Each ability that is meant to be treated as magical says explicitly that it is magical (according to Mike Mearls, at least), like the entries that you mention.
Since the doppelganger shapechanger trait doesn't mention being magic, it doesn't detect as magic.
Wild Shape, however, specifically mentions the change is magical so there would be magic to detect.
One more question: Detect magic does not tell you immediately that I it is a shapechange trait, it tells you that there is a bit of Transmutation magic going on. Would you allow an Arcana check to determine that it is a shapechange trait?
I'm actually of a much more literal interpretation of spell texts, so at my table [spell]detect magic[/quote] wouldn't tell a character a school of transmutation for the change shape ability since "polymorphs" not being italicized means it isn't actually the spell being cast, and only spells have schools of magic.
However, that is itself a clue at what kind of magic has been detected, since something without a school to it is likely an innate trait of a creature (and at least clues the player in to not trying to use [spell]dispel magic[/quote] because that obviously won't work, given that an effect without a school of magic also doesn't have a spell level assigned to it, and whether a dispel is successful or not is entirely tied to relative spell levels).
As for an Arcana check, and what it would reveal for the player. I'm of the mind that a DM should not tell players what their character's believe, so I don't use ability checks as a means for a character to reach a conclusion, but as a means to gather evidence. In this case, though, the end result is likely not to be all that different between the two approaches - where a DM might answer a successful check with "This magic is a change shape trait", I would answer the check with "the magic appears to manifest some alteration of the physical form" and the player is likely to realize that bit combined with the earlier evidence (magic detected, no school to it) supports their belief that it is a change shape trait.
So what you are saying is that while a druid is in their wild shape form (i.e. a bear), they can be "detected" with a Detect Magic spell or that they can be force back into their non-animal form with a Dispel Magic.
So what you are saying is that while a druid is in their wild shape form (i.e. a bear), they can be "detected" with a Detect Magic spell or that they can be force back into their non-animal form with a Dispel Magic.
Wild Shape is a magical effect but it’s not an actual spell, which means: 1) Detect Magic will detect it as magic and nothing more, which could mean anything, and 2) it can’t be dispelled by Dispel Magic, which only dispels actual spells.
So what you are saying is that while a druid is in their wild shape form (i.e. a bear), they can be "detected" with a Detect Magic spell or that they can be force back into their non-animal form with a Dispel Magic.
You are referring to a conversation that completed in 2017. Please do not necro old threads, but create new ones instead, per our Site Rules & Guidelines.
Using Detect magic, is it possible to detect shapechangers?
I would say yes for creatures like Ancient Brass Dragon and Oni because the shapechange trait specifically say that it is magical.
But for Doppelganger or druids in Wild Shape?
Each ability that is meant to be treated as magical says explicitly that it is magical (according to Mike Mearls, at least), like the entries that you mention.
Since the doppelganger shapechanger trait doesn't mention being magic, it doesn't detect as magic.
Wild Shape, however, specifically mentions the change is magical so there would be magic to detect.
One more question: Detect magic does not tell you immediately that I it is a shapechange trait, it tells you that there is a bit of Transmutation magic going on. Would you allow an Arcana check to determine that it is a shapechange trait?
I'm actually of a much more literal interpretation of spell texts, so at my table [spell]detect magic[/quote] wouldn't tell a character a school of transmutation for the change shape ability since "polymorphs" not being italicized means it isn't actually the spell being cast, and only spells have schools of magic.
However, that is itself a clue at what kind of magic has been detected, since something without a school to it is likely an innate trait of a creature (and at least clues the player in to not trying to use [spell]dispel magic[/quote] because that obviously won't work, given that an effect without a school of magic also doesn't have a spell level assigned to it, and whether a dispel is successful or not is entirely tied to relative spell levels).
As for an Arcana check, and what it would reveal for the player. I'm of the mind that a DM should not tell players what their character's believe, so I don't use ability checks as a means for a character to reach a conclusion, but as a means to gather evidence. In this case, though, the end result is likely not to be all that different between the two approaches - where a DM might answer a successful check with "This magic is a change shape trait", I would answer the check with "the magic appears to manifest some alteration of the physical form" and the player is likely to realize that bit combined with the earlier evidence (magic detected, no school to it) supports their belief that it is a change shape trait.
I think I would say detect magic does not detect a doppleganger as it's ability is inate and not from magic (I think).
So what you are saying is that while a druid is in their wild shape form (i.e. a bear), they can be "detected" with a Detect Magic spell or that they can be force back into their non-animal form with a Dispel Magic.
Wild Shape is a magical effect but it’s not an actual spell, which means: 1) Detect Magic will detect it as magic and nothing more, which could mean anything, and 2) it can’t be dispelled by Dispel Magic, which only dispels actual spells.
You are referring to a conversation that completed in 2017. Please do not necro old threads, but create new ones instead, per our Site Rules & Guidelines.
Locking thread.
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