Identify is a 1st-level divination ritual for bards and wizards. You touch an object for 1 minute and learn its magic properties, how to use them, whether it needs attunement, how many charges it has, and which spells are affecting it. Touch a creature instead to learn which spells are affecting it. It needs a pearl worth at least 100 gp, which is not consumed. It does not reveal curses.
Identify is a 1st-level divination spell that tells you exactly what a magic item does. Bards and wizards can cast it from 1st level, and both can cast it as a ritual, which takes 10 extra minutes but uses no spell slot.
Most groups find magic items faster than they can safely test them. Identify answers the questions that matter: what the item does, how to activate it, whether it needs attunement, and how many charges are left. It also tells you if spells are affecting the item, and if a spell created the item, which one.
Two limits come up often. First, it will not reveal a curse. Second, you need a real pearl worth at least 100 gp. A component pouch or focus does not replace a component with a listed cost.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Level | 1 |
| School | Divination |
| Casting Time | 1 minute |
| Range | Touch |
| Components | V, S, M |
| Material | A pearl worth at least 100 gp and an owl feather. |
| Duration | Instantaneous |
| Concentration | No |
| Ritual | Yes |
| Save/Attack | None |
| Classes | Bard, Wizard |
| Metric | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Slot Efficiency | Free as a ritual. Spend a slot only when time is short. |
| Action Economy | Not a combat spell. It is a downtime and exploration tool. |
| Opportunity Cost | One spell known for bards, or one spellbook entry for wizards. Wizards pay almost nothing to have it. |
When worth the slot: When you must know an item's use right now and cannot spare 11 minutes.
When NOT worth the slot: Almost any other time. Cast it as a ritual.
Why it works: A ritual adds 10 minutes and spends no slot. Wizards can ritual-cast it from their spellbook even if it is not prepared.
This avoids the mistake of: Spending a 1st-level slot you will want for Shield later.
Why it works: Detect Magic shows which objects in a pile are magical. You then only spend time identifying the ones that matter.
This avoids the mistake of: Casting Identify on twenty ordinary coins.
Why it works: Touching a creature through the casting tells you which spells are affecting it. That can show if a noble is under Suggestion or if an ally still has a buff running.
This avoids the mistake of: Guessing whether strange behavior is magic.
Why it's bad: A pouch or focus can stand in for components without a listed cost. The pearl has a 100 gp cost, so you need the actual pearl.
Do this instead: Buy a 100 gp pearl once. The spell does not consume it, so you can reuse it.
Why it's bad: Most ways of identifying items, Identify included, fail to reveal a curse.
Do this instead: Be careful with attunement. Keep Remove Curse available for items with suspicious drawbacks.
Why it's bad: On a creature, it only reveals spells. A monster's charm ability, a curse from a magic item, or a disease is not a spell.
Do this instead: Use Detect Magic, skill checks, or Detect Poison and Disease for other kinds of effects.
The 2024 Identify works the same way. You learn the item's properties, attunement need, charges, any ongoing spells on it, and the spell that created it. On a creature, you learn its ongoing spells. The class list is still Bard and Wizard.
The material is simpler: just a pearl worth 100+ GP, no owl feather. The casting time is listed as "1 minute or Ritual."
Ritual rules changed for bards. In 2024, a spellcaster must have a ritual spell prepared to cast it as a ritual. Wizards keep their exception: Ritual Adept lets them ritual-cast any ritual in their spellbook without preparing it. A 2024 wizard's spellbook can be read only by its owner or by someone casting Identify. The short-rest method and the rule that Identify misses curses are both in the 2024 rules too.
It reveals a magic item's properties, how to use them, whether it requires attunement, how many charges it has, and which spells are affecting it. If a spell created the item, you learn which one. On a creature, it shows which spells are affecting it.
Yes. Cast as a ritual, it takes 11 minutes and uses no spell slot. Wizards can ritual-cast it from their spellbook without preparing it.
No. Most methods of identifying items, including Identify, fail to reveal a curse. You usually find out after attuning or using the item.
No. You need a pearl worth at least 100 gp, but the spell does not use it up. Because it has a listed cost, a component pouch or focus cannot replace it.
Yes. A character can focus on one magic item during a short rest while touching it and learn its properties at the end. A small taste also tells you what a potion does. Neither method reveals curses.
In the SRD, bards and wizards. Other characters can get it from feats, subclasses, or items in other books if your DM allows them.
Only if a spell is causing it. Touching a creature through the casting shows which spells are affecting it, such as Charm Person or Suggestion. A monster's charm ability that is not a spell will not show up.
It tells you the item's properties and how to use them, which usually makes the item clear. The spell text does not promise the item's name or history. How much flavor you get is up to the DM.
Citations: SRD 5.1 (Identify, Material components, Ritual Casting); SRD 5.2.1 (Identify, Identifying a Magic Item, Cursed Items, Rituals, Ritual Adept)
Includes SRD 5.1 and SRD 5.2.1 content per CC BY 4.0.
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