Divination • Poison Detection

Detect Poison

Choose the rules edition before using this spell. Where an edition does not contain a spell by this name, that panel is a status note rather than an invented conversion.

Detect Poison at a Glance

5.5e / 2024	No standalone Detect Poison spell; use edition-appropriate poison-detection magic
5e / 2014	No standalone Detect Poison spell; Detect Poison and Disease fills the related role
Pathfinder 1e	Level 0 Divination
D&D 3.5e	Level 0 Divination
Witch archive	Linked from the legacy Witch spell list; modern Witch access follows the edition’s own class rules.

Spell Rules by Edition

5.5e / 20245e / 2014Pathfinder 1eD&D 3.5e

Detect Poison — 5.5e / 2024

Status: There is no standalone spell named Detect Poison in SRD 5.2.1. Use the current edition’s poison- and disease-detection options rather than importing the legacy DCs.

Detect Poison — 5e / 2014

Status: The 2014 core rules use Detect Poison and Disease for the broader detection role. The Pathfinder and 3.5e mechanics below are not the 2014 spell.

Detect Poison — Pathfinder 1e

Cleric orison (level 0). Edition source.

School	divination
Level	cleric 0, druid 0, paladin 1, ranger 1, sorcerer/wizard 0
Casting Time	1 standard action
Components	V, S
Range	close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target	or
Area	one creature, one object, or a 5-ft. cube
Duration	instantaneous
Saving Throw	none
Spell Resistance	no

You determine whether a creature, object, or area has been poisoned or is poisonous. You can determine the exact type of poison with a DC 20 Wisdom check. A character with the Craft (alchemy) skill may try a DC 20 Craft (alchemy) check if the Wisdom check fails, or may try the Craft (alchemy) check prior to the Wisdom check. The spell can penetrate barriers, but 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt blocks it.

Detect Poison — D&D 3.5e

Cleric orison (level 0). Edition source.

School	Divination
Level	Clr 0, Drd 0, Pal 1, Rgr 1, Sor/Wiz 0
Components	V, S
Casting Time	1 standard action
Range	Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target	or
Area	One creature, one object, or a 5-ft. cube
Duration	Instantaneous
Saving Throw	None
Spell Resistance	No

You determine whether a creature, object, or area has been poisoned or is poisonous. You can determine the exact
type of poison with a DC 20 Wisdom check. A character with the Craft (alchemy) skill may try a DC 20 Craft
(alchemy) check if the Wisdom check fails, or may try the Craft (alchemy) check prior to the Wisdom check.

The spell can penetrate barriers, but 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of
wood or dirt blocks it.

What Changed?

Fifth edition: the older standalone Detect Poison entry is not used as written; 2014 folds the role into Detect Poison and Disease.
Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e: the spell examines a creature, object or small area and can identify the poison with an edition-specific check.

Using Detect Poison in Play

Detect Poison is most useful before contact: examine food, drink, a weapon, a suspicious container or a creature showing unusual symptoms. A positive result tells you poison is present; identifying its exact type still follows the selected edition’s check.

Related Witch Magic

← Witch Spell Lists

Counterplay and Related Magic

Detect Poison reveals what its edition says it can reveal; it does not neutralize the poison. Compare Neutralize Poison and Delay Poison. An instantaneous detection result cannot be removed afterward with Dispel Magic.

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