How to Scry On A Location?

[Lizard]

So, with all the blather about how 3x combat is reduced to "Scry buff teleport", I am finally high enough level to try out this winning strategy.

Problem -- how does one Scry on a *location*? Scrying seems limited to a person, and we don't know anyone who is living 1,000 miles away where our target location is. We need to see where we're going to have any chance of teleporting there, and I'm not sure how to do that.

We engineered a complex (i.e, typical PC) plot to get an ally to one area where we could scry him and then use what we saw as the focus for a teleport, but that trick won't work where we have to go next -- no allies.

Any ideas? Esp. since scry only lets you see a small area around the target? I'd like to be able to study the terrain and find an optimal landing zone, say, a few miles AWAY from the main location, so we don't jump right into the array of Traps Designed To Keep People From Teleporting Here.

 

[Jack Simth]

Arcane Eye can go where you want, provided there's a path that requires no manipulation from where you can see.

If you arrange for a target at the location (send an undead mouse or dominated bird by normal methods), you can scry on that, and get the surroundings.

Clairaudience/Clairvoyance can get you to see a nearby location, but you have to be within Long range.

 

[Lizard]

Just to be clear on the goal, we're trying to cut out a few hundred miles of travel time. Just getting to within a day's march of the target will be a big help.

 

[Jack Simth]

Just to be clear on the goal, we're trying to cut out a few hundred miles of travel time. Just getting to within a day's march of the target will be a big help.

Then Arcane Eye (Sor/Wiz-4) is only limited by line of sight. Get up high (with some method that won't expire quickly), cast Arcane Eye way, waaaay over there, study the place until the duration runs out, and teleport that way.

If time isn't too much of an issue, then Shadow Walk (Sor/Wiz-6) can get you places you've never actually visited (although it isn't instant transport, it's very quick).

 

[Shin Okada]

Scry Location spell is in Complete Scoundrel.