Teleporting to a Divination location

[Harmon]

Using 3.5e Teleport and Scrying.

Plan is two wizards will Teleport (5th lvl spell cast by a 9th and 10th lvl caster) the party of adventures to a location only one of the wizards knows (was there years ago, spent nearly a week).

Question is can the lead Wizard teleport to a location (using either Viewed Once or Seen Casually), then the second wizard scrys on the first, then teleports to him. Which teleport line would you use? Very Familiar (she can see it) or Viewed Once (can only see the area in the Scrying right now) or would you allow it?

Thanks for your thoughts

 

[shilsen]

I'd allow it. For the first wizard, who spent a week there years ago, it's at best Seen Casually. For the second wizard, it's Viewed Once.

 

[Harmon]

For the second wizard, it's Viewed Once.

Because the second wizard is looking at the first through scrying and could see the area he stands in, you would not consider this as seen- like teleporting across the street?

 

[Saeviomagy]

If the second wizard is willing to spend an hour doing the scry, then the official line is that it's bumped up to 'studied carefully'. Additionally I'd say that spending nearly a week there should qualify as 'studied carefully'

 

[shilsen]

Because the second wizard is looking at the first through scrying and could see the area he stands in, you would not consider this as seen- like teleporting across the street?

Nope. Consider the spell's reference to the "Viewed once" category as applying to a "place that you have seen once, possibly using magic." If you see it once, you see it once.

 

[AuraSeer]

Because the second wizard is looking at the first through scrying and could see the area he stands in, you would not consider this as seen- like teleporting across the street?

No. As shilsen said, "seen once" means what it says. The spell description doesn't say that teleporting is any easier if you can see the destination.

Odd as it may seem, even when you're looking right at something, it's still difficult to build up a very accurate mental image. Visual artists take whole unversity courses just learning to see details, and it's really a lot harder than it sounds.

So you're looking across the street. What is the pavement made of? What condition is it in? How far apart are the cracks? What about the facade of the building there? How many windows does it have? Which is the broken one, and how much glass is missing? If there are there any signposts nearby, where and how big are they, and what do they say? There's a pile of something in the gutter-- is it made of random garbage or big bundles of rags or just a sleeping wino with his coat over his head? You can't take in every single detail at a glance.

 

[Harmon]

Okay-

I hear what you are all saying and to an extent it makes sense, thou I kinda have a problem with the- "I am looking through a scrying at the spot, now teleport to right beside my close friend," and giving that such a slim chance, but okay.

Might I ask- with Dimension Door, you give a distance in "that" direction and up/down this number of feet/meters/inches/etc, in my campaigns and the GM I play under/with (that sounds so wrong) we use a fast a loose method where the characters can see the location- "dimsion door to right there <pointing>." Should that line of thought not be used?

FWIW- I am not trying to say automatic seccess, I am saying- that the second wizard should have to roll on the Studied Carefully or Very Familiar table. Ya, she can see it, but there could be another spot between here and there that looks very similar.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Might I ask- with Dimension Door, you give a distance in "that" direction and up/down this number of feet/meters/inches/etc.

That's one way of doing it.

"You instantly transfer yourself from your current location to any other spot within range. You always arrive at exactly the spot desired—whether by simply visualizing the area or by stating direction."

It's not the only way.

-Hyp.