Clairvoyance
- Level: 3
- School: Divination
- Class: Bard, Cleric, Sorcerer, Wizard
- Casting Time: 10 minutes
- Range: 1 mile
- Components: V, S, M (a focus worth 100+ GP, either a jeweled horn for hearing or a glass eye for seeing)
- Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
You create an Invisible sensor within range in a location familiar to you (a place you have visited or seen before) or in an obvious location that is unfamiliar to you (such as behind a door, around a corner, or in a grove of trees). The intangible, invulnerable sensor remains in place for the duration.
When you cast the spell, choose seeing or hearing. You can use the chosen sense through the sensor as if you were in its space. As a Bonus Action, you can switch between seeing and hearing.
A creature that sees the sensor (such as a creature benefiting from See Invisibility or Truesight) sees a luminous orb about the size of your fist.
Tactical Usage
Information Gathering: Clairvoyance provides excellent remote surveillance capabilities, allowing you to scout ahead or gather intelligence on enemy positions without physical presence. This 3rd-level divination spell excels in situations where reconnaissance is crucial for strategic planning.
Optimal Timing: Most effective when cast from a safe location before entering dangerous areas. The 10-minute casting time requires planning but provides substantial intelligence advantages.
Resource Management: Uses a 3rd-level spell slot - available from character level 5+. The valuable focus component (100+ GP) must be protected as it's reusable.
Target Selection: Choose sensor placement carefully - familiar locations offer precise positioning while unfamiliar obvious locations limit strategic placement options.
Spell Combinations
Synergistic Spells:
- Message/Sending: Communicate findings to allies while maintaining surveillance
- Misty Step/Dimension Door: Quick escape after gathering critical intelligence
- Invisibility/Pass Without Trace: Enhanced stealth for reaching safe casting positions
Class Feature Interactions:
- Portent (Diviner): Combine with foresight to plan optimal surveillance timing
- Ritual Casting: Some classes can extend preparation time if safety allows
- Familiar Assistance: Use familiars to protect casting location during the long casting time
Multi-Caster Coordination: Multiple sensors can provide comprehensive area coverage when cast by different party members.
Material Component Details
Component Acquisition: Jeweled horn (hearing) or glass eye (seeing) worth 100+ GP. Purchase from specialized craftsmen or magical suppliers in major cities.
Component Handling: Focus is reusable and must be held during casting. Consider securing backup focuses for critical missions.
Roleplay Opportunities: Acquiring specialized divination focuses can connect to magical traditions, mentor relationships, or investigation backgrounds.
Economic Considerations: Initial 100+ GP investment but no ongoing costs. Valuable enough to require protection from theft or loss.
Creator Notes
Encounter Balancing: Allows extensive pre-combat intelligence gathering. Plan encounters assuming players may have detailed knowledge of enemy positions and numbers.
NPC Usage: Enemy spellcasters can use this to monitor party activities, creating counter-surveillance scenarios and investigation challenges.
Environmental Considerations: Strong winds, magical wards, or sensor-detection abilities can limit effectiveness and create tactical complexity.
Campaign Integration: Essential for heist scenarios, infiltration missions, and any adventure requiring careful reconnaissance and planning.
Environmental Interactions
Terrain Effects: Indoor environments limit sensor placement to obvious locations if unfamiliar. Outdoor areas offer more flexibility for familiar locations.
Weather Influence: Strong winds can disrupt concentration checks. Indoor casting provides protection during storms.
Structural Interactions: Walls and barriers block sensor sight/hearing. Plan sensor placement to avoid obstructions for maximum coverage.
Elemental Interactions: Magical interference or planar effects may disrupt sensor function or provide false information.
Common Rulings & Clarifications
Timing Questions: 10-minute casting time prevents use in urgent situations but allows careful preparation for planned operations.
Target Limitations: Sensor must be placed in visited familiar locations or obvious unfamiliar locations - not specific hidden spots you haven't seen.
Duration Interactions: Concentration requirement means combat or distraction can end surveillance. Plan for protection during important observation periods.
Mechanical Interactions: Switching between seeing and hearing as bonus action allows adaptive information gathering based on developing situations.
Alternative Applications
Non-Combat Uses: Excellent for investigating mysteries, tracking suspects, monitoring diplomatic meetings, or studying dangerous magical phenomena from safety.
Social Encounters: Observe social interactions to gather evidence, understand relationships, or detect deception in political situations.
Exploration Applications: Scout dangerous areas before entry, monitor weather patterns, or observe wildlife behavior for navigation or survival.
Utility Functions: Estate security, market surveillance, or monitoring remote locations for changes or threats.
Related Spells
Same School: Other divination spells like scrying (5th level upgrade), detect magic, locate creature, and legend lore for comprehensive information gathering.
Similar Effects: Arcane eye (4th level mobile sensor), find familiar (permanent but limited surveillance), crystal ball (item-based scrying).
Progression Options: Detect thoughts (2nd level mind reading), scrying (5th level enhanced remote viewing), foresight (9th level ultimate divination).
Complementary Magic: Nondetection (hide from counter-scrying), counterspell (protect against magical interference), greater invisibility (personal stealth).
Scaling Analysis
Level Progression: Remains valuable throughout campaigns for intelligence gathering, though higher-level alternatives eventually provide superior capabilities.
Upcast Benefits: No direct improvement from higher spell slots, but preserving 3rd-level slots for other spells provides resource management value.
Campaign Phases: Critical in mid-level play (levels 5-12) where tactical planning becomes essential but scrying isn't yet available.
Comparative Value: Excellent utility spell that enables strategic approaches to challenges but competes with combat spells for preparation slots.
Narrative Flavor
Casting Description: The focus glows with ethereal light as mystical energies flow outward, creating an invisible tether to the distant sensor point.
Effect Manifestation: The sensor appears as a faintly luminous, fist-sized orb visible only to those with magical sight, hovering silently in its designated location.
Personal Style: Diviners might see through crystal clarity, while nature casters experience natural sensory awareness, and clerics receive divine revelations.
World Integration: Represents advanced divination magic available to experienced spellcasters, often associated with intelligence networks, investigative organizations, or strategic military planning.
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