How many of you use the Identify material component?

[Uller]

In general, I put magic items in my adventures because I WANT my players to use them to solve some specific problem. I don't want to have to waste table-time in elaborate guessing games and I don't want to break up the flow of the story by forcing the PCs to take a day or two out to prepare Identify and cast it. So in general, I will usually provide some alternate means for identifying important magic items. Some easy clues that the bard or wizard with Arcane Knowledge can figure out or some such. For unimportant magic items, I just tell the players what they are at the end of the adventure they found them in. This is just because I _REALLY_ don't want to have to keep track of who has the +1 Bracers of Armor and what not.

However, there is a use for Identify in my games. I _don't_ just give away what items are cursed and some of them are. Identify will identify the curse if cast in the traditional 8 hour & 100gp pearl method as well as a means to get rid of it. So if the PCs suspect an item is cursed, they best spend some time and gold to discover it. This is rare though(afterall, who is going to go to all the trouble to actually make a cursed item?).

 

[AGGEMAM]

Not to start trouble, Aggemam, but I don't understand your point.

How can you say "No."...and then go on to mention that the reason is because of a rule in a book that is not even out yet?

For NOW, the answer is "YES", that's all Identify can do.

And the reason why I wrote 'ups' is that I actually quote the ELHb, of course, I can't do that with the NDA and all. So I deleted that again.

 

[Larcen]

We use the rule as written. The seacoast village that my wizard visited found themselves cleaned out of valuable pearls, but much richer in gold!

Having said that, once the "one most basic" power is known, I can generally make Knowledge(Arcana) checks to try to extrapolate other powers, if any.

How exactly do you guys handle the Knowledge(Arcana) checks (DC, etc.) and how much info do you get? Just curious.

 

[Larcen]

And the reason why I wrote 'ups' is that I actually quote the ELHb, of course, I can't do that with the NDA and all. So I deleted that again.

Ok, I am a little slow on all these acronyms. I figured out "ELHb", but what does "ups" and "NDA" mean?

I see a "d'oh!" coming on my part...

 

[Voadam]

NDA means nondisclosure agreement, meaning he contractually cannot talk about it.

 

[AGGEMAM]

Ok, I am a little slow on all these acronyms. What does "ups" and "NDA" mean?

I see a "d'oh!" coming on my part...

'Ups' as in 'ups, sorry'

'NDA' is the Non Disclosure Agreement all playtester sign.

 

[Voadam]

I think he means "oops," not "ups."

 

[AGGEMAM]

I think he means "oops," not "ups."

Of course, I just happened to spell it in danish.

 

[Larcen]

D'OH!!

 

[gamecat]

We run a flat DC 30 check. If you wanna make it hard, why not DC 25+ caster level of the item...