Draft:Identification (spell)
| Menu name | identification |
|---|---|
| Base mana cost | 10 |
| Target | One accessible carried item |
| Learning | Athena lay devotion; Collegium Student rank; general spell learning |
| Related items | Scroll of identification |
Identification is a reusable spell for learning the identity and condition of one carried item. It is one way to perform identification, alongside scrolls and paid appraisal; learning the spell does not automatically identify your belongings.[1]
Learning
Two predictable early routes teach identification:
| Route | Requirement | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Lay devotion to Athena | Pray at her altar with positive alignment and no existing priesthood | Collegium Magii | Advance from Novice to Student with at least 400 college XP |
These rewards teach the spell outright. They do not reduce its mana cost if it is already known.[2]
It can also be learned through random research, a Knowledge wish that selects it, or identified Kolwynia. The Temple of Athena page describes the country temple; Athena also has an altar in Rampart.[3]
Effects
The initial cost is 10 mana, modified by research and the moon. Select one item from accessible possessions. Non-food items become fully identified, and their type is recognized; food receives the game's ordinary food identification. The spell does not change an item's curse, enchantment, charges or usefulness.[4]
This is the single-item effect of an uncursed scroll of identification, not the whole-inventory effect of a blessed scroll. An item still inside the pack must first be made accessible. Cancelling the item prompt avoids the normal monster response for that selection, but the spell's mana has already been spent.[5]
Strategy
Identify equipment before wearing it and valuable unknown loot before selling it. The spell trades mana for repeatable appraisal without paying for every item at the Thieves' Guild. Learning it through Athena or the Collegium is more predictable than hoping random research selects it, but each route has its own alignment or advancement obligations.
For a large haul, compare repeated casts with one blessed identification scroll, which also reaches the pack. In a dungeon, keep enough mana for essential combat and escape magic: identifying an item is useful only if you survive to use it. If you only need names for a broad class of items, Jane's guide to treasure offers a different kind of knowledge rather than full appraisal of each copy.[6]
References
- ↑ spell.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 416–419; effect1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 494–517.
- ↑ priest.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 242–245; priest.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 283–295; etc.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 127–139; guild2.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 398–414.
- ↑ effect3.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 271–307; effect1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 613–620; itemf3.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 292–307; priest.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 283–295.
- ↑ spell.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 509–510; effect1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 501–516; inv.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 221–278.
- ↑ itemf1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 170–176; effect1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 501–546; command2.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 503–514; inv.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 548–620.
- ↑ effect1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 526–546; itemf1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 33–65.