D&D 3E/3.5 Scry skill gone in 3.5e

[Liminal Syzygy]

Hi Cloudgatherer, can you point me to that post?

 

[Hygric]

The Nar Demonbinder and Raumathari Battlemage from Unnaproachable East have no Scry skill either. I only mention these two because they are on the wizards site. Someone else may be able to confirm if any Scry skill exists in that book.

 

[Liminal Syzygy]

Hmm... Good point. I've got UE and have confirmed those two classes don't have Scry, and that the Durthan also don't have Scry listed a class skill.

 

[Chun-tzu]

I don't see why you'd use a Spot check to notice Scrying. I don't think there's any visual effect, and more importantly, then you have Rogues and Rangers being best at noticing when they're spied on, while spellcasters would probably never notice (as it would most likely be a high DC). Will saves sound much better.

 

[drnuncheon]

I don't see why you'd use a Spot check to notice Scrying. I don't think there's any visual effect

There isn't a visible effect for invisibility (pretty much by definition), but you can still use Spot to detect it...

and more importantly, then you have Rogues and Rangers being best at noticing when they're spied on, while spellcasters would probably never notice (as it would most likely be a high DC). Will saves sound much better.

Spellcasters can use a spell (detect scrying), just like any other time when their skills aren't up to the task. I have no real problem with Rogues and Rangers being more likely to have a 'sixth sense' about being watched.

Or, to put it another way, it doesn't seem like a canonical wizard ability to me, so I have no more attachment to giving it to the wizard class than I do giving it to any other.

J

 

[Piratecat]

Mind you, detecting someone scrying you has traditionally been an intelligence check, and spot is based off of wisdom. I wouldn't be surprised if noticing a scrying sensor would thus become search. Hard to say, really.

(And yes, I have copies of 3.5, but I specifically haven't checked on this rule. More fun to speculate here!)

 

[hong]

There isn't a visible effect for invisibility (pretty much by definition), but you can still use Spot to detect it...

I don't think it would be entirely unreasonable for a DM to rule that invisibility "warps" the light around you, sorta like what the predator had. It doesn't seem to clash with the game mechanics any.

 

[Chun-tzu]

There isn't a visible effect for invisibility (pretty much by definition), but you can still use Spot to detect it...

My take on spotting Invisibility is that they spot minor changes in the environment, like impressions left in the grass or the scuffling of dust. They still don't spot the invisible creature at all, but they can tell something is there.

Spellcasters can use a spell (detect scrying), just like any other time when their skills aren't up to the task. I have no real problem with Rogues and Rangers being more likely to have a 'sixth sense' about being watched.

Or, to put it another way, it doesn't seem like a canonical wizard ability to me, so I have no more attachment to giving it to the wizard class than I do giving it to any other.

That's pretty good reasoning, but not how I see it. Scrying is purely mystical, so I'd want it to be the kind of thing that only diviners (in a general sense, not the specialist wizards) would detect, because only they would even know what to look for. That's what the skill represented; it was the expert in scrying who could sense it, not all spellcasters. But I agree the skill is highly limited, and there are better ways to spend your skill points.

I can see how Rogues and Rangers might be good choices for those guys who can intuitively sense when they're being watched. I probably wouldn't roll that ability into Spot, which is pretty powerful as is. I'm not sure about Search, either, but it's a good suggestion.

 

[mmu1]

I'd use Spot because of the Invisibility parallel, and because Search is an active skill, requiring you to declare you're searching a specific area.

 

[Cloudgatherer]

Let's just say he wouldn't give me a straight answer....

http://pub36.ezboard.com/fgameschat19968frm10.showMessage?topicID=155.topic

In addition, Andy offers several alternatives to the Scry skill under his own house rules. Here's what I found on his site:

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

Later!