targeting through scry

[Mojorat]

So I just had my character die in our game and my new druid will be able to scry on her snake familiar 12 minutes a day.

I realize though I am not clear on how to try targetting enemies through the scrying. This is only my second higher level spellcaster. (The other a magus being a magus didn't do anything complicated)

Anyhow I know spells need line of sight and line of effect. How do I tell when I only need line of sight?

For example geyser is 800 range at lvl 10. Can I have my familiarsneak up on the enemy while I sit in a cave. Then scry through the snakes eyes and drop a geyser on them? I'm pretty sure this woukd work. I'm also sure fireball wouldn't.

Anyhow is it a case of parsing each spell individually? Or do all spells need line of sight and effect unless explicitly stated they don't.

Just want to make sure I have this right before the nect game to avoid bogging things down with the new character.

[Mojorat]

Hrm funny how rereading the rules works. So to clarify I have this correct.

For my cave example above. Neither geyser nor fireball would work because the cave wall blocks line of effect even though scry gives line of sight.

However it appears you could stand 800 feet away in a forest and drop geyser on an enemy. Providing. There is not a completly impassable impassable wall of treed. But fireball would be stopped as it requires the bead to travel to the target?

For the record I'm simply providing these as examples to be clear I understand things.

[Mojorat]

BUMP, i guss what im trying to ask is how does the ability to see long distances deal with line of effect targeting these distances?

[DeltaOneG]

As I understand it you have to have line of sight to spell origin with the exception of insubstantial barriers like fog or darkness.

Scrying does not give line of sight.

Whether a forest counts as a "solid barrier" (requirement to block line of effect) would, in my opinion, depend on the thickness of the trees. If they span a 5ft square they would provide a barrier at that square.

But to have line of effect you have to be able to draw a straight line between some point of your square and some point of their square that does not cross a solid barrier. Defining "solid barrier" is, so far as I can find" up to the GM with the exception of "a hole of at least 1 square foot through it does not block a spell's line of effect. Such an opening means that the 5-foot length of wall containing the hole is no longer considered a barrier for purposes of a spell's line of effect".

[Mojorat]

Pretty sure scry makes a magic sensor that gives line of sight. But understanding line of effect is what I was working at.

It looks like from your answer its a case of army between you and target (using my geyser example) the army probably doesn't stop line of effect.

But in the case of the forest its " is the forest flat enough and sparse enough". Ie any tree with bigger than 5 ft base blocks it loe or shifting terrain. But anything smaller won't.

I guess my question is other than teleporr or just listening to the enemy it seems difficult to use the longer rsnge stuff. Unless its flat open ground.

[DeltaOneG]

Scry gives sight, not line-of-sight. Otherwise ranged attacks could be performed through scry. Line of sight isn't simply being able to see but the line by which you see.

[Mojorat]

Yeah, I discussed that with a friend. Over all line of sight was less of an issue than line of effect. But it looks like short of open plains or the ocean or some other pakace with alot of room scry isnt really that good effectively.

The exception of this seems to be teleport spells, which have a range of touch then do something that invlves range. but they basically ignore line of sight and line of effect.

I was just looking at some way to use the druids ability to move through forests and this characters ability to watch at a distance in some way. Anyhow thank you for your answers.