needle in a haystack

[Braininthejar2]

While gathering info during the campaign, my level 14 wizard found information about a powerful magic item, that was lost centuries ago. I think I might go on a side quest to look for it.

The good news - it hasn't surfaced since, so it's likely still where it was lost.

The bad news - it was lost in the desert, buried by a sandstorm along with a whole caravan of camels.

The path they were lost in normally takes six days to traverse, but even if the snadstorms didn't keep changing topography, six days travel through desert is way too much for a party to dig through.

So... what ways can I use to help me locate it, or at least narrow down the search area?

[MisterKaws]

You got any Cleric Friends? Find the Path is damn good at this sort of thing, as long as you can provide enough information beforehand, and that's what Legend Lore is for. If you combine Find the Path with Wind Walk, you can basically cut a six day travel to a one day trip.

But, well, you need a Cleric (or maybe Druid) friend for that.

The Druid would also easily be able to dig it with the various sand transmutation spells available to them, so that's a definite plus.

[weckar]

Wait, there are tables that DON'T ban Find the Path? It is quite likely the most broken spell in its school.

[Bronk]

While gathering info during the campaign, my level 14 wizard found information about a powerful magic item, that was lost centuries ago. I think I might go on a side quest to look for it.

The good news - it hasn't surfaced since, so it's likely still where it was lost.

The bad news - it was lost in the desert, buried by a sandstorm along with a whole caravan of camels.

The path they were lost in normally takes six days to traverse, but even if the snadstorms didn't keep changing topography, six days travel through desert is way too much for a party to dig through.

So... what ways can I use to help me locate it, or at least narrow down the search area?

Well, you can start with Locate Object, a level 2 wizard spell, although it might not work since this sounds like a unique item.

Then I'd go with Legend Lore, a level 6 wizard spell, or Vision, a similar level 7 wizard spell, to get more clues.

You can follow that up with a few castings of Contact Other Plane, a level 5 wizard spell, for some additional clarifications.

You can probably follow that up with some mundane checking up with the locals.

If you get a general area, you could just teleport there, then use 'Planar Binding' to gain the services of an earth elemental to earthglide around in the sand to search for you.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Bronk
Well, you can start with Locate Object....

Not sure how helpful this would be, since it only has a range of a few hundred feet.

[Bronk]

Not sure how helpful this would be, since it only has a range of a few hundred feet.

Wouldn’t you feel silly later if you would have gotten lucky with something so simple? I figure, go for the low hanging fruit first. Worst case, you find nothing. Best case, the DM lets some info slip like ‘spells won’t work, it’s protected’, saving you time later.

[Crake]

Wait, there are tables that DON'T ban Find the Path? It is quite likely the most broken spell in its school.

Considering find the path can't be used to find objects, only locales, it wouldn't even be useful here.

[Vizzerdrix]

What about a know- history or geography check to locate someplace along the route that they would have tried to hunker down in.

[flappeercraft]

Considering find the path can't be used to find objects, only locales, it wouldn't even be useful here.

Well one could use it to find the place where the item, was lost

All seriousness, I would go with widened locate object if possible. At Cl 14 that would be a 1,920 ft radius circle. That's like 3/4 of a mile in diameter. If you fill all your slots for one day you could no problem have some 30 of them prepared on your own. That would be a lot of ground covered per day.

[frogglesmash]

Considering find the path can't be used to find objects, only locales, it wouldn't even be useful here.

maybe you could use Find the Path to search for the final resting place of the members of the caravan, then narrow your search via other methods.

[MisterKaws]

Legend Lore would describe the location it fell. Find the path would guide you to a few kilometers radius of it, where you could start searching by other means.

Locate object needs previous personal contact, no divination allowed.

[DeTess]

maybe you could use Find the Path to search for the final resting place of the members of the caravan, then narrow your search via other methods.

If I was a DM, and intended for the item to be findable, I'd almost certainly allow something like that to give the PC's a starting point. I would probably throw in some extra complications at the location, so the solution isn't quite as easy as 'find the path to location, widened locate object, summon monster whatever for a digging creature to get the object'.

[Crake]

If I was a DM, and intended for the item to be findable, I'd almost certainly allow something like that to give the PC's a starting point. I would probably throw in some extra complications at the location, so the solution isn't quite as easy as 'find the path to location, widened locate object, summon monster whatever for a digging creature to get the object'.

Or, alternatively, you COULD do that, only to find out that someone else has done that first, since it was so easy. Then the next step becomes finding out who did it, and where they took the artifact.

[DeTess]

Or, alternatively, you COULD do that, only to find out that someone else has done that first, since it was so easy. Then the next step becomes finding out who did it, and where they took the artifact.

That could work pretty good as well, depending on whether the object is more the kind you'd go on a 4-8 session treasure hunt for, rather than a 1-2 session expedition.

[Telonius]

The object itself might be warded against divinations. If that's the case, try finding the camels.

[Braininthejar2]

If I was a DM, and intended for the item to be findable, I'd almost certainly allow something like that to give the PC's a starting point. I would probably throw in some extra complications at the location, so the solution isn't quite as easy as 'find the path to location, widened locate object, summon monster whatever for a digging creature to get the object'.

I don't know if it's intended to be findable. I was looking for ways to increase my power, and got several leads, but I don't think they'd all be good

[Segev]

To get the rough area, use legend lore to identify the start and end-points of the planned route, and project the path as a means of narrowing your search.

Plague of undead can animate every corpse in a given area that's pretty big. You'd have to look it up for specifics; it's either in Libris Mortis or the Spell Compendium. Use it to grid search and call the corpses up to the surface. If you're lucky, one of the camel skeletons will still be carrying the item. If you're not, you can still order any promising-looking skeletons to lead you back to their resting places.

Planar binding can call forth earth elementals. Xorn are particualrly good at this kind of thing, if you can make sure they know not to eat the loot. Call up a bunch of them to search the rough area. They burrow.

Hallucinatory terrain covers an area of 1 30-ft. cube/level for 2 hours/level. Transform the desert into a crystal-clear lake, and simply look down. The "water" on which you're walking is transparent down to the "lakebed," but the corpses of creatures left behind are unaltered.

[Braininthejar2]

What does one pay a xorn? They're "treasure-none" and any metals or gems I could give him to eat is way more common in his world anyway.

Is there any place one could learn about their psychology?

[Segev]

What does one pay a xorn? They're "treasure-none" and any metals or gems I could give him to eat is way more common in his world anyway.

Is there any place one could learn about their psychology?

+1 weapons and armor. They love magic metals, so if you have "junk" metal magic items, those are what you bribe them with. Of course, planar binding lets you just opposed-Cha them into submission, with the pay being a mere bonus to the roll, so....

[Braininthejar2]

Of course, planar binding lets you just opposed-Cha them into submission, with the pay being a mere bonus to the roll, so....

It can. But xorn are not evil, and a lot of that campaign is about fighting slavers.

[Segev]

It can. But xorn are not evil, and a lot of that campaign is about fighting slavers.

Then just pile on the +1 swords.