Detect Magic

Detect Magic helps determine whether a chosen item, creature, or nearby area carries a magical influence and identifies the closest school. It is useful for an initial examination of an unfamiliar find. It provides a clue for further investigation, rather than a complete guide to safely using everything the party discovers in an old chest or forgotten shrine.

Casting may be followed by a conversation with an expert, a study of markings, or careful observation. The spell does not reveal the exact effect, its trigger, or how to dispel it. Discovered magic may therefore remain both a mystery and a danger. Its limited range and use per scene must be considered when deciding which find to examine first.

Exact effect: Detects the presence of magic and its closest school. Does not reveal its exact effect, trigger, or how to dispel it. Target: 1 item, creature, or area within 5 m. Duration: instantaneous. Restrictions: once per scene. Using it requires at least Intelligence 7, the appropriate casting ability, and knowledge of this spell. Meeting the numerical requirements alone does not grant knowledge of the spell.