Reltzik
2012-10-14, 09:53 PM
Monitor
Divination
Level: Clr 6, Sor/Wiz 6
Components: V, S, M
Casting time: 10 minutes
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Until spell preparation or until discharged, see below
The caster mentally phrases a single yes-or-no question, as with Commune, but using direct divination rather than the intercession of an outside entity. The question must be phrased in the present tense. At the end of the casting, the caster receives a single answer of yes, no, or unclear, as with Commune.
Unlike with Commune, the question can only produce a definitive answer to questions with a scope of the caster's current plane. If the subject(s) of the question are not entirely in the same plane as the caster, the answer is unclear. Broad classes of subjects are presumed to refer to those members of the class on the plane where the caster cast Monitor, unless the caster phrases the question otherwise. For example, if a caster on the Prime Material Plane phrases the question "Is there a follower of Pelor powerful enough to cast Miracle?", those followers of Pelor not on the prime material plane at the time are not considered.
This divination may be blocked by magical effects which interfere with or negate Scry, Clairvoyance/Clairaudience, or similar spells, provided that the interfering effect would have a DC to dispel with Dispel Magic that is higher than this casting of Monitor's, or if the interfering effect cannot be dispelled at all. In either case, the caster receives an answer of "unclear".
In case of an unclear answer, the caster can make a single spellcraft check (normal DC to identify the interfering the spell +5, or DC 20 if the subject is on another plane) as a standard action within one round of completing the spell to recognize why the answer is unclear. Success will identify the spell blocking Monitor as with a normal spellcraft check to identify a spell. Alternately, success on the check reveals that the subject of the question is on a different plane (but won't identify that plane).
For the remainder of Monitor's duration, if the answer to the question changes (including a definitive yes or no becoming unclear, or an unclear answer becoming definitive), the caster becomes immediately aware of the change and the new answer, and the spell is discharged. If the caster is under some condition that normally interferes with such mental awareness (eg, sleeping) but is free to exit from that condition, the caster does so immediately upon the spell being discharged. If the caster is not free to exit from that state (eg, magical sleep), Monitor does not end the condition, but the caster is aware of the new answer to the question (and when Monitor was discharged) upon emerging from that state. If the new answer is "unclear", the caster may make a spellcraft check to identify the reason, as above, within one round of the spell discharging.
If the question referred to a class of subjects on the plane where the spell was cast, then the answer does not become unclear if only some members of the class leave the plane; rather, the class which is the subject of the question remains on the plane, even if its membership has changed. If the caster travels to a different plane, the answer of a previously-definitive question is now unclear unless the subject of the question simultaneously traveled to the caster's new plane (as might be expected if the subject of the question was the caster herself, or an object in the caster's possession). If the caster travels from a different plane to the one occupied by the subject of the question, and the subject is not protected by a magical effect capable of blocking Monitor, then the answer changes from unclear to a definitive yes or no.
Duration: The spell's typical duration (if it is not discharged) is until the caster next prepares spells or, in the case of spontaneous casters, recovers spell levels. However, the caster may choose not to recover or prepare the slot from which Monitor was cast, in which case the spell continues.
Material component: Incense worth 1000g, which the caster burns and inhales during casting.
When I refer to the Commune spell, I'm referring to the 3.5 version, but honestly this spell works in any 3.x including Pathfinder.
I'm not sure about the best spell level for this. It seems significantly more powerful than Commune, in that it does almost everything that Commune does, and then tells you when that information is not true. You can use it to set up a wide variety of alerts, from "Hostile beings are three chambers from my resting place" to "Someone is currently scry on me" to "My significant other is currently engaged in sexual acts without my knowledge or permission." Its limitation to a single plane is a disadvantage relative to Commune, but overall I'd gauge it to be more powerful. Since Commune is level 5, I made Monitor level 6.
However, it seems considerably LESS powerful than Contingency, which is also level 6. Monitor's question may be any condition which Contingency could trigger off of, after all, and a simple Message spell can with that Contingency can do almost anything that Monitor can. As this is only a fraction of the options available with Contingency, I'd say that Contingency is more powerful by far. However, Contingency essentially requires 2 spell slots, and is perhaps overpowered for a 6th level spell to begin with. So I'm placing Monitor at level 6, but it might be at the low end of level 6's power scale. Nevertheless, it's a spell I'd be comfortable preparing any time I had more than 2 or 3 level 6 slots available.
