birthday. I... don't like to talk about it much."

 

[pawsplay]

It's not "canon" but Keith Baker said something to the effect that a changeling's supernatural minor shapechange ability doesn't radiate magic except when the actual change is taking place.

That sounds fishy... wouldn't the change revert in an anti-magic field?

 

[lukelightning]

That sounds fishy... wouldn't the change revert in an anti-magic field?

I don't know KB's answer, but I'd say yes since anti-magic is one of the "big guns."

Yeah, it's not consistent but making the shapechange disguise foiled by a zero-level spell just seems wrong, and would ruin a lot of plots.

 

[pawsplay]

So make it (Ex), or give them an undetectability ability.

 

[frankthedm]

Or just leave it alone to reward those with the forethought to have a detect magic available. With all the magic floating around Ebberon people should be checking for such shenanigans. Changelings are supposed to be an ECL+0 race. Making the ability immune to scrutiny goes to far IMHO. There is no reason why they deserve a leg up on illusionists and transmuters.

 

[pawsplay]

Yeah! Take that, you changeling punks!

 

[Angerland]

detect magic would only work on a changeling when they are in the act of changing, so it wouldn't really nerf them, unless you can catch them in the actof a change. But then I would assume you wouldn't need a spell to realize something magical was up.

 

[lukelightning]

You could say that the changeling's ability is effectively an "instantaneous" duration effect, since they stay in a given form basically as long as they want awake, asleep, stunned, unconscious...etc.

 

[Hypersmurf]

You could say that the changeling's ability is effectively an "instantaneous" duration effect, since they stay in a given form basically as long as they want awake, asleep, stunned, unconscious...etc.

But does it go away in an AMF?

It's the difference between a PDA, and that new e-Paper they're talking about. You display a page of text on both. If you cut the power, the PDA goes blank, but the text remains on the e-Paper.

"Detect Power Usage" would register the PDA any time it was displaying text, but it would only register the e-Paper while the page was being 'turned'.

If the changeling's form reverts in an AMF, Detect Magic should detect him all the time. If it doesn't, it should only detect him while he's changing.

-Hyp.

 

[moritheil]

Should, could, would. This is going to be another one of those instances where DM love (or hate) for the race in question will prove the deciding factor!