D&D 3E/3.5 3.5 - Scrying questions

Jon_Dahl · Jan 2, 2012

I honestly did research about scrying (Complete Arcane etc.) but I'm still a bit confused about this irritating spell which certainly does confuse many DMs out there. So here we go:

Scenario: A human disguised as half-orc comes and vandalizes a temple during a night. The next morning the high priest casts scrying in order to solve the identity of the vandal.

Question: Which of these "questions"* fail when using scrying?
1. "I want to scry the person who vandalized my temple! I have no idea who it was... Maybe there were several perpetrators."
2. "I want to scry that disguised creature who vandalizes my temple!"
3. "I want to scry the half-orc who vandalizes my temple last night!"
4. "I want to scry Bibbo the half-orc who vandalizes my temple last night!" (mistaken identity)
5. "I want to scry the person sold thieves' tool to the vandal, because he broke into my temple and I want this kind of business to end!"

*Disclaimer: I know that you don't ask questions while using Scrying, but I didn't know any better way to word this ok?

Vegepygmy · Jan 3, 2012

Jon_Dahl said:
Question: Which of these "questions"* fail when using scrying?
1. "I want to scry the person who vandalized my temple! I have no idea who it was... Maybe there were several perpetrators."
2. "I want to scry that disguised creature who vandalizes my temple!"
3. "I want to scry the half-orc who vandalizes my temple last night!"
4. "I want to scry Bibbo the half-orc who vandalizes my temple last night!" (mistaken identity)
5. "I want to scry the person sold thieves' tool to the vandal, because he broke into my temple and I want this kind of business to end!"

#1 definitely fails; you have no idea who the subject is.

#2 and #3 probably fail, except...how do you know the vandal was disguised (#2) or a half-orc (#3)? Depending upon how you obtained that information, you may actually be able to identify a subject for the spell. For example, if a guard saw a "half-orc" (actually a disguised human) enter the temple, and the guard describes that "half-orc" to you, you would now have secondhand knowledge of the subject and could attempt to scry him, even though he's not actually a half-orc.

#4 works, if there really is a "Bibbo the half-orc," regardless of whether he vandalized your temple last night or not. (I'm assuming at least secondhand knowledge of Bibbo here, because otherwise how would you know his name? But if not, you'd also need a connection to Bibbo.)

#5 fails, unless you have some connection to the person who sold the tool to the vandal. If, for example, the vandal left the tool behind and you found it, you might be able to use the tool to scry its seller.

bloodtide · Jan 4, 2012

Scrying

Scrying does not help too much here, as the casting cleric has almost no connection to the target. Unless the cleric has some evidence like a possession or body part, they must know the person to be scryed on. You can't do a 'blank scrying'. Scrying is not that type of divination spell. Scrying spys on a subject, but it does not give you new information on an unknown target.

The spell divination would give you a better chance to find the target and commune can answer a couple questions.

As far as core spells go, clerics don't get much to find out the unknown.

jefgorbach · Jan 5, 2012

Since the priest lacks a known target to scry/spy upon, he'd learn nothing new ... unless he'd chosen to spy upon an object believed stolen during the event. While he'd learn something about the item's immediate surroundings, it might not suffice to determine exactly WHERE that location is (and more importantly, WHO currently has it) ... esp if they've taken steps against such discovery by hiding it within a closed chest/etc.

Greenfield · Jan 5, 2012

Well, by the SRD, I can scry upon "the person who mined the metal that was sold to the smith, then stolen and forged into the hammer and file that made the thieves tools that were used to break into my mother's house when I was 7 years old."

The target gets a +10 to their will save, since you have essentially no knowledge of the creature. All you need is "some connection to" that person, by whatever standard the DM sets.

So you want to scry on whoever broke into the temple last night? If you work at that temple, and/or handled or owned any of the items broken or stolen, the DM may rule that you have "some connection" to that person.

The same goes for all the other questions as well.

Semi-related side note: I have a dream that someone, some day, will write a law so clear and concise that even a lawyer can understand it.

The same applies to rules-lawyers, BTW.

D&D 3E/3.5 3.5 - Scrying questions

Jon_Dahl

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Vegepygmy

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bloodtide

Hero

jefgorbach

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Greenfield

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