the Discern Location spell [Archive] - Wizards Community

the Discern Location spell [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Angus Cotton
05-19-07, 04:02 PM From the SRD (for ease):

"A discern location spell is among the most powerful means of locating creatures or objects. Nothing short of a mind blank spell or the direct intervention of a deity keeps you from learning the exact location of a single individual or object. Discern location circumvents normal means of protection from scrying or location. The spell reveals the name of the creature or object’s location (place, name, business name, building name, or the like), community, county (or similar political division), country, continent, and the plane of existence where the target lies.

To find a creature with the spell, you must have seen the creature or have some item that once belonged to it. To find an object, you must have touched it at least once."

My question is, how would you adjudicate this if the party tried to cast this spell in regard to a person that is dead. My players found a note written by an assassin and found his name, so they cast the spell to try to figure out where he was, not knowing that he was killed himself a few weeks earlier. I adjudicated that the cleric discerned he was in Baatar (ie dead and in hell).

How would yall adjudicate it?
MarkB
05-19-07, 06:26 PM It's the most powerful finding spell there is, so I'd let it do the full job and have the caster learn the exact location of both the assassin's body and soul.
NightBreeze
05-19-07, 06:43 PM That spell is a little bit unreasonable...however there is worse.

As we are speaking about it, I want to ask you about something.

What would you rule if the person that is the target of the spell is in the middle of the ocean ? (not on an island or something else, just in the middle of the water. Let's say that he is a druid that has vowed to go from one side of the ocean to an another using just wildshape and no spells)

I mean, what happens if the target is in some place that has no name, in a region that has no name?
goawayugh
05-20-07, 01:34 AM Since he is dead, would he still be considered a "creature"? I would probably tell the PC that the spell revealed nothing. Either that, or only where the body is.

And as far as being in the middle of an ocean with no name. I would let them know where he is, even if it didn't have a name. (100 miles south of the port city tortuga).
Optimized_Commoner
05-20-07, 09:41 AM Geez, it's 8 levels of spellcasting awesome thrown at a minor problem. It succeeds, okay?
Marcus Majarra
05-20-07, 02:23 PM Since the creature is dead, it now counts as an object. If the caster has touched the creature in the past, the spell succeeds.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Angus Cotton 05-19-07, 04:02 PM	From the SRD (for ease): "A discern location spell is among the most powerful means of locating creatures or objects. Nothing short of a mind blank spell or the direct intervention of a deity keeps you from learning the exact location of a single individual or object. Discern location circumvents normal means of protection from scrying or location. The spell reveals the name of the creature or object’s location (place, name, business name, building name, or the like), community, county (or similar political division), country, continent, and the plane of existence where the target lies. To find a creature with the spell, you must have seen the creature or have some item that once belonged to it. To find an object, you must have touched it at least once." My question is, how would you adjudicate this if the party tried to cast this spell in regard to a person that is dead. My players found a note written by an assassin and found his name, so they cast the spell to try to figure out where he was, not knowing that he was killed himself a few weeks earlier. I adjudicated that the cleric discerned he was in Baatar (ie dead and in hell). How would yall adjudicate it?
MarkB 05-19-07, 06:26 PM	It's the most powerful finding spell there is, so I'd let it do the full job and have the caster learn the exact location of both the assassin's body and soul.
NightBreeze 05-19-07, 06:43 PM	That spell is a little bit unreasonable...however there is worse. As we are speaking about it, I want to ask you about something. What would you rule if the person that is the target of the spell is in the middle of the ocean ? (not on an island or something else, just in the middle of the water. Let's say that he is a druid that has vowed to go from one side of the ocean to an another using just wildshape and no spells) I mean, what happens if the target is in some place that has no name, in a region that has no name?
goawayugh 05-20-07, 01:34 AM	Since he is dead, would he still be considered a "creature"? I would probably tell the PC that the spell revealed nothing. Either that, or only where the body is. And as far as being in the middle of an ocean with no name. I would let them know where he is, even if it didn't have a name. (100 miles south of the port city tortuga).
Optimized_Commoner 05-20-07, 09:41 AM	Geez, it's 8 levels of spellcasting awesome thrown at a minor problem. It succeeds, okay?
Marcus Majarra 05-20-07, 02:23 PM	Since the creature is dead, it now counts as an object. If the caster has touched the creature in the past, the spell succeeds.