Have I got the spell Locate Creature right?

[Erkenbard the Eyeful]

The adventurers were looking for a person who was being held captive in a dungeon below a building. The Witch Level 7 in the party has "Locate Creature" so she cast it and I could see no reason to not allow the spell to locate the missing person under the building (he was tied up in a dungeon within range of the spell). The whole idea of them "searching" the place to see if he was there was blown away. They knew he was there. I simply told them the boy was detected beneath the building. Simple question: Did I get the spell right? The adventurers had previously met and talked to the kidnapped boy. Also, I had decided that no nondetection/misleading spells were in effect. Secondly, running water blocks Locate Person, but the spell acts like Locate Object, which is blocked by a thin sheet of lead. So would lead also block Locate Creature?(not that the boy was in a lead-lined room).

[toastedamphibian]

Well, it lets you find the direction, not distance, so they would have to triangulate a bit... but otherwise it seems like you did it right.

[Scott Romanowski]

Erkenbard the Eyeful wrote:

Secondly, running water blocks Locate Person, but the spell acts like Locate Object, which is blocked by a thin sheet of lead. So would lead also block Locate Creature?(not that the boy was in a lead-lined room).

Reading the RAW, I'd have to say yes, locate creature is blocked by both running water and lead. Although that brings up an interesting question, how does the running water part work?

A thin sheet of lead can block all lines from the caster to the target; we are probably all imagining that the lead is oriented like a wall when we think of it blocking the spell. But running water is usually oriented like a floor. All lines of effect would pass over it. If having the LOE pass over a stream blocks it, how high above it does it go? Or how far below? Or would you have to hide behind a waterfall?

Good question, Erkenbard.

[Erkenbard the Eyeful]

Scott Romanowski wrote:

Erkenbard the Eyeful wrote:

Secondly, running water blocks Locate Person, but the spell acts like Locate Object, which is blocked by a thin sheet of lead. So would lead also block Locate Creature?(not that the boy was in a lead-lined room).

Reading the RAW, I'd have to say yes, locate creature is blocked by both running water and lead. Although that brings up an interesting question, how does the running water part work?

A thin sheet of lead can block all lines from the caster to the target; we are probably all imagining that the lead is oriented like a wall when we think of it blocking the spell. But running water is usually oriented like a floor. All lines of effect would pass over it. If having the LOE pass over a stream blocks it, how high above it does it go? Or how far below? Or would you have to hide behind a waterfall?

Good question, Erkenbard.

Good questions Scott! And thanks guys for confirming what I thought ... I did have it correct. Just wanted to check. I guess a waterfall could block it as the water is kind of running down. But it's probably based on streams and rivers ... I guess a running-water stream completely blocks it no matter how high or how far below. But I am happy to be over-ruled! Also, there could be an underground stream that the players cannot see if they cast it in a city. What about water flowing through sewers?

[toastedamphibian]

Or maybe it just means that you cannot use it to find people underwater.

[Speaker for the Dead]

Or if they’re in the bath with the tap running :-)

[toastedamphibian]

Speaker for the Dead wrote:

Or if they’re in the bath with the tap running :-)

Be reasonable! The tap doesn't need to be running. They might have pulled the plug already.