Teleport Other and Wizard Eye, or other methods of long-distance scrying

[johndallman]

Seeker gives you a vision of the individual or object you're seeking.

[WingedKagouti]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf23k

"Crystal-Gazing is the use of a crystal ball or mirror to facilitate a divinatory vision. If it works, the GM describes a scene; it is up to the player to interpret it!"

And nothing in that sentence says that the scene can't be the actual image of a location at the current time.

The text of the spell doesn't make it remote viewing, it basically shows you a vision that answers a question in a "yes-or-no" fashion, just like every other Divination spell.

So no, it's technically not a remote viewing spell.

The question could be "What does (location) look like right now?", it does not have to be a yes-or-no question:

Originally Posted by Divination

Gives the caster a vision relevant to his question, or the answer to one yes-or-no question.

[ravenfish]

Originally Posted by WingedKagouti

The question could be "What does (location) look like right now?", it does not have to be a yes-or-no question:

The problem is, while showing a picture of the current landscape would be a valid answer to that question, the wording of the spell would also allow it to show you pictures and symbols that metaphorically represent what is going on.

[WingedKagouti]

Originally Posted by ravenfish

The problem is, while showing a picture of the current landscape would be a valid answer to that question, the wording of the spell would also allow it to show you pictures and symbols that metaphorically represent what is going on.

The spell doesn't require the GM to spout some vague nonsense, so a GM doing that is making a personal judgment.

[ravenfish]

Originally Posted by WingedKagouti

The spell doesn't require the GM to spout some vague nonsense, so a GM doing that is making a personal judgment.

Indeed- but the GM is also making a personal judgement by having the spell display a straightforward image of the desired location. I think what people are looking for is a way to scry on an area without needing a personal judgement from the GM.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by ravenfish

Indeed- but the GM is also making a personal judgement by having the spell display a straightforward image of the desired location. I think what people are looking for is a way to scry on an area without needing a personal judgement from the GM.

I'm not sure how any GM would interpret "Show me King Randolph's throne room" in a symbolic fashion.

[ravenfish]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

I'm not sure how any GM would interpret "Show me King Randolph's throne room" in a symbolic fashion.

It depends on what sort of thing is going on there. Symbols of strength if guards are posted, symbols of majesty if King Randolph is there, symbols of death if an assassin is lurking behind the arras, symbols of justice if the king is adjudicating a dispute, symbols of conflict if there is a heated argument going on, heraldic symbols for the nobles present, national symbols of the ambassadors....

[Inky]

It's a little thin, but given the nature of the spell (i.e. it implies that the player will usually need to "interpret" the vision), I wouldn't be too surprised at a GM answering even "Show me King Randolph's throne room" in a figurative manner.
Sometimes that might even convey more information than a straightforward camera-view, in some ways, as with Ravenfish's assassin. Consider: the wizard in the next room says "Show me King Randolph's throne room". King Randolph sees four smiling ambassadors offering peace terms. The wizard sees King Randolph in the dark surrounded by four wolves.
The wizard had, of course, better know better than to call for the guards thinking that there really are wolves in the throne room.

[dcarson]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

I'm not sure how any GM would interpret "Show me King Randolph's throne room" in a symbolic fashion.

Image of a pit of snakes.

[Prince Charon]

Originally Posted by dcarson

Image of a pit of snakes.

Yeah. Just about anything can be shown symbolically, and that one is a pretty clear representation of a typical medieval-fantasy court/throne-room.

Seeker seems like a better equivalent for 'scry-and-die' purposes.