Under Potions on pg 36, Holmes also implies that a Detect Magic spell could be used in place of taking a sip to determine what a potion does: "Some method of detecting the effects of the potion must be found. If the characters lack a detect magic spell, they may dare a tiny sip to see what the result may be."
Zach is right. The text matches the description in the OD&D books. It is up for interpretation, but I took the "item incantation" to mean a magic item's command word as I can't think of many spells written on things other than scrolls or spell books.
Broom of Flying seems like a candidate for Read Magic: "The command word should be magically engraved on the broom or otherwise distinguished but not impossible to obtain by the broom's owner." (pg 38 of Holmes). This sentence is not in the manuscript so Gygax/TSR added it.
Based on Holmes' comment on Potions, I wonder if he (and other DMs) used Detect Magic as an earlier version of Identify? In my Holmes games with my son, I've had his Hero pay a bag of gold (100 gp) to a Sage to learn the identity of a magic item.
On a flat reading of Detect Magic you could very well rule that it can be used to identify magic items. It explicitly detects Hold Portal and Wizard Lock and there's nothing saying it can't determine the type of other enchantments.
Trial and error at first, but I use magic item identification as the main way to drain PC resources - hiring sages & aged wizards to research these artifacts for them gets costly! It takes time and may spread rumors and reputation about the PCs, depending on the context/item/source/relationship(s). Also, at higher levels, if there is PC interest - I allow M-U PCs to do their own research via a set of house rules. Not many PCs have this inclination, however... -=A
Trial and error. For things like +1 weapons I secretly add the bonus for a while, but assume they eventually figure it out themselves.
ReplyDeleteThere is also that unusual reference Holmes made about using Read Magic to determine a magic item's command word.
ReplyDeleteTony Rowe where is that? I didn't see it under Read Magic or the wand descriptions.
ReplyDeleteWayne Rossi I think he's referring to the reference to "an item" in ""The means by which incantations on an item or scroll are read."
ReplyDeleteUnder Potions on pg 36, Holmes also implies that a Detect Magic spell could be used in place of taking a sip to determine what a potion does:
ReplyDelete"Some method of detecting the effects of the potion must be found. If the characters lack a detect magic spell, they may dare a tiny sip to see what the result may be."
Zach is right. The text matches the description in the OD&D books. It is up for interpretation, but I took the "item incantation" to mean a magic item's command word as I can't think of many spells written on things other than scrolls or spell books.
ReplyDeleteBroom of Flying seems like a candidate for Read Magic: "The command word should be magically engraved on the broom or otherwise distinguished but not impossible to obtain by the broom's owner." (pg 38 of Holmes). This sentence is not in the manuscript so Gygax/TSR added it.
ReplyDeleteBased on Holmes' comment on Potions, I wonder if he (and other DMs) used Detect Magic as an earlier version of Identify? In my Holmes games with my son, I've had his Hero pay a bag of gold (100 gp) to a Sage to learn the identity of a magic item.
ReplyDeleteOn a flat reading of Detect Magic you could very well rule that it can be used to identify magic items. It explicitly detects Hold Portal and Wizard Lock and there's nothing saying it can't determine the type of other enchantments.
ReplyDeleteTrial and error at first, but I use magic item identification as the main way to drain PC resources - hiring sages & aged wizards to research these artifacts for them gets costly! It takes time and may spread rumors and reputation about the PCs, depending on the context/item/source/relationship(s).
ReplyDeleteAlso, at higher levels, if there is PC interest - I allow M-U PCs to do their own research via a set of house rules. Not many PCs have this inclination, however...
-=A