I'm trying to set up some cool foreshadowing for when my players confront an 11th level evil wizard in his lair.
Of course, he'll be using "guards and wards" to spice up the dungeon setup. Lots of cool effects there.
I'm wanting the wizard to use scrying to keep tabs on the players' progress. This probably means using a crystal ball, or better yet one or more symbols of scrying.
The trouble with the Symbol of Scrying is that it appears to use the range of the scrying spell, or only 10 feet. Pretty danged limited. Unless it can draw its range from reference to the Symbol of Death, in which case it's 60 feet. Much better.
So I thought, why not let the wizard cast a Project Image spell through the scrying symbol? Then he could see using his normal senses from the image, anfd even cast spells. Trouble is, this spell seems to call for a "line of effect" between the wizard and the image. Also, scrying appears to specify a very limited array of spells that can be cast through the sensor. <whine>
Would it be possible to trace a "line of effect" through a scrying spell, symbol or device (like a crystal ball)? My gut instinct says no, can't do it. Since the wizard doesn't want to be in the same room as the players during these shenanigans, it looks like he can only watch within 10' of any Symbols of Scrying, and will have to resort to other means of communicating with (and taunting) the PCs, like Whispering Wind. Or, I guess, a generic message (warning against intruders) with Magic Mouth.
The more I think about it, the more I realize that my initial premise isn't going to work. I don't believe there are any scrying-type spells or items that allow you to cast just any old spell through them, like my initial plan with Project Image.
If I want to pull some Project Image shenanigans, the evil wizard is going to have to be in the same room, either protected by invisibility, or by fog of some sort (and giving him fog-cutting lenses). Dimension door looks like the best way to get him in & out.
That leaves me with the range question on Symbol of Scrying: is it 60' because it's like Symbol of Death, or 10' because you "observe [...] as if using a scrying spell"?