Magic Camera

[ericlboyd]

Hi,

I'd like an NPC wizard, who is not currently present, to be able to take a "magic picture" of an area and retrieve it later. Basically if an alarm spell is triggered, record the scene.

Any thoughts on how to accomplish with published spells and/or items?

--Eric

[remetagross]

Hmm...

Have some sort of creature in the room you want to protect, something as simple as an owl in a cage. Say, your familiar owl. Then, have an intelligent servant in another room ready to use a scroll as soon as the Alarm spell goes off: maybe an goon you obtained through Leadership. The goon reads a scroll of Greater Scrying so as to scry on the owl. The owl will of course voluntarily fail its Will save against the spell, since it's your intelligent familiar. Then, everything within 10ft of the owl will be displayed on the arcane focus used for the Greater Scrying spell: your 1000gp mirror. Finally, your goon drops the mirror into a vat full of Quintessence. This substance freezes the mirror in time, including the image that has appeared on it. Later on, go back home, scrape the Quintessence away and look at what's on the mirror.

[ShurikVch]

Dragon #327 has the "Modern Magic" article, which included Memory Crystal - kinda like "magical polaroid" (except on a crystal). To activate it, user need to wink - but maybe, it's possible to use it as a trap? Costs 200 gp
For a less "1-time" solution - the very same article also have the Mirror of Communication (costs 10000 gp, and weighs 6 lbs.; you would need at least two of them to use)

[Bullet06320]

2nd edition item from the The Complete Ninja's Handbook
painter in a box
easily adapted to 3rd

its a box with a canvas that paints a picture

[Kurald Galain]

Stolen Light spell (https://aonprd.com/SpellDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Stolen%20Light); you can build a trap that triggers it.

(edit) or Instant Portrait (https://aonprd.com/SpellDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Instant%20Portrait).

[ericlboyd]

Thank you for all the suggestions.

I also found "Image Projector" from Magic of Eberron, page 113.

Not playing in an Eberron campaign, so considering adapting it.

Other suggestions welcome.

--Eric

[Endarire]

Clairvoyance/clairaudience seemed to me like a security camera spell.

[Crake]

Clairvoyance/clairaudience seemed to me like a security camera spell.

That can show real time, but it doesn't really help viewing "recorded footage"

[Particle_Man]

I wonder if something could be done with a programmed image and a homunculus or some other critter that can save the image and relay it to the boss mage (or to the spell itself somehow).

[Rebel7284]

I wonder if having an observer and then ways of reading detailed memories is good enough for this? Technically, human memories are ALL sorts of weird with bits and pieces missing all over the place, but perchance advanced enough magic can get around that?