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Jirachi
2017-02-07, 08:15 PM
For some reason, the idea of a Wizard in a tower, looking up into the sky, spamming divination spells to look for extraterrestrial life to be exciting. The Astronomy spells assume that Teleport does have a truly unlimited range, allowing you to teleport any where in the universe in a heartbeat.

Object Scrying
Divination (Scrying)
Brd 4, Clr 6, Drd 5, Wiz/Sor 5
as Scrying, except the target may be an object or something object-like in appearance (a living planet, a creature concealed as an object etc.)

Intense Visual Acuity
Divination
Level: Clr 6, Brd 5, Sor/Wiz 6, Drd 6
Casting time: 1 standard action
Range:You
Duration: 1 day per level
You confer upon your self the ability to see with incredible acuity, to the point where your eyes can notice even the most subtle of things. Abilities that confer invisibility of any nature have no effect on your spot checks, due to the fact that your visual acuity has been raised to the point that you can see the ludicrously subtle gravitational lensing effect surrounding any object. Furthermore, your vision becomes good enough to accurately use Radial velocity, Transit Photometry, Microlensing as methods to discover Exoplanets with prolonged watching. If you have access to the scroll of dump data, you roll a d100 and if you get a 44 or higher, you have discovered a planet that could potentially hold life as we know it. For every 5 to your skill modifier for Knowledge (The Planes), you gain a +1 untyped bonus to the check. If you lack access to a dump data scroll, you must have been taking observations for 2 years before you start finding planets. Note that this Spell ignores atmospheric distortion of light.
In addition, you gain a bonus to Spot and Search equal to twice your caster level.
So, you basically gain the ability to discover Potentially habitable planets at a similar rate to the Kepler mission as best I can figure from the NASA's Kepler FAQ. I make no claims of this being particularily accurate. In no way does the information that you gain from this give you sufficient information to teleport to the place, (you have not 'been' there, and you lack enough info to be able to create a description. What you see is a slight change in coloration, in position or brightness that you have concluded comes from a planet. However, when you use this spell, you have considered to have enough information to scry the place.
Sense Life
Divination (Scrying or no subschool)
Sor/Wiz 7, Brd 6, Clr 7
Casting time: 1 standard action
Range: Infinite
Duration: 1 minute per level
Area: Sight
You gain the ability to sense life. This works as detect thoughts's first round effect, except as noted above and that it can only be stopped by magical effects that would block scrying magic.
In addition, you gain a general sense of whether or not the environment in that location is suitable for Humanoid, Animal, Plant, Dragon, Fey, Giant, Monstrous Humanoids, Ooze and Vermin life (Each is checked). When used in conjuction with Scrying, Greater, you also detect if any areas are dangerous in a way that would pose survival challenges not normally experience on Earth (Predation, Water Pressure and decrease in oxygen content from going to heights for example, would not be noted by this spell).
Dump data Scrolls: You are not the first person to use astronomy spells, so there is a bunch of data collected that allows you to find other planets, though it isn't enough to find planets on it's own. This allows you to skip the preliminary planet searching phase. Typically dump data scrolls can be valued at 10,000 GP for being invaluable to Astronomy. However, these documents are eccesively technical, and include many, many forms of short hand integrated with Arcane and divine magical diagrams and precise mathematical calculations. In order to be able to gain the benefit of a dump scroll, you must pass a DC 40 Decipher script check.
Detect life (adventuring version)
Clr 1, Paladin 1, Wiz/sor 1, Drd 0, Ranger 1
As detect thoughts, but only creates the first round effect.
Important note These spells were explicitly designed with astronomy in mind. These spells are designed to be useful for mid-level casters finding exoplanets, not for adventuring. Detect life is now written so that it has a range that can be augumented by Intense visual acuity, allowing you to stare into the night sky and detect life.
Spells like detect plants and undead should probably be cantrips, as they have VERY little utility unless you know what you are looking for, and if you do, they only give a threat level, (something accomplishable with a simple knowledge check would accomplish) and lingering aura (yeah, thanks for telling me my undead is in another castle, i noticed that from having to manually search the entire castle with this spell to find that out anyways, since there isn't a mechanic for diminishing auras based of recentness, just blinks out existence at the end of the time). Detect Plants and animals has some extra utility for diagnosing animals or plants. Anyways, Detect life has no threat assessment capability and could definitely lead you a touch astray.

aimlessPolymath
2017-02-07, 09:14 PM
Scrying is Will negates- how do objects save, if at all?
Despite saying that it improves visual acuity, Intense Visual Acuity gives no bonus to Spot, Search, or Appraise. It's basically a worse see invisibility due to being ~4 levels higher.
What is the scroll of dump data?

Sense Life is practically unusable as worded due to the way detect thoughts works. It affects a cone-shaped area which is infinite in length, except that it is blocked by 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of metal, a sheet of lead, or 3 ft of dirt. If anyone in that cone (of infinite length) is Int 1 or more, you know it. You gain a general sense of whether "the environment" in that area is safe, except that "that location" is undefined (most of the spell area will be open vacuum if you point it up). Also, synergy with Greater Scrying is confusing and generally unrelated to actually detecting life.

I would honestly write detect life as a 1st level spell which detects living creatures, much like detect undead except for living creatures. It would be a neat, useful, spell, much like the detect alignment group.

inuyasha
2017-02-07, 10:40 PM
I would honestly write detect life as a 1st level spell which detects living creatures, much like detect undead except for living creatures. It would be a neat, useful, spell, much like the detect alignment group.

I think it would have to be 2nd level, since detect undead and similar spells like detect animals/plants are very niche. One that simply detects all living creatures would invalidate these spells in a way, and I'd put it at 2nd or perhaps even 3rd.

aimlessPolymath
2017-02-07, 11:11 PM
I think it would have to be 2nd level, since detect undead and similar spells like detect animals/plants are very niche. One that simply detects all living creatures would invalidate these spells in a way, and I'd put it at 2nd or perhaps even 3rd.

Eh, fair enough. It's detection power is equivalent to detect thoughts in most circumstances.