Clever Use of Prying Eyes Spell (Read a library?)

[Ferghis]

Sounds pretty cool to me. I can see a high-DC concentration check to properly take in what each eye deliveres back to you, but you still have done 10 or 20 times the research in the same amount of time. I imagine the caster could just stay in the library, doing research as well. I certainly feel this would warrant some serious knowledge advantages.

Aside from the rules mechanics, this sounds like a really cool "archmage" kind of spell combo. If I were to stumble upon a wizard in the middle of this kind of research, well... it would be cool. books floating about and magical eyes reading them, with the wizard in the background directing the research "concerto"

 

[werk]

I wouldn't let it fly. Seeing thousands of pages of text and illustrations fly by in your mind 10x faster than you could mechanically view them equals a waste of time and spell energy.

Seeing is not reading is not learning.

.02

 

[IcyCool]

Or you could pick up Races of Destiny, and use the first level spell, Scholar's Touch, which lets you read a book in 1 round by touching it, having the sort of recollection and normal knowledge you would have if you had read it normally. I believe the spell lasts for 1 round per level, so use it to fully read 1 book per every 6 seconds.

 

[FoxWander]

I wouldn't let it fly. Seeing thousands of pages of text and illustrations fly by in your mind 10x faster than you could mechanically view them equals a waste of time and spell energy.

If this is how you (and others who would not allow this clever spell combo to work) interpret the spell working, then the spell itself is waste of time, not this particular use of it. If you can't retain the knowledge that the eyes relay to you, then it's a completely worthless spell for ANY type of spying or "prying" for which it is explicitly intended. Since NO ONE could possibly make anything out of one hour of video fast-forwarded in the span of six seconds, the spell MUST allow you to magically interpret the images as if you yourself had seen it for the full hour.

This is the ONLY way the spell can work.

Since the eyes know anything you know- if you can read, the eyes can read. So, with an Unseen Servant assist (as Neijin worked out), the eyes CAN read books and then relay the info to you as if you yourself had read the book.

 

[Machiavelli]

You're an umpteenth-level caster with uninterrupted access to a library, casting a 3rd-level spell and an 8th-level spell, then babysitting the proceedings for hours until you get tangible results. I say let it slide: it's creative, and a major investment of effort.

Good call, Cabral. Nobody ever said unseen servants were good at interpreting instructions.
Also, FoxWander nailed the analysis of the Prying Eyes spell's usefulness.

 

[Piratecat]

Neat use of spells.

 

[werk]

If this is how you (and others who would not allow this clever spell combo to work) interpret the spell working, then the spell itself is waste of time, not this particular use of it.

Prying eyes do just that...they pry...(they spy for you). Read the spell, it makes eyes, the eyes fly around and are very fragile, they observe things for the caster and return to him.

Their use would be for scouting and spying, not speedreading.

Prying has several definitions including: insistantly or offensively curious, nosey, snoopy. None of these confirm your assertion in any way.

 

[Particle_Man]

I'd allow the eyes to "pry" into a book.

 

[Pielorinho]

Keep in mind that the way the spell is written, when an eye replays info for you, it gives you five minutes worth of observation every half-second. If a guy takes a minute to walk down a street, you've got a tenth of a second to observe his doing so. If there's a battle that lasts five rounds start to finish, you get a twentieth of a second to observe the participants in that battle, who wins, and who dies.

Surely the spell gives you the ability to absorb and understand things faster than normal.

I like it!

Daniel

 

[FoxWander]

Prying eyes do just that...they pry...(they spy for you). Read the spell, it makes eyes, the eyes fly around and are very fragile, they observe things for the caster and return to him.

Their use would be for scouting and spying, not speedreading.

Prying has several definitions including: insistantly or offensively curious, nosey, snoopy. None of these confirm your assertion in any way.

Well you do have a point there. The primary description of the spell effect is to create a number of eyes that "move out, scout around, and return as you direct them." Spying, basically. But then it also says this, which would seem to be the only specifics on HOW they accomplish that primary description- "When you create the eyes, you specify instructions you want them to follow in a command of no more than twenty-five words. Any knowledge you possess is known by the eyes as well." Emphasis mine.

So you have 25 words to instruct them and essentially they're YOU as far as understanding those instructions. The only reason to include that second sentence about what the eyes "know" is to define the scope of what you can command them to do.

The PHB gives these sample commands: “Surround me at a range of four hundred feet and return if you spot any dangerous creatures.”, and “Spread out and search the town for Arweth. Follow him for three minutes, staying out of sight, and then return.” So the eyes can interpret "dangerous" as far as what they can see about something and what YOU would define as dangerous: bunny (or dragon shapechanged into a bunny, because the eyes won't know the difference) = not dangerous, actual dragon = dangerous. They even 'know' "search the town for Arweth." Each eye that found Arweth would try to follow him for three minutes, and "stay out of sight" doing it, but they know who to look for AND they know what your idea of "search the town" encompasses.

But nothing in the spell description specifies they MUST be used for spying or "prying". That's just the name of the spell. Heck, if you define the spell by it's name one could also argue its use is to force open locked doors and chests (another definition of prying. ). But the spell's description disallows THAT kind of prying. It does allow for this: the eyes see 120' in all directions, know what you know and will follow a command of no more than 25 words.

While the easiest, most obvious way to use them is for spying, following someone or scouting an area (as the examples show); if you can figure out instructions (that YOU would understand) to make them read books and then move in certain way after finishing a page/book, then the eyes will do it.