Level: Cleric 1
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 60 ft.
Area: Cone-shaped emanation
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes/level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
You can sense the presence of good. The amount of information revealed depends on how long you study a particular area or subject.
1st Round: Presence or absence of good.
2nd Round: Number of good auras (creatures, objects, or spells) in the area and the power of the most potent good aura present. If you are of evil alignment, and the strongest good aura’s power is overwhelming (see below), and the HD or level of the aura’s source is at least twice your character level, you are stunned for 1 round and the spell ends.
3rd Round: The power and location of each aura. If an aura is outside your line of sight, then you discern its direction but not its exact location.
Aura Power: A good aura’s power depends on the type of good creature or object that you’re detecting and its HD, caster level, or (in the case of a cleric) class level; see the accompanying table. If an aura falls into more than one strength category, the spell indicates the stronger of the two. For example, as indicated on the table, a good outsider with 12 HD has an overwhelming aura of good. An evil cleric who casts this spell and directs it at the location of such a creature for longer than 1 round loses the spell and is stunned for 1 round if his character level is 6th or lower.
| Creature/Object | Aura Power | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faint | Moderate | Strong | Overwhelming | |
| Good creature1 (HD) | 10 or lower | 11–25 | 26–50 | 51 or higher |
| Good outsider (HD) | 1 or lower | 2–4 | 5–10 | 11 or higher |
| Cleric of an good deity2 (class levels) | 1 | 2–4 | 5–10 | 11 or higher |
| Good magic item or spell (caster level) | 2nd or lower | 3rd–8th | 9th–20th | 21st or higher |
| ||||
Lingering Aura: An good aura lingers after its original source dissipates (in the case of a spell) or is destroyed (in the case of a creature or magic item). If detect good is cast and directed at such a location, the spell indicates an aura strength of dim (even weaker than a faint aura). How long the aura lingers at this dim level depends on its original power:
| Original Strength | Duration of Lingering Aura |
|---|---|
| Faint | 1d6 rounds |
| Moderate | 1d6 minutes |
| Strong | 1d6×10 minutes |
| Overwhelming | 1d6 days |
Healing potions, antidotes, and similar beneficial items are not “good”, and as such this spell does not detect them.
Each round, you can turn to detect good in a new area. The spell can penetrate barriers, but 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt blocks it.
Source: Player’s Handbook (version 3.5), page 219.