That's an interesting question that I don't think has a Rules as Written answer - it's up to you, so far as I can tell. That said, here are some interesting threads on the topic:
THANK YOU! very helpful links. The first link was considering a wizard not in the act of casting. This answered it best for me, from the 2nd link, which makes me say yes:
Excerpt from Detect Magic
For the duration, you sense the presence of magic within 30 feet of you. If you sense magic in this way, you can use your action to see a faint aura around any visible creature or object in the area that bears magic, and you learn its school of magic, if any.
Except from Sorcerer description
Magic is a part of every sorcerer, suffusing body, mind, and spirit with a latent power that waits to be tapped. Some sorcerers wield magic that springs from an ancient bloodline infused with the magic of dragons. Others carry a raw, uncontrolled magic within them, a chaotic storm that manifests in unexpected ways.
So obviously, while considering that 5e does not separate flavor text and official rules the RAW is yes. (DM's can decide how to handle it on an individual basis obviously)
The first link was about spellcasters in general, to which Perkins replied that it wasn't a wizard detector (an example of a spellcaster). This leads me to believe that the intent is for detect magic to *not* detect spellcasters, as he makes no further distinctions between types of casters.
On the other hand, the stack exchange folks make some good points that you mention, and it does seem kind of cool that Sorcerers are just so full of magic that they bleed it passively. Further, it seems like a neat way to lend a unique twist on your setting.
The only reservation I have is whether this would get old for a player. Maybe an item given as a quest reward could function as a permanent suppresser? Or maybe getting "scanned' is rare enough that it remains unique? I'm not sure. It definitely sounds interesting, though. I'd roll with it.
Wait who would be casting the detect magic if magic is outlawed?
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"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
THANK YOU! very helpful links. The first link was considering a wizard not in the act of casting. This answered it best for me, from the 2nd link, which makes me say yes:
Excerpt from Detect Magic
For the duration, you sense the presence of magic within 30 feet of you. If you sense magic in this way, you can use your action to see a faint aura around any visible creature or object in the area that bears magic, and you learn its school of magic, if any.
Except from Sorcerer description
Magic is a part of every sorcerer, suffusing body, mind, and spirit with a latent power that waits to be tapped. Some sorcerers wield magic that springs from an ancient bloodline infused with the magic of dragons. Others carry a raw, uncontrolled magic within them, a chaotic storm that manifests in unexpected ways.
So obviously, while considering that 5e does not separate flavor text and official rules the RAW is yes. (DM's can decide how to handle it on an individual basis obviously)
That's not the kind of magic Detect Magic is talking about. See "Is the breath weapon of a dragon magical?" in Sage Advice Compendium.
You might be thinking, “Dragons seem pretty magical to me.” And yes, they are extraordinary! Their description even says they’re magical. But our game makes a distinction between two types of magic:
• the background magic that is part of the D&D multiverse’s physics and the physiology of many D&D creatures
• the concentrated magical energy that is contained in a magic item or channeled to create a spell or other focused magical effect
In D&D, the first type of magic is part of nature. It is no more dispellable than the wind. A monster like a dragon exists because of that magic-enhanced nature. The second type of magic is what the rules are concerned about. When a rule refers to something being magical, it’s referring to that second type.
A sorcerer's magic is background magic. It's no more detectable than the magic in a dragon or the environment in general.
I agree that dispel magic wouldn't work on a sorcerer, but would it detect the sorcerer? I'm saying yes for now.
As to who is casting it... It is not that there are no casters, but it is underground; prohibited; think American alcohol during the 1920s prohibition. Plus when the government outlaws something, they still have it. Like if the government outlaws M16 rifles, they aren't going to stop using theirs.
I agree that dispel magic wouldn't work on a sorcerer, but would it detect the sorcerer? I'm saying yes for now.
Sage Advice clearly says that when the rules refer to "magic" they're talking about the concentrated magic found in magic items, spells, or magical effects, not the background magic of a creature's physiology.
Following your logic, Detect Magic would detect all living creatures, because they all have ki (see Monks.)
You make a strong argument. Let me roll a persuasion check...
I believe you should have advantage on that check. : )
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"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
As a DM, you'd have to be careful about using detect magic like that, because if people with innate magical powers shows up on Detect Magic's radar, so would any other likewise magical creature. Which means, you're handing that power into the players hands for use. That's something to keep in mind, and for a first level spellslot, can be pretty useful.
Personally, I'd avoid it, since there are other spells and abilities that other players might have that might take away from their usefulness, and having to have the players guess for about twenty minutes whether the magic they're detecting is a spell or a living being can be a bit of a sideshow.
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In our campaign, magic is outlawed, and sorcerers are hunted as mutants. What would happen if someone casts a detect magic spell on a sorcerer?
That's an interesting question that I don't think has a Rules as Written answer - it's up to you, so far as I can tell. That said, here are some interesting threads on the topic:
https://www.sageadvice.eu/2016/07/16/can-detect-magic-detect-spellcasters/
^ Chris Perkins says no.
https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/59243/would-detect-magic-reveal-a-sorcerer
https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/49706/can-detect-magic-detect-prepared-spells-or-spellcasters
https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/82256/does-detect-magic-reveal-the-presence-of-a-wizard?rq=1
^ Some folks on stack exchange say yes
Personally, I would say no, but the answer comes down to which you think would make a more interesting story.
THANK YOU! very helpful links. The first link was considering a wizard not in the act of casting. This answered it best for me, from the 2nd link, which makes me say yes:
Excerpt from Detect Magic
Except from Sorcerer description
So obviously, while considering that 5e does not separate flavor text and official rules the RAW is yes. (DM's can decide how to handle it on an individual basis obviously)
The first link was about spellcasters in general, to which Perkins replied that it wasn't a wizard detector (an example of a spellcaster). This leads me to believe that the intent is for detect magic to *not* detect spellcasters, as he makes no further distinctions between types of casters.
On the other hand, the stack exchange folks make some good points that you mention, and it does seem kind of cool that Sorcerers are just so full of magic that they bleed it passively. Further, it seems like a neat way to lend a unique twist on your setting.
The only reservation I have is whether this would get old for a player. Maybe an item given as a quest reward could function as a permanent suppresser? Or maybe getting "scanned' is rare enough that it remains unique? I'm not sure. It definitely sounds interesting, though. I'd roll with it.
Wait who would be casting the detect magic if magic is outlawed?
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
The Forum Infestation (TM)
I agree that dispel magic wouldn't work on a sorcerer, but would it detect the sorcerer? I'm saying yes for now.
As to who is casting it... It is not that there are no casters, but it is underground; prohibited; think American alcohol during the 1920s prohibition. Plus when the government outlaws something, they still have it. Like if the government outlaws M16 rifles, they aren't going to stop using theirs.
The Forum Infestation (TM)
You make a strong argument. Let me roll a persuasion check...
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
As a DM, you'd have to be careful about using detect magic like that, because if people with innate magical powers shows up on Detect Magic's radar, so would any other likewise magical creature. Which means, you're handing that power into the players hands for use. That's something to keep in mind, and for a first level spellslot, can be pretty useful.
Personally, I'd avoid it, since there are other spells and abilities that other players might have that might take away from their usefulness, and having to have the players guess for about twenty minutes whether the magic they're detecting is a spell or a living being can be a bit of a sideshow.