Sense Magica naturally pairs with
Sense Magica does not require any other channeling skills. A character with Wits 4 and Sense Magica 3 but no energy skills whatsoever is a capable magic detector. They cannot create spell items. They can absolutely tell you what is in yours.
The number of
| Result | What You Learn | Successes Required |
|---|---|---|
| Fumble | GM gives you wrong information. Cannot retry this item. | — |
| Zero successes | Nothing. Cannot retry this item. | — |
| Is the item sealed? | Yes or no. | 1 |
| How much can it hold? | The item's energy capacity. | 1 |
| What kind of spell? | The spell name (e.g. "this is a Searing spell"). | Equal to the spell's tier level |
| What spell and what tier? | Full identification — name and tier level (e.g. "tier 3 Searing"). | Equal to the spell's spell level |
Tier level vs. spell level: A Searing spell at tier 3 has a spell level of 5. Naming the spell type ("Searing") requires 3 successes. Naming the spell type and its tier ("tier 3 Searing") requires 5 successes.
Example: The party pulls a copper rod from a dead courier's bag. Fiera uses Wits + Sense Magica. She rolls and gets 3 successes. That tells her the item is sealed, its capacity, the spell type, and nothing about tier. She announces it is a Force spell. Bran picks it up to examine it closely. Fiera suggests, with careful calm, that he not do that. He asks if it is, consequently, dangerous. She says yes. He continues examining it while he thinks this over.
No dots in the energy type? The difficulty of the Sense Magica check is doubled. A character who has never worked with Electricity energy can still try to read an Arcing item — it is just significantly harder. Learning dots in each energy type broadens what you can read easily.
After successfully identifying a spell in an item, a character can attempt to learn it directly — absorbing the spell structure from the sealed item rather than being taught. This is faster than conventional learning. It is also considerably more dangerous.
How it works:
Failure: The character takes 20 points of damage. The copper rod is destroyed. The spell is not learned.
Fumble: 40 points of damage — 20 for the failed roll, plus 20 for the fumble on top. Flat. The copper rod is destroyed. The spell is not learned. A fumble here is not scaled by how badly the roll missed; it is simply the worst outcome the dice can produce.
Example: Tharis successfully identified a tier 2 Mending spell (spell level 3). He decides to learn it from the item rather than wait for a teacher. He rolls Channeling + Sense Magica — two dice — at difficulty 3. Both dice come up 6. Every die in the pool is a 6: that is a fumble. He takes 40 points of damage — 20 for failing the roll, 20 for the fumble. The copper rod is gone. The Mending spell is not his. Bran says this is, consequently, the bravest thing he has ever witnessed. Tharis does not have the energy to correct him.
See Fumbles for the full fumble condition — all dice in the pool must show a 6.
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