Magical Means of Communication - During Wartime

[ClarkKent07]

I am currently running a version of the Incursion story line with a githyanki invasion in a homebrew world.

What if any means of magical communication are there that would allow casters seperated by more than several hundred miles to communicate?

I run a fairly low level magic setting so nothing above 4th level please.

Thanks

[Claxon]

Good luck, nothing that I know of will communicate over miles. Let alone hundreds of miles. Especially not at 4th level.

[ClarkKent07]

@Claxon actually that is excellent news!

I am DMing this and want to make sure that the Gith maintain the element of suprise for as long as possible.

Part of the PCs goal is to spread word of the invasion so cities can prepare.

[Artoo]

Are you talking character or spell level?

Because there is Sending at spell level 4 for clerics.

Somewhat less instant but lower level there is also Animal Messenger for Rangers, Druids and Bards.

[SlimGauge]

With spells that low level, the only ways would have to have been arranged in advance, such as a person who agrees to be scryed on at a particular time every day who holds a hand blackboard with a short message written on it. Failing that, a regular scrying has a 5% percent chance per caster level of message working through it.

[Clectabled]

Scry is a 3rd level Bard, 4th level Wizard/Druid/Witch spell,5th level Cleric Spell.

Two wizards could Scry on each other and have an effective dialogue.

[Clectabled]

You would want to probably want to craft some magic item that allows the scry as a standard action, instead of the 1 hour cast time though.

[ClarkKent07]

I mean spell level and sending may work but as I read it the sender must be familiar with the reciever.

-the primary issue is two city-states seperated by hundreds of miles and while they may have some casters able to reach 4-5 level spells not many and certainly very little reason to have an established means of communication.

They typically rely on a regularly used trade route to communicate though each is very independant so again little need for regular communication.

As the Githyanki invade they plan on cutting off that trade route to keep each city in the dark for as long as possible.

I just want to make sure such a plan is feesible before it unfolds.

[SlimGauge]

If I wanted to alert the other city-state, I'd try to find someone from that city-state who has a picture of the queen (or the equivalent) in his pocket to use. Failing that, I'd try to find something with a signature from someone in the other city-state, like a customs official who signed a document that was then carried with a shipment of goods to where I am.
I'd attempt to scry that august personage and if successful, cast message.

[Mysterious Stranger]

There a lot of way to communicate over long distances. Illusions in the sky can be seen for many miles and could be used as a kind of magical smoke signal. You could use color and light in a sort of Morse code. Even a silent image could work for this.

Magic Mouth can be used to send information that only the person who knows what to do will receive the message. This is great for leaving messages behind or sending hidden messages.

Animal Messenger has duration of 1 day per level, but may not be that reliable.

Scrying can also be used to communicate, but may need both people able to cast the spell to be really effective.

Dream and Minor Dream can also be used but are one way communication.

Sending is another one way communication spell that even works from different planes.

[redcelt32]

My PCs in the Kingmaker game just got high enough level to have sending, and are in the process of making some misc items that allow the casting of it a few times a day for their martial party members. If there was a good magical way, I suspect they would have already figured it out, since I have been really making their life miserable with the difficulty in communicating.

If this is in the ethereal or astral planes, you might be able to use some sort of psionic/telepathic creatures as receivers/transmitters to communicate between the cities. Otherwise, nothing that I know of.

[Tiny Coffee Golem]

A raven familiar or two could do it.

[Claxon]

Sorry, I assumed you were talking 4th character level. With access to 4th levels spells the options are expanded.

[Kayerloth]

This and related questions seem to come up fairly often. This is a list I've been compiling of some of the ways communication via spells can occur over distance (from 10's of feet to infinite.).

- Telepathic Bond, can be made permanent between two (or more) individuals. Fairly expensive to use as a permanent solution.
- Many Scrying spells + Message, can work but Message thru the sensor is unreliable especially at lower levels (5%/level).
- Sending, allows a response by target, can be interplanar but becomes less reliable when across planes (5%+ failure rate). Demand (8th level Sor/Wiz) as Sending but adds in a Suggestion.
- Helping Hand, anywhere within up to 5 miles but lots of delay built into the spell (up to 4 hours at max range) but could be useful when separation is under 1000 feet or the communication is not time sensitive.
- Any familiar (and possible an animal companion taught the right trick) might act as a messenger/go between. Add in Share Senses for extra communication capability.
- Animal Messenger, low level but reliable, ultimate "carrier pigeon" spell. Must send carrier to designated location, potential for interception.
- Teleport Object, high level (7th) but can send an object to a targeted location (and hence obviously one-way).
- Dream, range unlimited but one-way. Requires the recipient to be asleep (and hence capable of sleeping). Either the caster or someone the caster touches can send the message. The messenger must be in a trance for the duration of the spell and is "defenseless" and unaware while in the trance (fails all saving throws, 'helpless condition' implied but not so stated).
- Whispering Wind, lower level but requires caster to send the Wind to a familiar location where it may or may not find a recipient. Range in miles per level
- Message, cantrip (0 level spell) limited range, can be combined with many Scrying spells. Language dependent. Must mouth and whisper the words.

Please feel free to add to the list.