In any case, please give me feedback, especially about power level. Thanks in advance!
Divination
Level: Clr 6, Sor/Wiz 6
Components: V, S, M
Casting time: 10 minutes
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Until spell preparation or until discharged, see below
The caster mentally phrases a single yes-or-no question, as with Commune, but using direct divination rather than the intercession of an outside entity. The question must be phrased in the present tense. At the end of the casting, the caster receives a single answer of yes, no, or unclear, as with Commune.
Unlike with Commune, the question can only produce a definitive answer to questions with a scope of the caster's current plane. If the subject(s) of the question are not entirely in the same plane as the caster, the answer is unclear. Broad classes of subjects are presumed to refer to those members of the class on the plane where the caster cast Monitor, unless the caster phrases the question otherwise. For example, if a caster on the Prime Material Plane phrases the question "Is there a follower of Pelor powerful enough to cast Miracle?", those followers of Pelor not on the prime material plane at the time are not considered.
This divination may be blocked by magical effects which interfere with or negate Scry, Clairvoyance/Clairaudience, or similar spells, provided that the interfering effect would have a DC to dispel with Dispel Magic that is higher than this casting of Monitor's, or if the interfering effect cannot be dispelled at all. In either case, the caster receives an answer of "unclear".
In case of an unclear answer, the caster can make a single spellcraft check (normal DC to identify the interfering the spell +5, or DC 20 if the subject is on another plane) as a standard action within one round of completing the spell to recognize why the answer is unclear. Success will identify the spell blocking Monitor as with a normal spellcraft check to identify a spell. Alternately, success on the check reveals that the subject of the question is on a different plane (but won't identify that plane).
For the remainder of Monitor's duration, if the answer to the question changes (including a definitive yes or no becoming unclear, or an unclear answer becoming definitive), the caster becomes immediately aware of the change and the new answer, and the spell is discharged. If the caster is under some condition that normally interferes with such mental awareness (eg, sleeping) but is free to exit from that condition, the caster does so immediately upon the spell being discharged. If the caster is not free to exit from that state (eg, magical sleep), Monitor does not end the condition, but the caster is aware of the new answer to the question (and when Monitor was discharged) upon emerging from that state. If the new answer is "unclear", the caster may make a spellcraft check to identify the reason, as above, within one round of the spell discharging.
If the question referred to a class of subjects on the plane where the spell was cast, then the answer does not become unclear if only some members of the class leave the plane; rather, the class which is the subject of the question remains on the plane, even if its membership has changed. If the caster travels to a different plane, the answer of a previously-definitive question is now unclear unless the subject of the question simultaneously traveled to the caster's new plane (as might be expected if the subject of the question was the caster herself, or an object in the caster's possession). If the caster travels from a different plane to the one occupied by the subject of the question, and the subject is not protected by a magical effect capable of blocking Monitor, then the answer changes from unclear to a definitive yes or no.
Duration: The spell's typical duration (if it is not discharged) is until the caster next prepares spells or, in the case of spontaneous casters, recovers spell levels. However, the caster may choose not to recover or prepare the slot from which Monitor was cast, in which case the spell continues.
Material component: Incense worth 1000g, which the caster burns and inhales during casting.
When I refer to the Commune spell, I'm referring to the 3.5 version, but honestly this spell works in any 3.x including Pathfinder.
I'm not sure about the best spell level for this. It seems significantly more powerful than Commune, in that it does almost everything that Commune does, and then tells you when that information is not true. You can use it to set up a wide variety of alerts, from "Hostile beings are three chambers from my resting place" to "Someone is currently scry on me" to "My significant other is currently engaged in sexual acts without my knowledge or permission." Its limitation to a single plane is a disadvantage relative to Commune, but overall I'd gauge it to be more powerful. Since Commune is level 5, I made Monitor level 6.
However, it seems considerably LESS powerful than Contingency, which is also level 6. Monitor's question may be any condition which Contingency could trigger off of, after all, and a simple Message spell can with that Contingency can do almost anything that Monitor can. As this is only a fraction of the options available with Contingency, I'd say that Contingency is more powerful by far. However, Contingency essentially requires 2 spell slots, and is perhaps overpowered for a 6th level spell to begin with. So I'm placing Monitor at level 6, but it might be at the low end of level 6's power scale. Nevertheless, it's a spell I'd be comfortable preparing any time I had more than 2 or 3 level 6 slots available.
In any case, please give me feedback, especially about power level. Thanks in advance!