Black Box [Archive] - Wizards Community - Pages Merged by Solauren

Black Box [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Silverhorne
07-05-06, 06:15 PM I have a question: An Airship crashes leaving no suvivors. Do you think that the House would have a 'Black Box' or possibly a tracking devise to find the wreckage? There is an Airship that crashed in a remote area and happens to have strayed from the flight route. I'm trying to find an alternative method for the PC's to find it.

Thanx,
Silverhorne
Bluebrush
07-05-06, 06:24 PM While there are paralells, I don't like having too many parralells between real world technology and Eberron artifice.

That said, if you wanted such an item, consider using the Clockwork Courier shown in the recent Exploratory Dispatch articles. Have the pilot ready to give a hurried (Most likely with specific abbreviation codes) message to the courier and send it off to a Lyandar compound in the airship's normal operating area.
Just another user
07-05-06, 06:30 PM I have a question: An Airship crashes leaving no suvivors. Do you think that the House would have a 'Black Box' or possibly a tracking devise to find the wreckage? There is an Airship that crashed in a remote area and happens to have strayed from the flight route. I'm trying to find an alternative method for the PC's to find it.

Thanx,
Silverhorne

Repeated casting of Commune could work (is the ship crashed north from here? no!?, what about east? Yes, good, let's move 10 km east and try again"

Once you are near enough you can use a (enlarged) locate object spell to find the airship.

Speak with animal/plant could be helpful, too ("it is fallen something from the sky recently?" or "did you see some really weird bird flying around of late?" :)
Or maybe Lyrandar have a mgic item based on locate object but with a larger range that let them detect airship at a distance.
Silverhorne
07-05-06, 06:56 PM The Clockwork Courier sounds like it will suffice, thank you
ArcTan
07-05-06, 07:18 PM Repeated casting of Commune could work (is the ship crashed north from here? no!?, what about east? Yes, good, let's move 10 km east and try again"

Well, but that works for anything, assuming the entity answering _commune_ is willing to let itself be used like this.

It is a 5th-level divine spell and therefore not easy to get, especially for a non-religiously-affiliated organization like Lyrandar.

You describe a number of divination tools a high-powered magic-user to could use to find *anything* in general, but Lyrandar would be likely to create some kind of automatic "black box"-ish device to simplify this process for finding their own airships. They have a very strong incentive to, after all.
Splendide
07-05-06, 07:22 PM I believe there is a well-known organization that does precisely what you're thinking of. They're called House Tharashk, and theirs is the Mark of Finding.
yrogerg
07-05-06, 08:26 PM How about a Locate Object targetting the dragonshard core?
Just another user
07-06-06, 03:52 AM Well, but that works for anything, assuming the entity answering _commune_ is willing to let itself be used like this.

It is a 5th-level divine spell and therefore not easy to get, especially for a non-religiously-affiliated organization like Lyrandar.
I didn't thought it was supposed to be an easy task. :)
and artificer are there for that reason.

You describe a number of divination tools a high-powered magic-user to could use to find *anything* in general, but Lyrandar would be likely to create some kind of automatic "black box"-ish device to simplify this process for finding their own airships. They have a very strong incentive to, after all.
well, yes, but that is essentially the GM "handwaving" it. the GM just say that lyrandar have a plot device that let you do that, I tried to do it "by the RAW". The clockwork courier is another possibility, but it assume that they have the time to do it (but if they do why not just make the sivis gnome ,that certainly is part of the every standard airship crew, send a message via Whispering Stone?
Just another user
07-06-06, 03:53 AM How about a Locate Object targetting the dragonshard core?
Locate object have a limited range.
Melvin the Mediocre
07-06-06, 04:23 PM I'd try scry. The House could have crystal balls already set to scy various ships. Of course if everyone is dead.... well no plan is perfect.
yrogerg
07-06-06, 08:19 PM Locate object have a limited range.

