# Supernatural abilities vs. Detect Magic



## Dark Dragon (May 10, 2007)

Hi,

a short question: Can a caster detect an ongoing supernatural effect with Detect Magic? Is it somewhere in the PHB/DMG? Can't find it...


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## isoChron (May 10, 2007)

SRD said:
			
		

> Supernatural Abilities (Su): Supernatural abilities are *magical* but not spell-like. Supernatural abilities are not subject to spell resistance and do not function in areas where *magic* is suppressed or negated (such as an antimagic field). A supernatural ability’s effect cannot be dispelled and is not subject to counterspells.






			
				SRD said:
			
		

> Detect Magic
> Divination
> ....
> You detect *magical* auras. The amount of information revealed depends on how long you study a particular area or subject.
> ...




So, yes I think so. I don't know about aura strength or school of some abilities like gaze attacks but it should detect as magical in my book.

EDIT: (Su) doesn't work in an antimagic field so it's clearly magical. The fact that you can't dispel it seems a little odd in that light.


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## Corsair (May 10, 2007)

Detect Magic only ever explicitly references spells and magic items however.



> Aura Strength: An aura’s power depends on a spell’s functioning spell level or an item’s caster level. If an aura falls into more than one category, detect magic indicates the stronger of the two.


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## pawsplay (May 10, 2007)

No, you cannot. And if you could, you'd have to assign caster levels to any such supernatural abilities.


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## isoChron (May 10, 2007)

It's already done:


			
				SRD / Monster special abilities said:
			
		

> Unless otherwise noted, a supernatural ability has an effective caster level equal to the creature’s Hit Dice.


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## isoChron (May 10, 2007)

On the other side ... a paladin would always detect as magic because of divine grace et al.

Hm, maybe I'm wrong but I can't say why


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## isoChron (May 10, 2007)

For those who care, this is what the FAQ says:



			
				FAQ said:
			
		

> Can you use detect magic to detect supernatural effects?
> For example, can it detect a wildshaped druid?
> 
> Supernatural abilities are magical, and thus their effects
> ...


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## Dark Dragon (May 10, 2007)

Ah well, that's pretty clear to me. Ok, thanks for the input!


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## lukelightning (May 10, 2007)

It's not "canon" but Keith Baker said something to the effect that a changeling's supernatural minor shapechange ability doesn't radiate magic except when the actual change is taking place.


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## accipiter (May 10, 2007)

Now that's good to know!  My players use Detect Magic a lot, and I have a changeling rogue accompanying them incognito.  Honestly, I hadn't even thought about it!

"Hey, nondescript human rogue-type guy, why do you light up like a torch every time I detect magic?"
"Um... no reason."


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## jcfiala (May 10, 2007)

accipiter said:
			
		

> Now that's good to know!  My players use Detect Magic a lot, and I have a changeling rogue accompanying them incognito.  Honestly, I hadn't even thought about it!
> 
> "Hey, nondescript human rogue-type guy, why do you light up like a torch every time I detect magic?"
> "Um... no reason."




"Hey, nondescript human rogue-type guy, why do you light up like a torch every time I detect magic?"
"It's an old family curse.  Either myself or my brother shall die before our 30th birthday.  I... don't like to talk about it much."


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## pawsplay (May 10, 2007)

lukelightning said:
			
		

> It's not "canon" but Keith Baker said something to the effect that a changeling's supernatural minor shapechange ability doesn't radiate magic except when the actual change is taking place.




That sounds fishy... wouldn't the change revert in an anti-magic field?


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## lukelightning (May 10, 2007)

pawsplay said:
			
		

> That sounds fishy... wouldn't the change revert in an anti-magic field?




I don't know KB's answer, but I'd say yes since anti-magic is one of the "big guns."

Yeah, it's not consistent but making the shapechange disguise foiled by a zero-level spell just seems wrong, and would ruin a lot of plots.


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## pawsplay (May 10, 2007)

So make it (Ex), or give them an undetectability ability.


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## frankthedm (May 10, 2007)

Or just leave it alone to reward those with the forethought to have a detect magic available. With all the magic floating around Ebberon people should be checking for such shenanigans. Changelings are supposed to be an ECL+0 race. Making the ability immune to scrutiny goes to far IMHO. There is no reason why they deserve a leg up on illusionists and transmuters.


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## pawsplay (May 10, 2007)

Yeah! Take that, you changeling punks!


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## Angerland (May 10, 2007)

detect magic would only work on a changeling when they are in the act of changing, so it wouldn't really nerf them, unless you can catch them in the actof a change. But then I would assume you wouldn't need a spell to realize something magical was up.


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## lukelightning (May 10, 2007)

You could say that the changeling's ability is effectively an "instantaneous" duration effect, since they stay in a given form basically as long as they want awake, asleep, stunned, unconscious...etc.


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## Hypersmurf (May 10, 2007)

lukelightning said:
			
		

> You could say that the changeling's ability is effectively an "instantaneous" duration effect, since they stay in a given form basically as long as they want awake, asleep, stunned, unconscious...etc.




But does it go away in an AMF?

It's the difference between a PDA, and that new e-Paper they're talking about.  You display a page of text on both.  If you cut the power, the PDA goes blank, but the text remains on the e-Paper.

"Detect Power Usage" would register the PDA any time it was displaying text, but it would only register the e-Paper while the page was being 'turned'.

If the changeling's form reverts in an AMF, Detect Magic should detect him all the time.  If it doesn't, it should only detect him while he's changing.

-Hyp.


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## moritheil (May 10, 2007)

Should, could, would.  This is going to be another one of those instances where DM love (or hate) for the race in question will prove the deciding factor!


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## frankthedm (May 10, 2007)

lukelightning said:
			
		

> You could say that the changeling's ability is effectively an "instantaneous" duration effect, since they stay in a given form basically as long as they want awake, asleep, stunned, unconscious...etc.



An instantaneous effect would remain in effect after death.


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## frankthedm (May 10, 2007)

moritheil said:
			
		

> Should, could, would.  This is going to be another one of those instances where DM love (or hate) for the race in question will prove the deciding factor!



Nothing to do with hate. Anything that can betray a doppleganger or any supernatural shapeshifter should betray a changeling. Detect Magic can notice and True Seeing can see through a doppelganger’s disguise. With the amount of magic floating about in that setting, it behooves a rich shapechanger to obtain some magic item that would hide his aura’s from detect magic.


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## James McMurray (May 10, 2007)

It's not like Detect Magic is going to automatically shout "Changeling shapechanger!!!" It's going to say that the person has a magic aura on them, recognizable as transmutation if the caster makes their spellcraft roll. If the changeling comes prepared with a reasonable excuse and/or a good bluff check he should be fine.


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## IanB (May 10, 2007)

frankthedm said:
			
		

> An instantaneous effect would remain in effect after death.




Man, I wish I had my books handy. I could swear changelings *don't* revert after death - but maybe I'm thinking of another shapeshifter.


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## Falling Icicle (May 11, 2007)

If it had an instantaneous duration, it would not end in an anti-magic field. Inherant bonuses work the same way, as far as I know.


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