Identifying scrolls and potions

[phiwum]

Does a spell like analyze magic identify scrolls and potions?

If not, identifying a scroll is quite difficult, no? Potions can be identified by an alchemist (which is pretty hard to find in small towns), but glancing at a scroll is difficult for most wizards, with a 4/IQ roll.

Oh, shoot. I put this in the wrong subforum. This isn't a house rules question. I just forgot what forum I was in.

[hcobb]

Take for example an average starting wizard with ST 6, DX 9, IQ 17, Spellsniffer, Chemist, Literacy, Alchemy, Staff V and one other memory point.

In the absence of Conceal spells (and she ought to know Reveal herself, or Common),

Molly has a 4.63% chance of not detecting a magical item.
Molly has a 15.9% chance of incorrectly identifying a detected magical item.
Molly has a 4.63% chance of not identifying a potion.
Molly has a 29% chance of accidentally reading (and spoiling) a scroll.

If any of this blows up Molly then just replace her with another identical starting wizard.

[Axly Suregrip]

As far as items, I play that the Analyze Magic spell will identify the exact enchantment of alchemist potions, scrolls, weapon enchantments (DX/Dmg and how much), Lesser and Greater item enchantments and staff spells. Really any magic cast on an object or person it can identify it for you.

Analyze Magic spell will not identify chemist potions, fine weapons or mechanical devices/technology. They are not magical.

[phiwum]

Originally Posted by hcobb

Take for example an average starting wizard with ST 6, DX 9, IQ 17, Spellsniffer, Chemist, Literacy, Alchemy, Staff V and one other memory point.

In the absence of Conceal spells (and she ought to know Reveal herself, or Common),

Molly has a 4.63% chance of not detecting a magical item.
Molly has a 15.9% chance of incorrectly identifying a detected magical item.
Molly has a 4.63% chance of not identifying a potion.
Molly has a 29% chance of accidentally reading (and spoiling) a scroll.

If any of this blows up Molly then just replace her with another identical starting wizard.

Henry, as shocking as this may seem, I'm not asking about a Molly. I'm asking about the kinds of PCs I actually see. This reply was not really relevant to my question.

[phiwum]

Originally Posted by Axly Suregrip

As far as items, I play that the Analyze Magic spell will identify the exact enchantment of alchemist potions, scrolls, weapon enchantments (DX/Dmg and how much), Lesser and Greater item enchantments and staff spells. Really any magic cast on an object or person it can identify it for you.

Analyze Magic spell will not identify chemist potions, fine weapons or mechanical devices/technology. They are not magical.

Yes, that's what I was thinking too. Without this reading, found scrolls become really fairly useless.

[hcobb]

Found scrolls are paper money. Hand them over to the WG and take whatever they pay you for them.

[phiwum]

Originally Posted by hcobb

Found scrolls are paper money. Hand them over to the WG and take whatever they pay you for them.

Sounds pretty damned foolish to me. You will get the lowest money they can get away with. A found scroll is worth more to a player than that, so long as he can identify it.

Since I agree with Axly that Analyze Magic should work, found scrolls are good for more than the pittance that the Wizard's Guild will give you. They allow one to cast a spell they don't know or get a reasonable price by selling it to someone else.

Barring that, even a non-Molly could try to glance at a scroll and discern what it was without casting it. At 4/IQ, the odds are not terrible that the wizard would succeed. If he fails, then usually nothing very harmful occurs. Bit of a problem if he ends up summoning a demon, of course...

But a "typical" starting wizard and his two or three henchmen can handle a demon with one hand tied behind their backs, am I right?

[Kieddicus]

Though not technically allowed, I'd say you should be able to us Duplicate Writing to copy the text on a scroll just not the spell. Then all you'd have to do is read your inert copy.

[JohnPaulB]

Originally Posted by phiwum

Yes, that's what I was thinking too. Without this reading, found scrolls become really fairly useless.

You are assuming that a wizard that creates a scroll would not write on the outside top of the scroll what it is. Because if he has a dozen spell scrolls, he has to identify which ones he wants to bring along.

This goes for potions too. Label the bottle!

Of course, this ID could be in code:

• a foreign language
• abbreviations
• color codes (blue is for water spells)
• etc.

[Axly Suregrip]

Originally Posted by Kieddicus

Though not technically allowed, I'd say you should be able to us Duplicate Writing to copy the text on a scroll just not the spell. Then all you'd have to do is read your inert copy.

I'd say the scribe also has to make a save to not accidentally reading the scroll. And really it should be harder than just glancing at the scroll.