Telescope

“Telescopes offer undreamed-of possibilities. You can view the marvels of the skies and spot approaching enemies at a distance. You can even track elusive wildlife in your neighborhood—but be careful if you do, because some people don’t understand science and won’t appreciate it if they think you are watching them.”
-Khelbara ay Baburia, mage, modern

Telescopes are almost entirely unknown in certain regions of Aventuria, although seafarers, pirates, astrologists, scouts, and explorers all are familiar with them. Their expense reinforces this scarcity.

The most common type, a spyglass, is only 12 inches long, but all scopes can be used to see objects at a distance. The scope either can be made from metal or wood and be completely unadorned or decorated with nautical or astrological symbols, or even the owner’s coat of arms. Some models are of fixed length while others are collapsible. When not traveling, astronomers prefer larger telescopes with proportionately larger lenses.

The largest versions are massive constructs operated by the observatories. Such telescopes are always customcrafted, and there are only a handful of such devices in all Aventuria. Small telescopes, preferred by spies, thieves, and other followers of Phex, are almost equally as rare.

Telescope are only available in larger cities, as the cutting and polishing of lenses is complex and requires special knowledge. Seafaring families often pass these items from generation to generation as heirlooms. Receiving a telescope as a gift is considered a great honor.

“Horasian and Tulamydian telescopes may look quite different, but both serve the same purpose. They can be quite useful, especially if you want to scout an enemy’s camp from a distance.”

— Geron Bladebreaker, mercenary

“Simple telescopes should not be confused with the elaborate observatory devices that are far larger, more powerful, and much more difficult to build”

— Mirhiban al’Orhima, Tulamydian fire mage

“Elves don’t use telescopes. We can see as well as an eagle when we choose. We watch the stars every night and dream of them when we wander under the trees.”

— Layariel Treetopglint, elven wyldrunner

Item	Weight	Structure Points	Cost	Complexity
Spyglass, collapsible	1.25 stn / 2 lbs	18 SP	400 S	complex (4 AP)
Telescope, standard	1 stn / 2.5 lbs	25 SP	150 S	complex (2 AP)
Spyglass, small	0.5 stn / 1 lbs	10 SP	75 S	complex (3 AP)
Telescope, large	5 stn / 10 lbs	35 SP	1500 S	complex (5 AP)

Rules

Perception (Search) checks involving large distances normally incur the following penalties: -1 (300 to 1,600 feet), -2 (1,601 to 3,200 feet), -3 (3,201 to 6,500 feet), -4 (6,501 to 9,800 feet), and so on. Telescopes reduce these penalties in the following manner: Small and collapsible spyglasses reduce the penalty by 1, standard telescopes reduce it by 2, and large telescopes reduce it by 3 (to a minimum of +/- 0).