Looking for a spell.

[Yogibear41]

Are there any spells that could be used to find pockets/veins of rare metals. Say you are in a mountainous region known to have mithral and/or adamantine or even gold, buried within it somewhere, are there any divination spells(or other spells) one could use to find where to start mining for these rare metals?

[Telonius]

Detect Metal and Minerals, from Races of Faerun, is probably what you're looking for.

[Falcon X]

As a general note, Underdark sources and Dwarf sources would be the places to read for such topics. Possibly Inner Planes sources if you're going planar.

[Yogibear41]

That spell would work, the only problem I can see is the 60ft range, and the material component could get rather pricey over time especially if you don't find anything.

[Mountain]

If the spell's material component is an issue, the DMG has the rod of metal and mineral detection. That's a 1-time flat price for an infinite-use item.

[Deathcharge01]

Stonesight
Level 3
Age of Mortals pg 77

Basically allows you to see through the ground, but its blocked by water and mineral veins if I remember correctly. So once you can't see past a point, its either minerals or water.

[Mountain]

The best answer for a problem like this, as with most problems, is most likely planar binding.

Bind several small earth elementals and instruct them to swim around in the ground for a week or so, and report any mineral veins.

[Yogibear41]

Stonesight
Level 3
Age of Mortals pg 77

Basically allows you to see through the ground, but its blocked by water and mineral veins if I remember correctly. So once you can't see past a point, its either minerals or water.


Day 374 of the mining expedition: boss says we are about to break through to the rich ores below, after all of our previous attempts ended in failure, only finding several underground lakes, and that one unfortunate geyser incident, poor Rufus he will be missed. We can only hope that this time when we break through we will indeed find rich gems and ores, instead of just more rusty tips on our pick axes, our supplies and food stores are running low and with the meager income we have achieved so far we could use a little luck, least we be out of the mining business for good, and our homes with it.

:smallsmile:

[Qwertystop]

Day 374 of the mining expedition: boss says we are about to break through to the rich ores below, after all of our previous attempts ended in failure, only finding several underground lakes, and that one unfortunate geyser incident, poor Rufus he will be missed. We can only hope that this time when we break through we will indeed find rich gems and ores, instead of just more rusty tips on our pick axes.

:smallsmile:

While I haven't read the spell, it seems that if you can see through the ground but not the mineral veins or water, you'd be able to see the mineral veins or water. Most mineral veins do not look like water.

Though hills and holes might be a bit of a problem, if you're walking around with the spell up.

[Yogibear41]

While I haven't read the spell, it seems that if you can see through the ground but not the mineral veins or water, you'd be able to see the mineral veins or water. Most mineral veins do not look like water.

Though hills and holes might be a bit of a problem, if you're walking around with the spell up.

This is true, I would also assume anyone with any sort or ranks in Prof: Miner would also be able to tell by the ground around the surrounding area whether it could be seen or not, if it was water or minerals anyway.

I just thought it was a funny joke :smallsmile:

[Falcon X]

Dragon Magazine 310 has the Mole prestige class for rogues. It's an easy dip that allows you to burrow through stone and see through stone as if you had Stone Sight.

Get a character like that trained up and you have some great all day, every day mineral detection. Boost him with some elemental protections, maybe a mineral warrior template and you're golden!
Note: makes a great Assassin too...

[Sith_Happens]

Commune with Nature (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/communeWithNature.htm), the one-stop-shop for all your surveying needs.

[eggynack]

Commune with Nature (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/communeWithNature.htm), the one-stop-shop for all your surveying needs.
That's a solid option, but if the character just happens to be a dwarf, they might be better off with commune with earth (RoF, 189). It's like commune with nature, except it loses the above ground radius, and you get a half-mile/level radius, and a quarter-mile/level depth, that only applies underground, and on hills and mountains. . That spell would pretty much accomplish this goal perfectly.

[zingbobco000]

Treasure scent maybe?