Is there a spell that lets you hear from a distance?

[gogogome]

We have spells like Arcane Eye for sight, but what about sound?

The only spell I could find is Scrying, but they're usually too short ranged. 10ft.

I'm trying to design a mystery adventure and I want the players to be able to plant a bug on a creature.

[Long_shanks]

There's this (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/clairaudienceClairvoyance.htm). But it's on a place and not a creature.

[thethird]

We have spells like Arcane Eye for sight, but what about sound?

The only spell I could find is Scrying, but they're usually too short ranged. 10ft.

I'm trying to design a mystery adventure and I want the players to be able to plant a bug on a creature.

Listening coins spell compendium, does what you need.

[gogogome]

There's this (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/clairaudienceClairvoyance.htm). But it's on a place and not a creature.

That's no different than scrying.


Listening coins spell compendium, does what you need.

Unfortunately my players don't have a bard in the party. Trying to give a wizard a scroll so he can start tagging people.

[thethird]

Unfortunately my players don't have a bard in the party. Trying to give a wizard a scroll so he can start tagging people.

Get an eternal wand (Magic ítem compendium)

[Darrin]

Unfortunately my players don't have a bard in the party. Trying to give a wizard a scroll so he can start tagging people.

Try spymaster's coin in Complete Scoundrel. It's Sor/Wiz 2 in addition to Bard 2.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

A Third Eye: Sense (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/items/universalItems.htm#sense) (also in MIC) allows you to use Clairaudience/Clairvoyance at will. That means you can use it to spy on an obvious location, then use it again to spy on a location you could see/hear from the previous one, then use it again to spy on a location you could see/hear from the previous one, and so forth. It's like the Shamans in WoW who can use Far Sight to hop their perception around the map exploring the world without leaving the city.

[gogogome]

Including Listening Coin, it seems 10ft radius is the best spells can do for hearing. I thought there was something similar to Chain of Eyes except for sound.

[Long_shanks]

That's no different than scrying.


Huh, somehow I always assumed that scrying was visual only. The more you know.

[RoboEmperor]

Including Listening Coin, it seems 10ft radius is the best spells can do for hearing. I thought there was something similar to Chain of Eyes except for sound.

Nope there isn't. I've been tearing the books apart for something like this but nope, it's always just sight or "like clairvoyance".

[ericgrau]

Custom item of listening coin: 1,051 gp value (but see next paragraph). Appears to be two coins sold in a small box, with two coin size spaces to separate them. You double tap the coins together to activate it before depositing one on a foe. The bug lasts 7 hours after which both coins become ordinary coins.

Spell compendium lowered the spell level from 4 to 3 which was a good idea considering how bad it was at 4. Given how hard it is to plant the coin I think 3 is still too high. Searching around I've never seen any mention of anyone taking or recommending the spell except for someone who specifically wanted a "bug" effect and this spell was the only way. I'd make it level 2. In that case the custom item would cost 401 gp and the duration is 4 hours. Longer durations may be requested to be custom made at +100 gp per hour, and a day for the NPC to craft it.

I'd also make it an attack roll against AC 14 and range increment 10' to toss it in a open pouch or a closed backpack (with an opening under the flap). To plant at melee range: Opposed hide and move silently within a crowd, underbrush, fog or other cover. Sleight of hand DC 20. But also opposed by spot. DC 20 to plant it, beat spot to not be noticed planting it. Or buy something from the creature, etc.

[Zaq]

I don’t quite understand the objection to Clairaudience/Clairvoyance. C/C doesn’t directly inherit anything from Scrying, and the 10’ limitation only applies to sight in pitch blackness. Otherwise, you can hear “as though you were there,” so unless your natural hearing range is only 10’, you can hear beyond the 10’ range.

It’s fine if there is indeed a reason you don’t want to use the spell, but your stated objection (that it’s “no different than scrying”) doesn’t quite make sense to me. What aspects of it being like Scrying do you find objectionable? What particular limitations of the spell must we overcome?

To go in another direction, the vestige Malphas lets you summon a bird that allows you to “see what it sees and hear what it hears,” so if you can subtly plant a bird on someone (not a clause I expected to write today), that might work. Malphas is a second level vestige and the bird is also on the list of abilities that can be snatched with the Bind Vestige feat tree, so you can get what you want for three levels, one level and one feat, or three feats. Bit of a bigger cost than a single spell, but alternative methods of problem solving can be fun.

[Deophaun]

Undead eyes in Shadows of the Last War is low level and lets you perceive through the senses of a target mindless undead in addition to giving telepathic control over it. Put it on the animated corpse of a bird or a mouse.

