Identify the magical category of a spell, caster, creature, or item to make informed tactical or defensive decisions.
Roll 1d100 against Difficulty Rating 100.
Can often end in an opposed roll if it is being obscured by skills which spell is being cast.
Success: You correctly identify the spell category in use. Per +15 success rate, you gain a +5 bonus to skills that identify spells.
Failure: You misidentify or fail to gather enough information, possibly giving the wrong tactical advice.
-20 to DR if spell or category is known and caster/item is familiar
+20 to DR for unfamiliar spells, categories and items
+40 to DR if the magic is exotic/alien
You see a cloaked enemy raising their hands, conjuring purple energy. You roll 112 against a DR 100 identifying the category as Void Manipulation.
A relic pulses with unknown energy. You roll 125 against DR 120 (rare item, unfamiliar magic (could also be DR 140)). You succeed with +5 and recognize it as Chronology magic, but can't predict the exact effect.
This skill allows you to observe a spell, caster, monster, or magical item and deduce which spell category is involved. While it does not reveal the exact spell, it provides vital tactical information such as whether the magic is offensive or defensive, physical or mental, instantaneous or lingering.
Recognizing the spell category helps in choosing the right countermeasure—such as Suppress Magic for elemental spells or Steelmind for charm/illusion. This knowledge can also inform team strategy, such as positioning to avoid likely area effects or choosing defensive actions appropriate to that category.
Not optimized for direct sequencing but good for optimizing follow up actions.
No direct counters, but the use of skills like Spell Feint and Phantom Casting can make this skill harder to use.