Into the Weeds: How Scrying Works

Scrying takes a Third Circle arcane divine or a theurgist with Divination and Crafts with a special combo power power. Favored Spheres only apply to scrying if the divine scryer has Diviantion and Crafts as favored spheres (which gives Greymoria-affiliated scryers an edge).   Scrying takes about ten minutes of uninterrupted casting and relative silence to set up. The duration lasts as long as the person originating the scrying pool remains in the vicinity though they can temporarily leave for up to the 30 minutes. Some diviner apprentices joke that this is the "privvy rule". If the caster goes to the sleep (or is knocked unconscious), the scrying pool will persist for up to 30 minutes). If the person originating the scrying dies or willingly cancels the spell, it will STILL last for about ten minutes.   The Scryer makes a single roll, expending a modest amount of reagents (normally 10 reagents) and then splits successes between range and clarity.  

Scrying Base Difficulty

  Improvised Scrying Pool (basically a large ordinary bowl of water) Difficulty 7   Portable Scrying Pool, specially crafted (worth about 500 silver pieces) Difficulty 6   Natural Pool that is reflective Difficulty 6   Non-portable Scrying Pool built into a castle or other structure (worth at least 1500 silver pieces) Difficulty 5   Natural Pool that is reflective and exceptionally beautiful, pristine, and/or holy Difficulty 5  

Time Modifiers

  All magic during the Month of Turoch is at +1 but scrying is at +2.   For a theurgist caster, holy days to their deity are at -1 difficulty for scrying. Note, pantheon casters can use almost any of the Nine's holidays to enhance their scrying, so they are the best divine scryers though pantheon casters have greeater difficulty scrying during the Month fo Turoch.   The Zenith holidays for Korus, Greymoria, and Khemra can be used by arcane casters for -1 diffculty to Scrying, even if the scryers are not especially pious towards these deities.   Full moons are -1 difficulty to scrying for everyone.  

Subject Modifiers

  Scryer knows the area being watched very well and has a handful of dirt or a branch of something from that area. -1 difficulty. (Not cumulative with subject modifiers below).   Scryer has a bit of hair, blood, or a scrap of clothing from the subject being scryed on, -1 difficulty.   Scryer has a very close realtionship with the person being scryed on (blood relative, relative, apprentice, brother-in-arms), -1 difficulty.   Scryer has a treasured posession of the subject being scryed on, -1 difficulty.  

Successes

  Failed rolls simple result in wasted reagents. Botched rolls create maddening visions and potentially permanent derangements for the scryers.   Distance   One: one mile or less   Two: up to 5 miles   Three: up to 25 miles   Four: Up to 100 miles   Five: Up to 200 miles   Distance   One: Blurry or foggy visual   Two: Still blurry, but viewers can pan the "camera angle".   Three: Clear picture and viewers can pan the camera angle and zoom in on details.   Four: Clear picture and fuzzy or intermittant sound   Five: Clear picture and sound  

Realm Modifiers

  If the scryer is in Scarterra and the subject is in Scaraqua or Scarnoctis (or visa versa), add +1 difficulty to the scrying roll. Scrying between the mortal plane and Fae Home is at +2 difficulty.