Identify by fondling the item.

Greetings.

I'm fairly certain that I have read a post here with a confirmation from WotC that when you identify by cuddling with the item while you sleep you WILL trigger all curses on the item to be put on you regardless.

So the fondling with an item to identify it is almost as good as the identify spell apart from the fact that you a) don't know about curses and b) will trigger the curse on you.

Is there anyone that knows which post I'm talking about and can help me locate it?

Thanks so much in advance.

// Quinn in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Greetings Quinn,

I have not heard of that as an option to 'identify' an item, and am posting so if someone does remember the post you are referencing, I can see the info too :)

Cheers!

Quote from __Q__9745 >>

Greetings.

I'm fairly certain that I have read a post here with a confirmation from WotC that when you identify by cuddling with the item while you sleep you WILL trigger all curses on the item to be put on you regardless.

So the fondling with an item to identify it is almost as good as the identify spell apart from the fact that you a) don't know about curses and b) will trigger the curse on you.

Is there anyone that knows which post I'm talking about and can help me locate it?

Thanks so much in advance.

// Quinn in Gothenburg, Sweden.

I can't say I know the post you're talking about, but you don't really need a post from WotC when it's spelled out in the rules themselves. If you look at the rules surrounding identifying magic items in the Player's Handbook or Basic Rules, you'll find this:

The Identify spell is the fastest way to reveal an item’s properties. Alternatively, you can focus on one magic item during a Short Rest while being in physical contact with the item. At the end of the rest, you learn its properties and how to use them (but not any curse the item might bear).

So, you can identify an item by being in physical contact with it through a short rest. If you choose to interpret that as "fondling" or "cuddling", that's up to you. This method doesn't tell you if an item is cursed (which casting Identify on it generally would).

If your question is whether identifying a cursed object in this manner would put the curse on you, the answer is that it depends on the item. The description of the item will tell you how the curse gets applied to you. Some cursed items only activate their curse when you attune to them (and you can't attune to an item in the same short rest you use to identify it). Some activate their curse as soon as you pick them up. Some, like a Loadstone, only activate when you take a specific action while holding them. You need to look at the specific item description to know how any given cursed item works.

Reply Laird_Denton:
The rule is in PHB 2024 on page 232 left column on the bottom.

I have realized that many MANY groups don't allow it as a house rule.

Reply wagnarokkr:
Thank you very much for the input.

Yes - in my post Fondling/Cuddling was the same as physical contact during a short rest. :D I was using my vivid roleplaying imagination :D

// Quinn in Gothenburg Sweden.

Quote from wagnarokkr>>

The Identify spell is the fastest way to reveal an item’s properties. Alternatively, you can focus on one magic item during a Short Rest while being in physical contact with the item. At the end of the rest, you learn its properties and how to use them (but not any curse the item might bear).

So, you can identify an item by being in physical contact with it through a short rest. If you choose to interpret that as "fondling" or "cuddling", that's up to you. This method doesn't tell you if an item is cursed (which casting Identify on it generally would).

Actually Identify doesn't reveal curses as stated on The DMG:

A magic item’s description specifies whether it bears a curse. Most methods of identifying items, including the Identify spell, fail to reveal such a curse.