Use this skill to identify spells as they are cast or spells already in place.
You can identify spells and magic effects. The DCs for Spellcraft checks relating to various tasks are summarized on the table below.
| Spellcraft DC | Task |
|---|---|
| 13 | When using read magic, identify a glyph of warding. No action required. |
| 15 + spell level | Identify a spell being cast. (You must see or hear the spell’s verbal or somatic components.) No action required. No retry. |
| 15 + spell level | Learn a spell from a spellbook or scroll (wizard only). No retry for that spell until you gain at least 1 rank in Spellcraft (even if you find another source to try to learn the spell from). Requires 8 hours. |
| 15 + spell level | Prepare a spell from a borrowed spellbook (wizard only). One try per day. No extra time required. |
| 15 + spell level | When casting detect magic, determine the school of magic involved in the aura of a single item or creature you can see. (If the aura is not a spell effect, the DC is 15 + one-half caster level.) No action required. |
| 19 | When using read magic, identify a symbol. No action required. |
| 20 + spell level | Identify a spell that’s already in place and in effect. You must be able to see or detect the effects of the spell. No action required. No retry. |
| 20 + spell level | Identify materials created or shaped by magic, such as noting that an iron wall is the result of a wall of iron spell. No action required. No retry. |
| 20 + spell level | Decipher a written spell (such as a scroll) without using read magic. One try per day. Requires a full-round action. |
| 25 + spell level | After rolling a saving throw against a spell targeted on you, determine what that spell was. No action required. No retry. |
| 25 | Identify a potion. Requires 1 minute. No retry. |
| 20 | Draw a diagram to allow dimensional anchor to be cast on a magic circle spell. Requires 10 minutes. No retry. This check is made secretly so you do not know the result. |
| 30 or higher | Understand a strange or unique magical effect, such as the effects of a magic stream. Time required varies. No retry. |
See also: epic usages of Spellcraft.
Varies, as noted above.
See above.
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 -5 penalty when dealing with a spell or effect from a prohibited school (and some tasks, such as learning a prohibited spell, are just impossible).
If you have the Magical Aptitude feat, you get a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks.
Additionally, certain spells allow you to gain information about magic, provided that you make a successful Spellcraft check as detailed in the spell description.
Epic
The character can identify properties of a magic item.
| DC | Task |
|---|---|
| 50 + caster level | Identify basic property of magic item |
| 70 + caster level | Identify all properties of magic item |
| 50 | Quick identification of alchemical substances and potions |
This use of the skill requires one round of inspection, and functions exactly as if the character had cast an identify spell on the item. A character can’t attempt this on the same item more than once.
This requires one minute of inspection, and reveals all properties of a single magic item (including command words and charges remaining). A character can’t attempt this on the same item more than once. If an item has different caster levels for different properties, use the highest caster level.
A character can identify a substance or potion in the field as a full-round action, without an alchemical lab or any cost. The character can’t retry this check (or take 20); if he or she fails, the character must identify the substance in an alchemical lab, as normal.