Lysander
2009-08-26, 04:00 PM
Divination is sort of an orphan school of magic. It has the fewest spells, and is unpopular enough people are explicitly not allowed to ban it. And there's very little that predicts the future in there. Sure there's Contact Other Plane, but that kind of magic is laborious, vague, and risky. True Strike? Limited to hitting something once. Foresight? Basically Spiderman's Danger Sense, useful but it doesn't make for a wise seer who knows what coming far in advance.
Let's think of some useful divinations that predict the future. With three caveats. First, the benefit must be purely informational. No offensive spells, no offensive or defensive bonuses. Second, the spell must not be designed to counter illusions.
For example:
Predict Wounds
Divination
Level: Sor/Wiz 4
Components: V, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature's footprints
Duration: 1 round
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: No
By touching a creature the caster can briefly cause its body to display all the wounds it is likely to encounter within twenty-four hours, based on the creature's current plans. This does not predict a definite future, merely what has a high (at least 50%) probability of occurring. In a safe area no wounds may displayed. A likely battle with a creature or type of creature makes that creature's attacks appear, even if the subject may avoid encountering that creature entirely or outclasses them enough to make injury unlikely.
Identifying the damage requires a heal check (one for each wound):
{table="head"]DC|Type of Wound
0|Noticing injury, discerning cuts, stabs, and burns
15|Determining what kind of weapon dealt an injury
20|Determining that a wound was caused by magic
25|Determining what kind of energy dealt an injury
30|Determining which spell dealt an injury (if the caster knows that spell)
[/table]
Predict Wounds does not display effects that would utterly destroy or alter every trace of a person's body, nor does it display damage that would occur after death. If a creature's plans change because of Predict Wounds subsequent castings may reveal different injuries.
Let's think of some useful divinations that predict the future. With three caveats. First, the benefit must be purely informational. No offensive spells, no offensive or defensive bonuses. Second, the spell must not be designed to counter illusions.
For example:
Predict Wounds
Divination
Level: Sor/Wiz 4
Components: V, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature's footprints
Duration: 1 round
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: No
By touching a creature the caster can briefly cause its body to display all the wounds it is likely to encounter within twenty-four hours, based on the creature's current plans. This does not predict a definite future, merely what has a high (at least 50%) probability of occurring. In a safe area no wounds may displayed. A likely battle with a creature or type of creature makes that creature's attacks appear, even if the subject may avoid encountering that creature entirely or outclasses them enough to make injury unlikely.
Identifying the damage requires a heal check (one for each wound):
{table="head"]DC|Type of Wound
0|Noticing injury, discerning cuts, stabs, and burns
15|Determining what kind of weapon dealt an injury
20|Determining that a wound was caused by magic
25|Determining what kind of energy dealt an injury
30|Determining which spell dealt an injury (if the caster knows that spell)
[/table]
Predict Wounds does not display effects that would utterly destroy or alter every trace of a person's body, nor does it display damage that would occur after death. If a creature's plans change because of Predict Wounds subsequent castings may reveal different injuries.