Arcane Sight, Greater

Arcane Sight, Greater
Divination
Level: Sor/Wiz 7
Description

Other Information
As Arcane Sight, except you know exactly which spells or magical effects are active instead of just their auras.

Pros:

Always active (doesn't require concentration).

Identifies all magical spells or effects active on any creature or object within sight (unlike the 120 foot range of Arcane Sight); you don't have to select specific targets.

Allows you to determine if a specific creature has spellcasting or spell-like abilities, and the strength of the most powerful spell/spell-like ability currently available to that creature.

Cons:

Your eyes glow blue, which is not dismissable or an optional effect.

Doesn't let you identify active spells that are area-based, only those that are upon creature or objects.

Doesn't let you identify magical items, so you wouldn't know a certain staff was a Staff of Fire. However, the spell description doesn't really specify what you DO learn; as a DM, I would say you would learn the spells required to craft the item, and let you base your opinion from that. Alternately, you might just learn the spell school and power (spell level) instead.

Tricks/Combos:

Dispelling or suppressing; knowing exactly what spells are active lets you know if you need to dispel them, suppress them, run away, etc.

Finding out if a creature has spell-like abilities can be tactically useful when facing a new creature no one has experience with. Some deductive guesses can let you cast the appropriate defensive spells to deal with their spells and abilities.

When fighting a spellcaster, knowing the power of their most powerful spell available can let you estimate if you need to prepare a counterspell.

Overall:
A good defensive spell. Since you instantly know all the active spells on creature & objects within sight, you can make an instant reaction based on your new knowledge. It could be as basic as warning your allies about the Fire Shield spell a Wizard has on, or preparing a plan to deal with the weird greatsword that has overpowering necromancy emanating from it. Like Arcane Sight, you can still learn if a creature is capable of casting spells or has spell-like abilities, and you can still discern the power of these spells/abilities.

Recommended for Sorcerers?
Yes. At high levels, virtually everything encountered is magical to some degree. Knowing which spells or effects you are facing can be a huge advantage, since by the time you can cast this spell you have a lot of magical power in your arsenal to counter with.

Recommended for Wizards as an initial spell choice?
Yes. At high levels, virtually everything encountered is magical to some degree. Knowing which spells or effects you are facing can be a huge advantage, since by the time you can cast this spell you have a lot of magical power in your arsenal to counter with. This is a good spell to memorize on pretty much any day when you might be exploring, or in combat.

Recommended as a scroll?
Yes, if you don't have it as a regular spell. If you do, then you probably won't need a scroll.