NPC diviner's spellbook

[LazerPointer]

My PC's have just captured a specialist diviner and his spellbook, so I have a couple of spells to make. Here's first drafts:
Maddenate Scryer
lvl. 1
components: V, S, M, F
casting time: 1 min.
range: target creature/object
effect: not sure what to fill in here
duration: 1 day/lvl.
saving throw: Will reduces insanity from days to mins.
spell resistance: no

The caster chooses one person or object to ward. If that object is scryed upon, there is a 5% chance that the scryer will go completely insane for 1 day/level of the Maddenate caster. A successful Will save (at -5) reduces days crazy to minutes.
Focus: creature/object to be warded.
Material component: I dunno, what would be good?

Multiple castings on the same object do not stack.


That one's mainly for flavor; I don't expect the PC wiz. to use it much, but I want the specialist diviner to have special spells. This next one is more important to the campaign:

Read Past
lvl: 3
components: V, S, M
casting time: 10 min.
range: line of sight, range of hearing.
effect: magical sensor.
duration: 1 min/level (D)
saving throw: none
spell resistance: no


I haven't written the text for it. Here's the story: noble houses within a mid-small city are jockeying for position. One house (the villains, to simplify it) suspected their rivals of holding a secret meeting within the last 2 months at a country winery. they took it over, and were busy trying to discover who was there and what was said. so I need a spell that can do that, but it can't be easy; the wiz should have to investigate each room of the manor seperately, (though he could hear voices from the next room if he managed to get the time/day right) and decide how far back in time to scan. The 1min./level duration is very narrow, so I could either: make it a 1 hour duration, or have a mechanic for scanning time in fast forward/ rewind. I was thinking a Spellcraft check DC 15+(total mins scanned forward/back) would do it.

Basically, I could really easily make this totally under or overpowered. Maybe a specialist diviner would have another spell that works well with this one, something that could help him hone in on either the time or the place he's looking for.

 

[the Jester]

I think maddenate scryer is too powerful. I can see a couple of options: have it cause confusion on the scryer for 1d4 rounds, have it deal 1d6 points of wis or int damage, or have it daze the scryer for 1 round/level. In all cases I'd get rid of the 5% chance thingie, make it end the scryer's scrying spell, lower the duration to 10 mins/level, allow a Will save to avoid all effects of the spell and call the spell Abjuration.

If you want a long-term minor antiscrying spell, I'd say it has to be at least 3rd-4th level.


For a 3rd level spell, I think read past would be okay if you had to pick the time, be in the place and only got 1 minute/level. I don't think it needs the fast forward effect- if you think about it, being able to 'recover' a conversation is fantastic. Yoink!