True, but if you can get a decent estimate of where it fell, you have a good starting point, no? Certainly better than the old-fashoned way of looking for shipwrecks.
Nived
07-06-06, 08:55 PM Hire someone with a mark of finding to find it. Later use the house Diviner (Every house should have a house diviner... it'd be silly not to) use his magics to see what happened.
yrogerg
07-06-06, 10:07 PM Darn, I just thought of a better answer: Get a druid to cast Commune with nature somewhere near where you think it happened.

IIRC, it'll tell you if there's something an *unnatural* spot (i.e, a very recent airship crash), within a mile/ caster level, and where.
Just another user
07-07-06, 03:26 AM True, but if you can get a decent estimate of where it fell, you have a good starting point, no? Certainly better than the old-fashoned way of looking for shipwrecks.
No, I mean the range is too limited, it is 400 +40 feet for level, make it 800 + 80/level if widened, still at an impossible for eberron 20 level is only 2400 feet (~700 meters), I think that if you are 2400 feet away from a crashed airship you you'd get a better service from a fly spell or a flying creature (a bird familiar, shapechanded druid, speak with animals spell, etc) than from a Locate Object spell and if you are not the spell is useless.
yrogerg
07-07-06, 10:06 AM No, I mean the range is too limited, it is 400 +40 feet for level, make it 800 + 80/level if widened, still at an impossible for eberron 20 level is only 2400 feet (~700 meters), I think that if you are 2400 feet away from a crashed airship you you'd get a better service from a fly spell or a flying creature (a bird familiar, shapechanded druid, speak with animals spell, etc) than from a Locate Object spell and if you are not the spell is useless.
Good point. Commune with Nature seems like the best option, but it's fairly high-level, still.
Ellorin
07-07-06, 01:40 PM I believe there is a well-known organization that does precisely what you're thinking of. They're called House Tharashk, and theirs is the Mark of Finding.

