How does psicrystal vision work?

[kharmakazy]

Sighted (Ex)

Although it has no physical sensory organs, a psicrystal can telepathically sense its environment as well as a creature with normal vision and hearing. Darkness (even supernatural darkness) is irrelevant, as are areas of supernatural silence, though a psicrystal still can’t discern invisible or ethereal beings. A psicrystal’s sighted range is 40 feet.

Can it see around corners within 40 foot? It's vision is telepathic... but it can see "as well as a creature with normal vision". Creatures with normal vision can't see in darkness or around corners.

Can it see through walls? What are the limitations on it's vision? I can't seem to find this information.

Still needs to make a spot check to see a hidden person right?

[Vladislav]

as well as a creature with normal vision

Seems completely self explanatory to me. The exact means in which the psicrystal obtains the vision are mysterious and telepathic and other mumbo-jumbo. The end result is that he has the vision sense of a normal creature.

Can a creature with normal vision see through walls or in darkness? No. There you have it.

EDIT: actually, can see in darkness, since it's specifically spelled out. Mea culpa.

[kharmakazy]

as well as a creature with normal vision

Seems completely self explanatory to me. The exact means in which the psicrystal obtains the vision are mysterious and telepathic and other mumbo-jumbo. The end result is that he has the vision sense of a normal creature.

Can a creature with normal vision see through walls or in darkness? No. There you have it.

But the psicrystal CAN see in magical darkness and hear in magical silence...

[VGLordR2]

But the psicrystal CAN see in magical darkness and hear in magical silence...

That is the exception to the "normal vision" rule.

[Cor1]

To see in darkness : as in normal light (telepathical sight ignores illumination)
To see an invisible opponent: nope
To see a hidden opponent : Spot check against opponent's Hide
To see through walls : nope
To see through things that block line of sight : see "to see through walls"

To hear : it only talks about sight.

seems pretty straightforward to me...

[kharmakazy]

So it's telepathic senses won't tell him what's on the other side of a tree, for example?

[kharmakazy]

To hear : it only talks about sight.



Supernatural silence seems like a hearing thing to me.

[whibla]

I have always thought that was a badly thought out ability (description). Suspension of disbelief is one thing, metaphysical handwaving that goes far beyond virtually anything else in the game is another.

However, since it is described as being able to telepathically sense it's environment you might like to think of it in terms of having a 'limited' version of the Detect Thoughts / Clairvoyance / Clairaudience spells, that function as an emanation (or a spead?) from the object, for the purposes of locating creatures and objects and sensing its enviroment. With that in mind, since Detect Thoughts is blocked by 3' of wood, 1' of stone, 1" of common metal or a thin sheet of lead, your crystal cannot 'see' (read: sense) round or through corners (unless you're treating it as a spread, which might be reasonable, after all, we can hear round corners), but if the tree in your example was young and small enough, it might be able to. In addition, it would be able to sense through a thin wall, much as we might be able to hear what's going on on the other side, but a thick wall would block its senses.

I'd just like to add, that this is complete fluff, but then imo so is the ability description...

[Cor1]

Well, I actually use my Psion as the party omni-detector, so to get around that poorly-written ability, I permanencied Arcane Sight while sharing it with the psicrystals, plural; basically all the time in Feat Leech loop with the psycristals, getting Mindsight to detect intelligent creatures as sort-of Blindsense; then I got Soulsight to see every living creature at basically 30ft.
So the character I designed to use that never got to the corner cases of the psicrystals' basic Sight ability, but sees everything.

I recommend doing that. It's fun.