Post/Author/DateTime	Post
xpochian 05-09-07, 10:33 PM	...acts as a poor man's identify? Well, rich man's, since he'll be able to save all of those lovely pearls. He glossed over the details, but said one had to roll 'fairly high' and it wouldn't be common until identify was common in-game anyhow. Seems pretty streamlined. Anyone point to the truth in this, and secondly, your thoughts?
MerlintheTuna 05-09-07, 10:37 PM	It's a tough check. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/skills.htm#spellcraft) Personally, I wouldn't have a problem with lowering the number a bit. I've always found the restrictions on Identify (1 hour casting time, costly material component) to be a bit gratuitous. And that the PHB lists "Understand a strange or unique magical effect, such as the effects of a magic stream" as a DC ~30 check makes the inability to identify an item's basic, common effects a bit more ridiculous. Dragonfire Adepts can Identify extremely easily, however (once per two rounds at no cost, or something?), as can Maesters (CAdv). Granted, I'm not under the impression that either class is really that good, but hey, whatever. Oh, and Swordsages (ToB) have a limited form of Identify -- it only works for weapons and armor, and involves a level check.
CryoSilver 05-09-07, 10:39 PM	I dropped the material component from Identify and allowed it to identify all powers of an item. Hasn't affected my game much.
Nephlite 05-09-07, 10:44 PM	...acts as a poor man's identify? Well, rich man's, since he'll be able to save all of those lovely pearls. He glossed over the details, but said one had to roll 'fairly high' and it wouldn't be common until identify was common in-game anyhow. Seems pretty streamlined. Anyone point to the truth in this, and secondly, your thoughts? There is a feat in Complete Adventurer that allows you to identify for 25gp instead. Appraise magic value but you need to know it is magic so detect magic first helps (requires an appraisal check).
Inigo Carmine 05-09-07, 10:48 PM	I've house-ruled it to be a 100g focus instead of material component (buy it once, it doesn't get used up). Only reveals one power at a time, but successive castings reveal more.
TheCobra 05-09-07, 10:53 PM	I dropped the material component from Identify and allowed it to identify all powers of an item. Hasn't affected my game much. In 3.5, identify normally reveals all the item's powers.
InkBlot 05-09-07, 10:53 PM	Complete Scoundrel has a skill trick which can identify magical items. You can get the skill trick, Magical Apraisal, by level 9. Like all skill tricks it costs 2 skill points to buy and has extensive skill rank requirements. Unlike most skill tricks, you can only use this one once per day. First you have to cast detect magic. Then you have to attempt to discern school of the item's aura by making a spellcraft check. If you beat the DC of the check by 5 or more, you can use the skill trick to identify the magic item (as per the spell).
Avihs 05-10-07, 12:28 AM	In the back of the "Magic Item Compendium" there is a blurb about identifying items when you have cast detect magic.