Spellcraft
Description
Ability Score Used: Choose One Usable Untrained? No (Bailiwick) Armor Check Penalty Applies? No
Only Bards, Sorcerers and Wizards may learn this bailiwick skill. A character with the Minor Magic rogue talent may also learn this skill. No other class may place ranks in it unless they have an ability which specifically states they may put ranks into a bailiwick skill not normally offered by their class. A bailiwick skill is a new skill that represents the core competency of a style of adventure, and has many useful applications.
The Spellcraft skill is an expression of your practical knowledge of the arcane and its effects. For each rank a character places in Spellcraft, the character receives a free rank in Knowledge (Arcana). Note that no character may ever have more ranks in a skill than her character level.
At the time the player places her first ranks in this skill, she must select one of her ability modifiers, and use that ability modifier as the key ability modifier for this skill. Once selected, this ability modifier may not be changed, except through the Character Retraining rules.
Regardless of which ability modifier is used, Bailiwick skills never suffer an armor check penalty.
Check
Spellcraft is used whenever your knowledge and skill of the arcane, spellcasting or ritual magic is called into question. This skill is also used to identify the properties of magic items in your possession. The DC of this check varies depending upon the task at hand.
| Task | Spellcraft DC |
|---|---|
| Identify a spell as it is being cast | 15 + spell level |
| Learn a spell from a spellbook or scroll | 15 + spell level |
| Prepare a spell from a borrowed spellbook | 15 + spell level |
| Identify the properties of a magic item | 15 + item's caster level |
| Decipher a scroll | 20 + spell level |
| Craft a magic item with the Creator feat | Varies by item |
Action
Identify Spell Being Cast
Identifying a spell as it is being cast requires no action, but you must be able to clearly see the spell as it is being cast, and this incurs the same penalties as a Perception skill check due to distance, poor conditions, and other factors.
Learn Spell from Spellbook
Learning a spell from a spellbook takes 1 hour per level of the spell (0-level spells take 30 minutes).
Prepare Spell from Borrowed Spellbook
Preparing a spell from a borrowed spellbook does not add any time to your spell preparation.
Crafting Magic Items
Spellcraft is one of the skills which, when combined with the Creator feat, may be used to create new magic items.
Determine Properties of Magic Item
Attempting to ascertain the properties of a magic item takes 3 rounds per item to be identified and you must be able to thoroughly examine the object. Note that this skill may be used to assist another party member's attempt at determining the properties of a magic item, even if the other party member is using a different skill to make the check.
Retry
Identify Spell Being Cast
You cannot retry checks made to identify a spell.
Learn Spell from Spellbook
If you fail to learn a spell from a spellbook or scroll, you must wait at least 1 week before you can try again.
Prepare Spell from Borrowed Spellbook
If you fail to prepare a spell from a borrowed spellbook, you cannot try again until the next day.
Crafting Magic Items
Yes, but resources used in the creation of the item are often expended and must be repurchased. Additionally, the process of the item's creation must be restarted from the beginning.
Determine Properties of Magic Item
When attempting to learn the properties of magic items, you can only attempt to ascertain the properties of an individual item once per day. Additional attempts that day reveal the same results.
Special
If you are a specialist wizard, you get a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks made to identify, learn, and prepare spells from your chosen school. Similarly, you take a -5 penalty on similar checks made concerning spells from your opposition schools.
Epic Skill Uses
Note: All uses below require a minimum of 21 Ranks in the skill to use.
Learn a spell by seeing it cast
(DC 100 + triple the spell's level)
Cast Spell With Somatic Component While Grappled
(DC 50 + triple the spell's level)