Divination • Legacy Witch Spell
Analyse Magic
Analyse Magic reads the history carried by a spell, magic item or magically created being. It can reveal the kind of spellcaster involved, magical tradition, alignment, identity, age and purpose of the magic when the caster’s analysis is strong enough.
Analyse Magic at a Glance
| 5.5e / 2024 | No direct conversion published here |
|---|---|
| 5e / 2014 | No direct conversion published here |
| Pathfinder 1e | Not part of the Pathfinder Witch list by default |
| D&D 3.5e / Legacy d20 | Witch 4, Sorcerer/Wizard 5 |
Legacy quick facts: Divination; Witch 4, Sorcerer/Wizard 5; V, S; 1 minute to cast; touch range; instantaneous duration. The relevant spellcasting ability plus half caster level determines which secrets the analysis reveals.
Spell Rules by Edition
Analyse Magic — 5.5e / 2024
Status: no conversion is published here. Use modern divination such as Detect Magic and Identify rather than importing the legacy DC ladder.
Analyse Magic — 5e / 2014
Status: no direct 2014 conversion is presented.
Analyse Magic — Pathfinder 1e
Status: this archive spell is not added to the Pathfinder Witch list automatically.
Analyse Magic — D&D 3.5e / Legacy d20
| School | Divination |
|---|---|
| Level | Witch 4, Sorcerer/Wizard 5 |
| Components | V, S |
| Casting Time | 1 minute |
| Range | Touch |
| Target | One magical item, effect or eligible magical creation |
| Duration | Instantaneous |
| Saving Throw | See text |
| Spell Resistance | Yes |
Make an ability check using the spellcasting ability used for the spell, adding half your caster level. The Games Master applies situational modifiers. This is the legacy ability check; it does not add a modern proficiency bonus or use an Arcana skill check.
| Legacy clue | Modifier |
|---|---|
| Creator is famous or well known | +4 |
| Magic has been deliberately disguised | –5 per relevant spell level |
| The same spell or item has been used against you before | +1 per previous use against you |
| Age of spell or item | –1 per year |
| The type of magic is unavailable to you, such as divine magic analysed by a Wizard | –5 |
Cumulative results: each threshold reveals its listed information and everything at the lower thresholds. A result below DC 10 does not reach the first tier.
| Information learned | DC |
|---|---|
| Creator’s spellcasting class | 10 |
| Tradition, coven, religion or school | 12 |
| Creator’s alignment | 15 |
| Creator’s identity | 20 |
| When the spell was cast or the item created, and a visual impression of the act | 24 |
| Purpose for which the magic was created | 30 |
| Trace other users of the same item; reroll at –5 | 35 |
The spell can analyse spells of long duration, magic items and Constructs. It also applies to Undead and Aberrations whose creation resulted from wizardry. It does not apply to every creature merely because that creature has magical abilities, and it does not automatically reveal every property of an item.
Saving throw clarification: the source lists “See text” but gives no separate saving throw procedure in this entry. Spell resistance is listed as applicable. The Games Master must resolve that omission before an unwilling magical creature is analysed; no new saving throw is supplied here.
What Changed?
- 5.5e / 2024 and 5e / 2014: no official spell by this name is used here; modern identification magic uses different mechanics.
- Pathfinder 1e: Analyse Magic is not part of the default Witch spell list.
- D&D 3.5e / Legacy d20: the detailed DC-based magical forensics system remains confined to the legacy Witch rules.
Counterplay and Rulings
Magic that masks or falsifies an aura can impose penalties under the legacy rules. Dispel Magic does not reveal hidden history; it interacts with the underlying effect normally. Counterspell can stop Analyse Magic only while it is being cast, where the edition supports that interaction.
Using Analyse Magic in Play
Use it when the question is not merely “is this magical?” but who made it, what tradition shaped it and why? It works particularly well on cursed relics, old coven tools, magical murder weapons and constructs tied to a known creator.
Worked Example: A Famous Maker’s Relic
A level 10 caster with a +4 spellcasting ability modifier touches a three-year-old relic made by a famous spellcaster. The caster rolls 12, adds +4 for the ability, +5 for half caster level and +4 for the well-known maker, then subtracts 3 for the relic’s age: 12 + 4 + 5 + 4 − 3 = 22.
Analyse Magic reaches DC 20, revealing the maker’s class, tradition, alignment and identity. It does not reach DC 24, so the caster gains no date or visual impression of the relic’s creation. No disguise or prior-use modifier applies in this example.
Related Magic
Mythical Context
In the story of Nessus and Deianira, a supposed love charm conceals a lethal purpose: the Centaur’s poisoned blood eventually reaches Heracles through an anointed robe. The accounts collected from ancient authors distinguish the object’s promised use from its maker’s intention. That is a useful parallel for Analyse Magic’s higher result tiers, rather than a historical version of this spell.
Historical Context
The British Museum records a serpentine magical gem carved with an ibis and an inscription, alongside figures including Chnoumis, Anubis and Osiris. Its material, imagery and writing provide evidence for the object’s ritual setting. A scholar can interpret those surviving clues; the record does not establish that magic could recover its creator’s identity or memories.
Rules Sources and Licensing
Legacy source: Liber Mysterium: The Netbook of Witches and Warlocks, © 2003 Timothy S. Brannan and the Netbook of Witches Team, pp. 131–132. The book spells the entry “Analyze Magic”; this page retains “Analyse Magic” as its title. The original rules were written for third-edition d20 play. The 3.5e panel identifies that historical source and does not claim an official 3.5e revision. The other edition panels are status notes, not conversions.
Read the source-book transcription
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Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
System Reference Document Copyright 2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Bruce R. Cordell, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
“Witch-finder” Copyright 2003, Dominique Crouzet.
“Witch Knight”, Copyright 2001, Ravenscyre Grey Daegmorgan.
Ritual Magic rules from Relics & Rituals Copyright 2001, Clark Peterson, Sword and Sorcery Studios.
“Divine Dominion” and “Greater Divine Dominion”, Copyright 2001 Bradely H. Bemis.
“Extra Familiar”, Copyright 2001 Paul King.
“Leprechaun” from the Tome of Horrors, Copyright 2002, Necromancer Games, Inc.; Author Scott Greene, based on original material by Gary Gygax.
“Poppet” and “Create Poppet” from Liber Bestarius, Copyright 2002, Eden Studios. Additional non-OGC permission granted by Eden Studios May 27th, 2003.
Liber Mysterium: The Netbook of Witches and Warlocks is Copyright© 2003, Timothy S. Brannan and the Netbook of Witches Team.
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