Question about Scry

[MerakSpielman]

You can use the Scry skill to determine if you are being scryed. Great. But does it happen automatically (if you scry somebody, they get to make a check and see if they can tell) or does the person involved have to deliberately decide to check for scrying?

If somebody has protection from scrying (Nondetection or a magical item) and you scry somebody next to them who is not protected, do you see the protected person? If so, this seems like an easy way to get around those items. If not, are they invisible, does the scry not work, or what?

If you are scrying somebody standing beside somebody with ranks in scry, can the person with ranks in scry detect the scrying even though they aren't the target of the spell?

Scry+teleport: What if there are several places that look like that place (identical temple alters for instance)? Does your teleport distinguish? It's based off of location not what people are in that location, right?

How much area around a person can be seen? Is the point of view of the scry movable (if so it would still have to remain pointed at the target)? What if an opaque object passes between the target and the point of view - does the point of view re-orientate to see them again? Is the spell cut off?

Just a little confusion going on here... This spell is used all the time in my campaign and I need to start being consistant.

 

[Jeremy]

Good questions. I don't have the answers for any of them in fact.

Don't mind me, I'll be sitting in the back here waiting for the answers with you.

 

[apsuman]

I just skimmed your post, so this may not help much...

But the best in gmae remedy ro SCRRVY is citrus fruit. That's why they called sailors "limeys"

Still don't know how skin ailments belong in the rules forum...


g!

 

[Jeremy]

How did you get scurvy from scry?

 

[Kaji]

We've been using Scrying quite a bit in both my game and the game Iplay in. Here's the deal.

If I'm under the protection of Nondetection (or the more powerful Mind Blank) and you scry on my buddy next to me whoo is not protected, you can not see me. You may be able to infer my presence, but that's a different question. If my buddy keeps talking to someone who's "not there", it would be obvious that someone is there, but the scryer would have no way of knowing if it was me or someone else.

As far as being able to figure out if I'm being scryed on, here's what the PH has to say about the skill Scry:

Special: Although this skill is exclusive to certain classes, it can be used untrained. This means that a character with no ranks in
Scry, and who is not allowed to buy ranks in this skill, can still make an Intelligence check to notice when he is being scried.

and the spell Scry says:

This spell creates a magical sensor located near the subject. Any creature with Intelligence 12 or higher can notice the sensor
by making a Scry check (or an Intelligence check) against DC 20.


While this is still not rock solid clear, because there is a physical manifestation, we typically allow automatic Scry checks for characters who are being observed. If you don't like that idea, the other option would be for the character to make clear that part of his/her routine is to make Scry checks on a regular basis (1/10 rounds or so) and so should be able to make a check when Scrying is evident.

Hope this helps.

 

[MerakSpielman]

Thanks for the opinions! How do the rest of you play it? What about my other questions, how do you do them?

 

[Plane Sailing]

You can use the Scry skill to determine if you are being scryed. Great. But does it happen automatically (if you scry somebody, they get to make a check and see if they can tell) or does the person involved have to deliberately decide to check for scrying?

I believe it is automatic, just the same as someone automatically gets a spot check to detect someone that is hiding nearby. There would be no sense in having to declare that you wanted to attempt to detect a scryer IMO, since a scry attempt is such a short period of a day.

If somebody has protection from scrying (Nondetection or a magical item) and you scry somebody next to them who is not protected, do you see the protected person? If so, this seems like an easy way to get around those items. If not, are they invisible, does the scry not work, or what?

No, you don't see the protected person; they are invisible to the scry. You could assume that in the distant past nondetection was subject to this workaround and so an improved version was created Seriously, the usefulness of Nondetection would be dramatically reduced if it could be avoided so simply.

If you are scrying somebody standing beside somebody with ranks in scry, can the person with ranks in scry detect the scrying even though they aren't the target of the spell?

Yes. The detect is the possibility of spotting the invisible scrying sensor - anyone within view of the scrying sensor should have the possibility of detecting it.

Scry+teleport: What if there are several places that look like that place (identical temple alters for instance)? Does your teleport distinguish? It's based off of location not what people are in that location, right?

Normally you would expect there to be some distinguishing features, some things that make the location different. If not though, if they really *are* identical, the rules don't cover it so you have to make your own mind up. Possibilities are a teleport mishap, or arriving at the wrong place.

I think the key thing is that the teleport spell doesn't know where you are heading to. It merely transports the caster to the place he is thinking of. If he scries a location A and illusion makes it look like place B, he will be teleporting to place B,

How much area around a person can be seen? Is the point of view of the scry movable (if so it would still have to remain pointed at the target)? What if an opaque object passes between the target and the point of view - does the point of view re-orientate to see them again? Is the spell cut off?

Looking in the SRD it doesn't seem tremendously clear in this respect. If it is static and can rotate through 360 degrees, someone who detects it could just walk into another room. If it follows the subject who is being scried...

Interestingly the Mirror of Mental Prowess (DMG) talks about scrying a *place* as the first step to using it as a portal.

Potential House Rule
If it is used to scry a location, it is immobile but can watch and hear everything going on in that location as if you were standing there.

If it is used to scry a person, it follows that person as if you were walking along beside them

That's the way that I'd handle it for consistency, but if it has been dealt with in the D&D FAQ or somewhere else, I'd be interested in how they orginally intended it to work!

Cheers

 

[Dragon Mage]

The way I understand it is that the Scry spells can only be used to see an individual and only that person can be seen. So the issue of the the protected creature next to the scried subject is mute. I don't believe this would be enough information to target a Teleport.

In order to see and area you have to use Clarivoyance. In this situation the protected creatures would not be see, but this could be used to target a Teleport.

IMHO

 

[Zenon]

Andy Collins has some better rules for Scrying on his web site:

http://www.andycollins.net/theories_files/scrying.htm

Again, this is something that introduces an opposed check which "scales up" rather than a set DC. It's worth a look before Scrying gets out of hand in your campaign...