Although it's not what you want, I will also direct your attention to dragoneye rune in Dragon Magic. It lets you make permanent GPS locators. Pair it with a character with good Sleight of Hand for shenanigans.

I don’t quite understand the objection to Clairaudience/Clairvoyance.
The 10 minute casting time is a killer. Eternal wands will get you around the casting time, but the cost for a level 2 one is pretty expensive for what it does.

[gogogome]

I don’t quite understand the objection to Clairaudience/Clairvoyance. C/C doesn’t directly inherit anything from Scrying, and the 10’ limitation only applies to sight in pitch blackness. Otherwise, you can hear “as though you were there,” so unless your natural hearing range is only 10’, you can hear beyond the 10’ range.

It’s fine if there is indeed a reason you don’t want to use the spell, but your stated objection (that it’s “no different than scrying”) doesn’t quite make sense to me. What aspects of it being like Scrying do you find objectionable? What particular limitations of the spell must we overcome?

10ft radius is too short which is why scrying won't work for this particular scenario I'm trying to design.

Clairvoyance scryes an area not a creature. I need it mobile and follow a creature.


To go in another direction, the vestige Malphas lets you summon a bird that allows you to “see what it sees and hear what it hears,” so if you can subtly plant a bird on someone (not a clause I expected to write today), that might work. Malphas is a second level vestige and the bird is also on the list of abilities that can be snatched with the Bind Vestige feat tree, so you can get what you want for three levels, one level and one feat, or three feats. Bit of a bigger cost than a single spell, but alternative methods of problem solving can be fun.

I don't know what vestige is, but it's one of those nonstandard spellcasting stuff right? The party consists of a wizard, a sorcerer, a rogue, a barbarian, and a fighter, so it kind of has to be an arcane spell.

Ultimately if there is nothing better than 10ft radius then I will probably use some form of listening coin or scrying.


Undead eyes in Shadows of the Last War is low level and lets you perceive through the senses of a target mindless undead in addition to giving telepathic control over it. Put it on the animated corpse of a bird or a mouse.

Although it's not what you want, I will also direct your attention to dragoneye rune in Dragon Magic. It lets you make permanent GPS locators. Pair it with a character with good Sleight of Hand for shenanigans.

The 10 minute casting time is a killer. Eternal wands will get you around the casting time, but the cost for a level 2 one is pretty expensive for what it does.

Yeah these are not what I'm looking for.

Yup, I guess I will have to use a custom listening coin or something. Undead Eyes might work for some parts of the mystery but not the important parts.

[Zaq]

I still don't see why you think that Spymaster's Coin and Clairaudience have a 10' range. Spymaster's Coin says that you can "hear or see (your choice) as if you were in the object's location." There's nothing about a 10' limitation. As I said above, Clairaudience/Clairvoyance has a 10' limitation if and only if you're using the "sight" option on an area that is naturally pitch black. If you're using the "sound" option, or if you're using the "sight" option and it's not naturally pitch black, you can sense as if you were at the targeted location, so again, there's no 10' limitation on sound. (Same with Listening Coin, though I understand that you said that you don't want a Bard-only spell.)

The only spell being discussed that has a 10' limitation on hearing is Scrying, and none of the other spells have language even remotely like "this spell functions like Scrying, except . . ." Is there some global rule I'm unaware of that states that any Divination spell of the [Scrying] subschool has a 10' limitation or something?

[Deophaun]

Yup, I guess I will have to use a custom listening coin or something. Undead Eyes might work for some parts of the mystery but not the important parts.
Don't see why undead eyes won't work. You animate a dead ant and then bug the target. Literally.

[gogogome]

I still don't see why you think that Spymaster's Coin and Clairaudience have a 10' range. Spymaster's Coin says that you can "hear or see (your choice) as if you were in the object's location." There's nothing about a 10' limitation. As I said above, Clairaudience/Clairvoyance has a 10' limitation if and only if you're using the "sight" option on an area that is naturally pitch black. If you're using the "sound" option, or if you're using the "sight" option and it's not naturally pitch black, you can sense as if you were at the targeted location, so again, there's no 10' limitation on sound. (Same with Listening Coin, though I understand that you said that you don't want a Bard-only spell.)

The only spell being discussed that has a 10' limitation on hearing is Scrying, and none of the other spells have language even remotely like "this spell functions like Scrying, except . . ." Is there some global rule I'm unaware of that states that any Divination spell of the [Scrying] subschool has a 10' limitation or something?

Clairvoyance's problem is that it doesn't move.

