Pathfinder (2e): Basics of Detect Magic & Read Aura

[@HowItsPlayed]

See here for more great videos on Pathfinder: kzbin.info/aero/PLYCDCUfG0xJb5I-wDIezuDkTfbd8k21Km Want to help support the channel? Get you name listed at the end of my videos by joining my Patreon : ▶️ www.patreon.com/HowItsPlayed/ Thank me with a cup of coffee! ▶️ ko-fi.com/HowItsPlayed

[@TheriusT]

I like how the new system avoids casters from searching everything for auras, making them able to detect a hidden rogue with a magical ring. However, I think read Aura and detect magic should be the same spell but with 2 different casting times. Because they are both needed to search and find magic things. And for most casters taking 2 cantrip slots is too much, and if they only take one it feels like they are useless and they wasted a slot especially in lower levels. This is a possible homebrew rule.

[@kevindaniel1337]

I might consider that for my games, thanks for the suggestion.

[@swingspst]

After watching this, I realize that Detect Magic is a little more helpful (after heightening) than I initially thought. Thank you

[@HowItsPlayed]

You're welcome! :)

[@Kenmis]

The "Detect Magic" exploration activity is the best use of the spell, I think. It guarantees you don't miss any magical items as you travel and explore, and that's pretty great.

[@marksmith8079]

@@Kenmis Depends on how crowded your local environment is- crowded means little to no chance of finding the items. Three item within 30 feet with good visibility excellent chance of not missing anything. Just take his example- its a library with thousands of books and floor panels, walls and roof panels and a few people around gives you near to no chance of getting the magical items.

[@jeremys4731]

Thank you for putting these videos together. They are very helpful!

[@HowItsPlayed]

You're very welcome!

[@CursingBody]

Great video, you're really good at teaching man. Articulate and you've really got a knack for explaining things concisely. Are you a teacher by any chance? keep up the great work!

[@HowItsPlayed]

I've worked in adult education for almost 20 years. :)

[@williamfrank8719]

Love this channel man, can't tell you how often this is a great resource to settle table rules debates!

[@713zep]

I've found that my players seem to find there is more information required. Detect Magic is extremely general and Read Aura is per object, which you have to do individually. To attempt to address this (and, I admit, perhaps break the balance), I have added (homebrewed) the following changes for Detect Magic: Original: Traits Concentrate, Exploration You cast detect magic at regular intervals. You move at half your travel speed or slower. You have no chance of accidentally overlooking a magic aura at a travel speed up to 300 feet per minute, but must be traveling no more than 150 feet per minute to detect magic auras before the party moves into them. Homebrew: May take the Sustain action (requiring Concentrate) to pick any one of the following effects - Detect the direction of the most powerful magic -Detect the type/school of the most powerful magic -Know that the highest level magic item in the area is a magic item or that there isnt a magic item in the area

[@brantchurchill7415]

Love all your videos. So well done

[@HowItsPlayed]

Thanks so much!

[@johnharrison2086]

Very helpful. I think a lot of players think Detect Magic works as Read Aura!

[@HowItsPlayed]

I know my players thought that when we first started too!

[@taweja]

My bard likes to get some information about possible locations of items/effects/persons by walking around and seeing from where she does or doesn't detect anything magical. Not helpful if you're looking for something specific in a place stuffed with magic, but very helpful in a mostly non-magical area.

[@larsenex33]

If a player wants to know the properties of a potion or a magical sword what is the procedure for that?

[@HowItsPlayed]

I plan to be making a video on this someday, but the basic process is first you need to know the item is magical (by either seeing it be used or by casting Read Aura on it), then you spend 10 minutes examining it and make a skill check (Arcana, Nature, Occult, or Religion depending on which traits the item has). The DC is based on the items level and if successful, the item is identified.

[@Vezalin]

The only thing I cannot seem to confirm with Detect Magic, since it is a 30-foot emanation, can you Detect Magic through walls or like in the example, the Magic Wand hidden behind a bookshelf? Under Area and Line of Effect I don't think you could since you cannot target/see them.

[@HowItsPlayed]

That's a fair point. By RAW, Ezren would not detect the wand anyway because there is a solid wall between him and the wand. But were I GMing this, I'd likely allow it anyway, if it wasn't cast in the middle of combat. Give a little wiggle-room and assume the caster was walking around and checking all the open space of the room.

[@Kenmis]

@@HowItsPlayed If it's cast during Exploration Mode, it assumes this already, yes.

[@thrawn82]

My understanding of line of effect is that you have to have an unblocked path to the object, but that path doesn't have to be a straight line, which different from light of sight where it does have to be an unobstructed straight line

[@CmogVT]

Will you be covering how the core mechanics of classes work?

[@HowItsPlayed]

Everything is on the table, and I'm fairly certain I'll get to classes at some point. I don't have immediate plans for Classes, but I make videos on the topics that my Patreon community tells me to. So if they vote for class guides, then that's what I'll do!

[@kkme7]

If Detect Magic ignores anything magical you're already aware of, does casting it at 4th level count as then being aware of the source? Or do you have to Read Aura first? Thanks for your videos, they're very helpful and make learning PF2e more fun!

[@andrewhildner]

In your example if the mage had instead cast a high level invisibility spell instead of false life, would detect magic detect no magic since the illusion spell is the highest or the next highest non illusion magic source?

[@HowItsPlayed]

Not sure that's entirely spelled out in the rules, but I'm pretty sure RAI says the next highest non-illusion magic source would be detected rather than nothing being detected.

[@andrewhildner]

@@HowItsPlayed I was thinking that but what if the invisible mage was carrying a wand? Sounds like this is a question for paizo.

[@thrawn82]

@@andrewhildner As a GM i would rule the invis illusion obscures all the auras of the creature beneath the invisibility, so in this case i would have it default to the Dop as the next highest aura. he does give a specific example of a wand being hidden under an illusion spell.

[@adriel8498]

Cast detect magic and ask an allie to move the object away from you, if the feeling of magic fades, it was the magic

[@hex808080]

4:14 A Wand of Ghost Sound cannot exist because Ghost Sound is a cantrip.

[@HowItsPlayed]

Good catch!

[@20catsRPG]

“Detect Magic ignores anything magical you’re already aware of.” Cool. I’ll ignore the necromancy magic and cast Detect Magic again. Illusion from the dwarf? Sure, let me ignore it and cast detect Magic again. Oh look, a magic wand! Revealed all 3 effects and it only took 18 seconds. Also at lower levers, you can use Detect Magic to triangulate the source. Do I sense magic? I take a step back. Still there? Another step. Until it disappears and I don’t detect anything. At that point, one step forward and “Dear party members, there’s something magical EXACTLY 30 fr. from me. Might be an item, might be a trap, search carefully. You might want to use the handy measurement tool your friendly VTT provides. Have a look at those 5 or 6 squares that are suspect and get back to me. Yours truly, party wizard.”

[@SebastienPatriote]

One of my players doe not want to tell the others about his magical handwraps. So detect magic from the others always says yes and they lose time looking for the magic item.

[@robertwarren4734]

::thumbs up::

[@willot4237]

My players just take an item to a 30ft area they have previously checked with no magic and if magic is now detected BINGO! Clever bastards!

[@JuddsonIvines]

We do this too.

[@HLCG11]

our party do that too.

[@noldo3837]

I find Detect Magic, or more specifically it's overuse, very annoying, because it is one of the things which reduce a storytellung game to a boardgame, toa gamism.