Yesterday I tackled half of the “scry and die” combo by offering my house rules for teleport spells. Today I’m going to be dealing with the other half of the equation with advanced rules for scrying. As with my house rules for teleport, these advanced rules are deliberately designed to tweak the rules for scrying without negating the unique utility and flavor of the spell.
ADVANCED RULES: SCRYING
When using the scrying spell, a crystal ball, or similar effect, the following rules apply:
Scrying Location: You can choose to scry on a particular location instead of a creature. Doing so requires a Spellcraft check (DC 20), using the same modifiers for the DC that apply to the Will save (see scrying spell). If the check is successful, you can observe an area within a radius of 10 feet per caster level. While scrying on a location your scrying sensor cannot be moved.
Spotting the Sensor: With detect magic or similar effects active, a scrying sensor can be spotted with a successful Spot check (DC 25) or Spellcraft check (DC 20).
Counterspelling the Sensor: Spellcasters who are aware of a scrying sensor can attempt to counterspell the scrying (even though they are unable to see the caster).
Learn Scryer: If you determine that you’re being scried upon, you can learn the identity of the scryer with a Spellcraft check (DC 30). If successful, you learn the name, race, and location of the scryer. The scryer may make an opposed Spellcraft check or cancel the scrying as a reaction to prevent you from learning the information.
Break Scrying: If you determine that you’re being scried, you can make a Spellcraft check (DC 30) to attempt to break the scrying. On a successful check, the scrying ends and the scryer may not target you with a Divination (Scrying) spell or similar effect for at least 24 hours. The scryer may make an opposed Spellcraft check as a reaction to prevent you from breaking the scrying in this way.
Return Scrying: If you determine that you’re being scried upon, you can look back through the sensor at the scryer with a successful Spellcraft check (DC 40). This allows you to spy on the scryer as if you had cast a scrying spell upon that person. The scryer may make an opposed Spellcraft check or cancel the scrying as a reaction to prevent you from looking back through the sensor.
Alternatively, you can cast scrying or use a similar effect to target the character currently scrying on you. The character scrying on you can cancel the scrying as a reaction to your spell, but if they do not they suffer a -20 penalty on their Will save to resist the attempt.
Hiding from Scrying: In addition to spells tailored to defeat scrying, there are a few other tricks that can help you keep others from knowing what you’re doing:
| Circumstance of Subject | |
|---|---|
| Standing within 20 feet of a large energy or heat source, such as a pool of lava, energy well, etc. | |
| Holding a source of magical power of at least lesser artifact strength. | |
| Polymorphy or shape change in effect. | |
| Disguise self or alter self in effect. | |
| Standing within 20 feet of a large amount (at least 100 lbs. of lead or mithril). | |
| Using the Disguise skill with a check result higher than DC 25. | |
| Circumstance of Scrier | |
| Standing within 20 feet of a large energy or heat source, such as a pool of lava, energy well, etc. | |
| Previous attempt to scry the same subject failed. |
DESIGN NOTES
The key rule here, as with the teleport house rules, lies in the ability to spot the scrying sensor: This gives the person being scried upon a chance to detect the attempt. Once that’s true, they can begin working to either prepare for potential danger or to disrupt the scrying (depending on the resources they have available).
The rest of the rules simply serve to make scrying a little more interesting and dynamic: The counter-scrying actions give scrying a potentially dangerous edge, while the ability to scry on a location (instead of a character) gives scrying a little more versatility.
