[RPG] Does Detect Magic reveal illusion spells

pathfinder-1espells

I'm running a game and my players entered a room which was under the effect of a Mirage Arcana spell to make the room look nice. One of the players cast detect magic. Does this reveal the illusions?

I'm wondering because I can't justify a 0th-level spell overcoming all illusions. Does illusion magic have any built-in protection from detect magic (true sight and arcane sight are not being asked about)? Also, I am not asking about invisibility, but disguise magic should also be included.

Best Answer

Detect magic would reveal the presence of magic, in most cases, but not the exact illusion being used.

Concentrating long enough with detect magic would indeed reveal that magic of the illusion school had been used, and what area it covered. However, it wouldn't automatically grant knowledge of what had been changed to look like what. So now they know that the appearance of the room has changed, but they don't know what it looked like originally - or what you might have covered up with your illusion. Maybe they'll be twice as wary because they think the illusion is hiding traps or monsters, when its actually just making the place pretty.

Note that illusionists have ways to hide their magic as well - magic aura, mask dweomer, and misdirection come immediately to mind, but there might be ways to hide or change an entire room's aura as well at higher levels.

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