Topic: Spell: Past Visions

[munchy]

How do you handle this spell in you game?
How much can the character using it see of the scene in the past? Does he get a look at the room (10x10 feet) or is it just like a close-up, basically only showing the object itself?
The first makes this one hell of a reconnaissance spell as you can basically scry on an item from the dead bandit's possessions, observing him walking around the bandit camp or hideout, getting a full map of everything.
The latter wouldn't make sense as it would basically render the spell useless.

[ImaginosMusic]

The first is how I handle it. However, the spell description does not say the caster may change their perspective of the vision, so, I do not allow the caster to walk about the vision and explore. I only allow them a single perspective from which to view the scene.

[Radimon]

Yeah, in the game I played in, it was treated like we were watching a YouTube video, shot from the POV of the item itself, but without the ability to skip to a specific point in the video, replay after it's over, repeat the past ten seconds, etc.

[netbat]

Another thing to think about is the perspective the character is seeing. I describe the scene as if the character casting the spell maintains the same relation to the object or place in the past as the present. This means that if you are facing a wall and cast the spell based on the wall, you will be looking at the wall in the past, not the room behind you. It makes placement more interesting, especially if you are casting it on a movable object like a sword and looking at combat from the perspective of the sword being swung around.

[Radimon]

And it can give you motion sickness. BLAGH!