The character can detect simple pits, deadfalls, snares of wilderness creatures (trapdoor spiders, giant sundews, ant lions, etc.), and primitive traps constructed of natural materials (mantraps, missile traps, hunting snares, etc.). The spell does not detect complex traps, including trapdoor traps.

The spell does detect certain natural hazards—quicksand (registers as a snare), a sinkhole (pit), or unsafe walls of natural rock (deadfall). However, it does not reveal other potentially dangerous conditions, such as a cavern that floods during rain, an unsafe construction, or a naturally poisonous plant. The spell does not detect magic traps (except those that operate by pit, deadfall, or snaring; see the spell snare), nor mechanically complex ones, nor those that have been rendered safe or inactive.

The amount of information revealed depends on how long the character studies a particular area:

1st Round: Presence or absence of hazards.

2nd Round: Number of hazards and the location of each. If a hazard is outside the character's line of sight, then the character discerns its direction but not its exact location.

Each Additional Round: The general type and trigger for one particular hazard closely examined by the character.

Note: Each round, the character can turn to detect things 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.