I make a point of taking an RPG system through its paces before I start to tinker, but that doesn’t mean I don’t identify rules that would be likely candidates as I read through the manual. The rule for identifying magic items in Dungeons & Dragons 4E is one of those at the top of my list because it did not meet my standard for reward versus effort. It also stripped some value from the Arcana skill and the Ritual Caster feat.
When my current group sat down to discuss our campaign, I brought up my desire to institute a house rule. Rather than introduce the wholesale changes already percolating in my head, I decided to invoke my right as a DM to re-interpret the text found on page 223 of the PHB:
Some magic items might be a bit harder to identify…. Your DM might ask for an Arcana check to determine their properties….
I proposed to my players the requirement to make an Arcana check (DC equal to 20 + 1/2 the level of the item) to reveal an item’s “Property”. One check could be made per player per short rest, and a successful check would only reveal a single “Property” (if there was more than one). Everything else was RAW (Rules As Written). They agreed.
Now, not every item has a “Property,” so this rule doesn’t change the flow of the game very much. What I would really like to do is institute Arcana checks to identify anything about the item. I would also create an Identify Magic Item ritual that would trade off the need for checks with a high (relative to a first level ritual) component cost.
Identify Magic Item: 5 minutes
- DC: DC 20 + one-half the item’s level. You must be able to see the item. You must make a successful Arcana check to sense the presence of magic within the item before you can make any checks to identify it.
- Success: You identify the item’s enhancement bonus, power, or property.
- Failure: You can’t try to identify the item again until after a short rest.
Identify Magic Item
You finish stirring the potion and imbibe it. Your vision shifts and you see the mystic patterns that reveal the nature of the magic infused within the item.
| Level: 1 | Component Cost: 100 gp |
| Category: Divination | Market Price: 50 gp |
| Time: 5 minutes | Key Skill: Arcana |
| Duration: Instantaneous | |
When you perform this ritual, choose a specific item. You must be able to see the item. When the ritual is completed, you discover what the item is and what it does. You determine the properties and powers of the item. No check is required.
What do you think about the 4E rules for identifying magic items? Have you house-ruled this mechanic? Feel free to comment on my Arcana check and ritual, as well.
Yes, I’ve house-ruled identifying magic items because in my opinion 4e made it too easy. My players didn’t balk at all because they were used to how things worked in my campaign world pre 4e and were used to the concept of needing a wizard, bard or trip to the Mage’s Guild to identify magic items.
Since we don’t have “short rests” in my game, I’d allow a character with the Arcana Skill to make a check during the extended rest and expend a surge to learn one property. The other option would be to use a ritual, just as you have, that reveals all properties.
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I always felt like the rule on pg 223 made it too easy/simplistic for players. (As with more than a few of 4e’s other rules. But that’s another post) So, I like where you’re going with this. At my table, you can “study” an item over a short rest and discover something basic, like what it’s plus is or what keyword is associated with it’s powers. This does not require a skill check.
For discovering more in depth properties I plan on using your ideas on skill checks and ritual use. Before this, it was pretty much trial and error. (Mostly error) Thanks.