Identify

Identifying Magical Items

A Short Rest to Identify -

Checking it out for an hour you do not get the healing benefits of a short rest and you only get basic information, i.e. the bonus of armor, weapons, strength given by that belt, etc. Perhaps that it is a wand of automatic magic missile fire, for those being able to use it, and whether or not it requires attunement. Learning more properties, and in particular command words and such is more difficult and requires an identify spell, or research, unless the command word is written on the item of course. This does not actually confer any knowledge of its history or other facts about it.

It requires a separate hour of concentration to attune to the item. A character doesn't get the healing benefits of a short rest when attuning to an item.

The Identify spell -

“You choose one object that you must touch throughout the casting of the spell. If it is a magic item or some other magic-imbued object, you learn its properties and how to use them, whether it requires attunement to use, and how many charges it has, if any. You learn whether any spells are affecting the item and what they are. If the item was created by a spell, you learn which spell created it.” I would add to this that the identify spell does not tell you if an item is cursed and does not activate the curse if it is. Only actually using the item activates the curse. And that it sometimes also gives you the item’s backstory as well. Also note that the pearl is not consumed in the casting of the identify spell.

Identifying Scrolls

Protection Scroll - Any creature that can understand a written language can read the arcane script on a protection scroll and attempt to activate it.

Spell Scroll - A spell scroll bears the words of a single spell, written - a mystical cipher. If the spell is on your class's spell list you can use an action to read the scroll and cast its spell without having to provide any of the spell's components. Otherwise, the scroll is unintelligible. [Exception: anyone can identify the name of the spell.] If the spell is on your class's spell list but of a higher level than you can normally cast, you must make an ability check using your spellcasting ability to determine whether you cast it successfully. The DC equals 10 + spell's level. On a failed check, the spell disappears from the scroll with no other effect.

Identifying Potions

You can identify a potion by tasting it.

If it is a magical potion, an identify spell will tell you what it is, but not all potions are magical. For instance, most poisons are not magical.

Tasting a poison to identify it will most likely poison you if you fail a saving throw and may cause other effects such as loss of hit points, but typically much less severe than consuming the entire vial.