Spymaster's Coin's problem is that you can only use it once, for 1round/level. If you could use it continually then it is just what I needed but unfortunately it's not.

There is no global rule, but virtually every scrying spell I've looked up only has a 10ft radius.


Don't see why undead eyes won't work. You animate a dead ant and then bug the target. Literally.

Can you animate insects? I'll check but if it's true then yes, you're right! It's exactly what I needed!

[Nifft]

I'm trying to design a mystery adventure and I want the players to be able to plant a bug on a creature.

Share Husk (SpC) could work if what you plant on the creature is also a creature (of the Animal type), or if the target creature is an animal that's going to be nearby the intended eavesdropee -- a guard dog, or a pack horse, for example.

[Jack_Simth]

Including Listening Coin, it seems 10ft radius is the best spells can do for hearing. I thought there was something similar to Chain of Eyes except for sound.
Keep in mind: Spot (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/spot.htm) has a "Read Lips" option:

To understand what someone is saying by reading lips, you must be within 30 feet of the speaker, be able to see him or her speak, and understand the speaker’s language. (This use of the skill is language-dependent.) The base DC is 15, but it increases for complex speech or an inarticulate speaker. You must maintain a line of sight to the lips being read.

If your Spot check succeeds, you can understand the general content of a minute’s worth of speaking, but you usually still miss certain details. If the check fails by 4 or less, you can’t read the speaker’s lips. If the check fails by 5 or more, you draw some incorrect conclusion about the speech. The check is rolled secretly in this case, so that you don’t know whether you succeeded or missed by 5.

[FreddyNoNose]

We have spells like Arcane Eye for sight, but what about sound?

The only spell I could find is Scrying, but they're usually too short ranged. 10ft.

I'm trying to design a mystery adventure and I want the players to be able to plant a bug on a creature.

clairaudience

[Deophaun]

Can you animate insects? I'll check but if it's true then yes, you're right! It's exactly what I needed!
As zombies, yes (not skeletons because no bones obviously).

[RoboEmperor]

As zombies, yes (not skeletons because no bones obviously).

Ants don't have hit die do they? So animating them should be free right?

[Nifft]

Ants don't have hit die do they? So animating them should be free right?

If your DM does not exist, then it works however you want.

[RoboEmperor]

If your DM does not exist, then it works however you want.

I meant is an ant strong enough to have a hit die or are they so weak they're more like objects than creatures?

[Nifft]

I meant is an ant strong enough to have a hit die or are they so weak they're more like objects than creatures?

Hmmm, actually by RAW the ant might not be legal.



Creating A Zombie

"Zombie" is an acquired template that can be added to any corporeal creature (other than an undead) that has a skeletal system (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
(Emphasis added.)

[Elysiume]

An exoskeleton could be a skeleton, depending on how much you want to argue with your DM.

[Nifft]

As zombies, yes (not skeletons because no bones obviously).


An exoskeleton could be a skeleton, depending on how much you want to argue with your DM.

I thought animated skeletons were already prohibited, for exactly that reason.

The template clause is the same for both -- if one is allowed, so is the other.

[Deophaun]

(Emphasis added.)
Heh. Whadayaknow? Couldasworn...

OK. No insect. But a tadpole? That would work.

[Nifft]

Heh. Whadayaknow? Couldasworn...

I know right? I sure didn't know that before looking.

A mouse skeleton might be very light, and mice are already known for being sneaky and getting into places they're not wanted.

Plus they've got better mobility than a tadpole. (Citation: I have chased mice.)

[Deophaun]

Mouse was suggested already and ruled out for whatever reason. So, I'm trying to go as small as possible, which brings us to fish and amphibians for vertebrates.

[RoboEmperor]

I know right? I sure didn't know that before looking.

A mouse skeleton might be very light, and mice are already known for being sneaky and getting into places they're not wanted.

Plus they've got better mobility than a tadpole. (Citation: I have chased mice.)

But mice have hit die so they're not free :(

I think mouse was ruled out because the OP is trying to make a bug that you can use to secretly attach to a person's coat or something like in the movies. Mouse is far too big for that.

[Zaq]

A corpse is an object, right? Can you cast Shrink Item on something before casting Animate Dead on it?

[RoboEmperor]

A corpse is an object, right? Can you cast Shrink Item on something before casting Animate Dead on it?

lol

That is brilliant.

Now you just need a creature with a skeleton that can stick to clothing or something. Or I guess you can always just apply glue to the zombie XD

[gogogome]

Undead Eyes on a shrunken skeleton (not zombie as zombies smell) lathered in glue accomplishes what I wanted. Not ideal but good enough! Thanks everyone!