Identify
Level 1 · Divination
- Ritual
Identify (bard and wizard) casts from a 1st-level slot in the divination school. Cast time: 1 Minute. Range Touch, components V/S/M, duration instantaneous. Material: a pearl worth 100+ GP. Marked ritual. Effect: You touch an object throughout the spell's casting.
Stat Block
- Level
- 1
- School
- Divination
- Casting Time
- 1 Minute
- Range / Area
- Touch
- Components
- V, S, M
- Duration
- Instantaneous
- Ritual
- Yes
- Concentration
- No
- Classes
- Bard, Wizard
- Material
- a pearl worth 100+ GP
Description
You touch an object throughout the spell's casting. If the object is a magic item or some other magical object, you learn its properties and how to use them, whether it requires Attunement, and how many charges it has, if any. You learn whether any ongoing spells are affecting the item and what they are. If the item was created by a spell, you learn that spell's name. If you instead touch a creature throughout the casting, you learn which ongoing spells, if any, are currently affecting it.
5e (2014) vs 2024 changes
This spell has both a 5e (2014) and 2024 Player's Handbook version. Doungim shows the current 2024 stat block above. Differences between editions typically affect components, range, or scaling — check both source books for the table.
Doungim Lore
School Fit
Identify is Divination — the school of information, focused on a single magical object. The 1-minute cast reveals every magical property of the touched item: schools of magic, any spell stored, whether attunement is required. A ritual, so the slot cost is optional.
Class Fit
- Bard: Bards take Identify as the campaign's official magic-item identifier. Ritual cast means no slot cost during downtime.
- Wizard: Wizards take Identify at level 1 and ritual-cast it whenever the party finds an unidentified item. The 100gp pearl is a one-time material component cost.
Tactical play (Doungim editorial)
Ritual; learn a magic item's full properties. Free at downtime; mandatory on every found item.
Related Spells
Frequently Asked Questions about Identify
- What level spell is Identify?
- In D&D 5e, Identify is classified as a level 1 spell of the Divination school. Available classes: Bard, Wizard.
- What is the range of Identify?
- Touch range on Identify means the caster has to make physical contact with the target.
- What components and casting time does Identify need?
- the cast needs V, S, M. Material component: a pearl worth 100+ GP; Identify can be cast as a ritual: an extra 10 minutes of casting time, no spell slot consumed; the casting time is 1 minute (not a standard Action).