Beneath the surface

Beneath the surface was a spell of the alteration school of magic that allowed the caster to peek inside of an object or through a barrier.

Effects
When cast, the beneath the surface spell rendered the surface touched by the caster – transparent. This invisibility was only perceived by the caster. The spell's effect was not limited by the target's size. It equally affected small chests or castle doors, as long as the target of the magic was a continuous piece of material and was not thicker than. The spell only affected a single surface, so, for example, if there was a thin piece of tapestry on the other side of the object rendered transparent, the spell could not pierce it; a hollow-core door would also make the beneath the surface inefficient. The spell did not affect living creatures, only inanimate objects, as such, spilled blood or an ooze could serve as protection against the spell. Beneath the surface also did not allow light in dark or enclosed objects, so unless the caster could see in the dark, the visibility was limited when peeking inside a dark chest, for example.

This spell was simple magic, something Mordenkainen called "apprentice tools" and Elminster Aumar – "the stock-in-trade of us all." Because of its simplicity, it was often used by spellcasters to cheat at tabletop games or for thievery.

Components
Beneath the surface required verbal, somatic, and material components to cast. The material component was a -diameter piece of mica.

History
Beneath the surface was one of the spells that originated from one of two worlds: Toril or Oerth. The spell, along with several others, were exchanged between Elminster, Mordenkainen, and Rautheene of Oerth, during one of their visits to the home of Ed Greenwood on Earth.