Use this skill to identify spells as they are cast or spells already in place, identify magic items, craft magic items, and cast spells in creative forms.
Check
Spellcraft is used whenever your knowledge and skill of the technical art of casting a spell or crafting a magic item comes into question. This skill is also used to identify the properties of magic items in your possession through the use of spells such as detect magic and identify. The DC of this check varies depending upon the task at hand.
Identify a Spell Being Cast
You can identify a spell as it is being cast without taking an action, but you must be able to see and/or hear a spell as it is being cast to do so. The default check DC is 15 + the spell's level. Any spell being cast without a verbal or somatic component applies a +5 modifier to the DC to identify it, and increases for distance, poor conditions, and other factors applies to this check the same as they would a
Perception check.
Spell Displays:
All spells have some form of display to denote their casting, whether it be a visual, audio, or tactile cue, and thus entirely obscuring the casting of a spell to an observer is nearly impossible. Even an
Invisible Wizard casting a spell using the
Silent Spell metamagic feat creates enough of a display for an attempt to notice or identify the spell cast, though with steep penalties (in this example +5 for no verbal component and +20 for invisibility).
Learn a Spell from Spellbook or Scroll
Learning a spell from a written source is covered in the
Learning New Spells article.
Prepare a Spell from a Borrowed Spellbook
Preparing spells from borrowed spellbooks requires a check for each spell prepared (DC 15 + the spell's level). If the owner of said spellbook assists in the preparation, this check automatically passes. Preparing spells in this way requries the same action that normal spell preperation does.
Determine the Properties of Magic Items
Attempting to ascertain the properties of magic items using the
Detect Magic or
Identify spell requires a check for each item (DC 15 + the item's caster level), and takes 3 rounds of thorough, undisturbed examination per item.
Decipher Written Spells
Deciphering arcane writing is covered in the
Arcane Magical Writing article.
Dimensional Anchor Diagram
This act is covered in the
Magic Circle against Evil spell, or any other magic circle spell.
Try Again
You may only attempt to identify a spell being cast or create a dimensional anchor diagram once per spell cast.
A failed attempt to learn a spell from a written source cannot be retried for at least 1 week.
A failed attempt to prepare a spell from a borrowed spellbook or decipher a written spell cannot be retried until the next day.
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 -4 penalty when dealing with a spell or effect from a prohibited school.
Skill Unlock
A character who selects this skill for the Signature Skill feat or a
Rogue who selects it for their Rogue's Edge class ability gains the following abilities when they reach the designated number of ranks in this skill:
- 5 Ranks: Identifying magic items takes 1 full round, and the time required to learn a spell from a spellbook is halved.
- 10 Ranks: You can identify magic items without using Detect Magic, though the DC is increased by 10.
- 15 Ranks: Identifying magic items is a Standard Action, and the time required to learn a new spell from a spellbook is reduced to 1 minute per Spell Level.
- 20 Ranks: Whenever you attempt a Caster Level check, attempt a Spellcraft check at a –20 penalty at the same DC. If the spellcraft check succeeds, you gain a +2 Circumstance Bonus on your Caster Level check.
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