That gets my vote too. No reason to search for a quite powerful druid, not to mention convincing him to do the job, where House Tharask is around. Besides, their ties to the Gatekeepers might provide the occasional druidic spell.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Silverhorne 07-05-06, 06:15 PM	I have a question: An Airship crashes leaving no suvivors. Do you think that the House would have a 'Black Box' or possibly a tracking devise to find the wreckage? There is an Airship that crashed in a remote area and happens to have strayed from the flight route. I'm trying to find an alternative method for the PC's to find it. Thanx, Silverhorne
Bluebrush 07-05-06, 06:24 PM	While there are paralells, I don't like having too many parralells between real world technology and Eberron artifice. That said, if you wanted such an item, consider using the Clockwork Courier shown in the recent Exploratory Dispatch articles. Have the pilot ready to give a hurried (Most likely with specific abbreviation codes) message to the courier and send it off to a Lyandar compound in the airship's normal operating area.
Just another user 07-05-06, 06:30 PM	I have a question: An Airship crashes leaving no suvivors. Do you think that the House would have a 'Black Box' or possibly a tracking devise to find the wreckage? There is an Airship that crashed in a remote area and happens to have strayed from the flight route. I'm trying to find an alternative method for the PC's to find it. Thanx, Silverhorne Repeated casting of Commune could work (is the ship crashed north from here? no!?, what about east? Yes, good, let's move 10 km east and try again" Once you are near enough you can use a (enlarged) locate object spell to find the airship. Speak with animal/plant could be helpful, too ("it is fallen something from the sky recently?" or "did you see some really weird bird flying around of late?" :) Or maybe Lyrandar have a mgic item based on locate object but with a larger range that let them detect airship at a distance.
Silverhorne 07-05-06, 06:56 PM	The Clockwork Courier sounds like it will suffice, thank you
ArcTan 07-05-06, 07:18 PM	Repeated casting of Commune could work (is the ship crashed north from here? no!?, what about east? Yes, good, let's move 10 km east and try again" Well, but that works for anything, assuming the entity answering _commune_ is willing to let itself be used like this. It is a 5th-level divine spell and therefore not easy to get, especially for a non-religiously-affiliated organization like Lyrandar. You describe a number of divination tools a high-powered magic-user to could use to find anything in general, but Lyrandar would be likely to create some kind of automatic "black box"-ish device to simplify this process for finding their own airships. They have a very strong incentive to, after all.
Splendide 07-05-06, 07:22 PM	I believe there is a well-known organization that does precisely what you're thinking of. They're called House Tharashk, and theirs is the Mark of Finding.
yrogerg 07-05-06, 08:26 PM	How about a Locate Object targetting the dragonshard core?
Just another user 07-06-06, 03:52 AM	Well, but that works for anything, assuming the entity answering _commune_ is willing to let itself be used like this. It is a 5th-level divine spell and therefore not easy to get, especially for a non-religiously-affiliated organization like Lyrandar. I didn't thought it was supposed to be an easy task. :) and artificer are there for that reason. You describe a number of divination tools a high-powered magic-user to could use to find anything in general, but Lyrandar would be likely to create some kind of automatic "black box"-ish device to simplify this process for finding their own airships. They have a very strong incentive to, after all. well, yes, but that is essentially the GM "handwaving" it. the GM just say that lyrandar have a plot device that let you do that, I tried to do it "by the RAW". The clockwork courier is another possibility, but it assume that they have the time to do it (but if they do why not just make the sivis gnome ,that certainly is part of the every standard airship crew, send a message via Whispering Stone?
Just another user 07-06-06, 03:53 AM	How about a Locate Object targetting the dragonshard core? Locate object have a limited range.
Melvin the Mediocre 07-06-06, 04:23 PM	I'd try scry. The House could have crystal balls already set to scy various ships. Of course if everyone is dead.... well no plan is perfect.
yrogerg 07-06-06, 08:19 PM	Locate object have a limited range. True, but if you can get a decent estimate of where it fell, you have a good starting point, no? Certainly better than the old-fashoned way of looking for shipwrecks.
Nived 07-06-06, 08:55 PM	Hire someone with a mark of finding to find it. Later use the house Diviner (Every house should have a house diviner... it'd be silly not to) use his magics to see what happened.
yrogerg 07-06-06, 10:07 PM	Darn, I just thought of a better answer: Get a druid to cast Commune with nature somewhere near where you think it happened. IIRC, it'll tell you if there's something an unnatural spot (i.e, a very recent airship crash), within a mile/ caster level, and where.
Just another user 07-07-06, 03:26 AM	True, but if you can get a decent estimate of where it fell, you have a good starting point, no? Certainly better than the old-fashoned way of looking for shipwrecks. No, I mean the range is too limited, it is 400 +40 feet for level, make it 800 + 80/level if widened, still at an impossible for eberron 20 level is only 2400 feet (~700 meters), I think that if you are 2400 feet away from a crashed airship you you'd get a better service from a fly spell or a flying creature (a bird familiar, shapechanded druid, speak with animals spell, etc) than from a Locate Object spell and if you are not the spell is useless.
yrogerg 07-07-06, 10:06 AM	No, I mean the range is too limited, it is 400 +40 feet for level, make it 800 + 80/level if widened, still at an impossible for eberron 20 level is only 2400 feet (~700 meters), I think that if you are 2400 feet away from a crashed airship you you'd get a better service from a fly spell or a flying creature (a bird familiar, shapechanded druid, speak with animals spell, etc) than from a Locate Object spell and if you are not the spell is useless. Good point. Commune with Nature seems like the best option, but it's fairly high-level, still.
Ellorin 07-07-06, 01:40 PM	I believe there is a well-known organization that does precisely what you're thinking of. They're called House Tharashk, and theirs is the Mark of Finding. That gets my vote too. No reason to search for a quite powerful druid, not to mention convincing him to do the job, where House Tharask is around. Besides, their ties to the Gatekeepers might provide the occasional druidic spell.