SRD:Spellcraft Skill

This material is published under the OGL

Spellcraft (Int; Trained Only)

Use this skill to identify spells as they are cast or spells already in place.

Spellcraft DC	Task
13	When using read magic, identify a glyph of warding. No action required.
15 + spell level	Identify a spell being cast. (You must see or hear the spell’s verbal or somatic components.) No action required. No retry.
15 + spell level	Learn a spell from a spellbook or scroll (wizard only). No retry for that spell until you gain at least 1 rank in Spellcraft (even if you find another source to try to learn the spell from). Requires 8 hours.
15 + spell level	Prepare a spell from a borrowed spellbook (wizard only). One try per day. No extra time required.
15 + spell level	When casting detect magic, determine the school of magic involved in the aura of a single item or creature you can see. (If the aura is not a spell effect, the DC is 15 + one-half caster level.) No action required.
19	When using read magic, identify a symbol. No action required.
20 + spell level	Identify a spell that’s already in place and in effect. You must be able to see or detect the effects of the spell. No action required. No retry.
20 + spell level	Identify materials created or shaped by magic, such as noting that an iron wall is the result of a wall of iron spell. No action required. No retry.
20 + spell level	Decipher a written spell (such as a scroll) without using read magic. One try per day. Requires a full-round action.
25 + spell level	After rolling a saving throw against a spell targeted on you, determine what that spell was. No action required. No retry.
25	Identify a potion. Requires 1 minute. No retry.
20	Draw a diagram to allow dimensional anchor to be cast on a magic circle spell. Requires 10 minutes. No retry. This check is made secretly so you do not know the result.
30 or higher	Understand a strange or unique magical effect, such as the effects of a magic stream. Time required varies. No retry.
50 + caster level	Identify basic property of magic item.
70 + caster level	Identify all properties of magic item.
50	Quick identification of alchemical substances and potions.

Check

You can identify spells and magic effects. The DCs for Spellcraft checks relating to various tasks are summarized on the table above.

Epic Check

You can identify properties of a magic item. (See table.)

Identify Basic Property of Magic Item

This use of the skill requires one round of inspection, and functions exactly as if you had cast an identify spell on the item. You can’t attempt this on the same item more than once.

Identify All Properties of Magic Item

This requires one minute of inspection, and reveals all properties of a single magic item (including command words and charges remaining). You can’t attempt this on the same item more than once. If an item has different caster levels for different properties, use the highest caster level.

Quick Identification

You can identify a substance or potion in the field as a full-round action, without an alchemical lab or any cost. You can’t retry this check (or take 20); if you fail, you must identify the substance in an alchemical lab, as normal.

Action

Varies, as noted above.

Try Again

See above.

Special

If you are a specialist wizard, you get a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks when dealing with a spell or effect from your specialty school. You take a –5 penalty when dealing with a spell or effect from a prohibited school (and some tasks, such as learning a prohibited spell, are just impossible).

If you have the Magical Aptitude feat, you get a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks.

Synergy

If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (arcana), you get a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks.

If you have 5 or more ranks in Use Magic Device, you get a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks to decipher spells on scrolls.

If you have 5 or more ranks in Spellcraft, you get a +2 bonus on Use Magic Device checks related to scrolls.

Additionally, certain spells allow you to gain information about magic, provided that you make a successful Spellcraft check as detailed in the spell description.

---

Back to Main Page → System Reference Document → Skills