Equipment for a Diviner

[theos911]

http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=346185

The game is largely an investigation style game, with some combat. I realize the character is not highly powerful or optimized. He is designed for high knowledge rolls. His main purpose is party diviner. Starting at level 2 gestalt with 900GP.

This is not an archetype I've played before, so I'm looking for suggestions on what spells to keep a scroll of handy, which ones to grab a wand of, and any other generally cool and helpful magic items or mundane equipment you think would fit him. Thanks in advance.

[Malachei]

With 900 GP, I'm not sure it can be very customized for your diviner. A Safewing Emblem (250)? A few scrolls with a spell on it you want to acquire? You can then scribe them into your spellbook. I'd say for low-level scrolls, Enlarge Person, Shield, Sleep, Color Spray, Expeditious Retreat would be good ideas. Dispel Ward, perhaps, or I'd not grab higher-level scrolls unless to scribe them into your book, in which case Glitterdust, Web, Rope Trick and Invisibility might be the usual subjects, and perhaps Baleful Transposition or Seeking Ray.

[theos911]

His known spells are on his sheet. Idk what other divination/utility types I might be missing, thoughts?

[Psyren]

Too late to change from Warlock to Binder? They are way, way, WAY better at divination.

With your poor dex you won't be needing EB anyway.

[HunterOfJello]

You should consider one side of the gestalt as a Seer. They're better at a lot of investigation stuff. Honestly, I haven't heard any good recommendations of wizards as diviners. It might even be better to play a different type of wizard but grab the Spontaneous Divination acf (allows you to sacrifice any spell prepared to cast a divination spell) than to play an actual Diviner.

[Darrin]

From Shax's Indispensible Haversack (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148101):

Candle, Focusing
Price: 100 GP
Weight: 1#
(Complete Adventurer p. 118)
+1 circumstance bonus on Appraise, Decipher Script, Forgery, and Search checks. Note: if you think you'll need this for longer than an hour, you can increase the duration to 15 days (365 days / 24 hours = 15.21 days) with a little Unguent of Timelessness (19 GP per dose, DMG).
Craft (Alchemy) DC: 25

Magnifying Glass
Price: 100 GP
Weight: --
(PHB)
+2 circumstance bonus on Appraise checks on small objects. Combine with Jeweler's Loupe for another +1. Make it masterwork for another 50 GP and another +2 circumstance bonus. Also, start a fire without flint & steel, or incinerate a few anthills for some easy XP.

Inquisitive's Kit
Price: 300 GP
Weight: 4#
(Eberron Campaign Sourcebook p. 122)
+4 circumstance bonus on Search checks along with some special rules for finding clues with the Search skill. There may be some overlap with other kits (paper, inks, magnifying glass, etc.). If your DM doesn't want to bother with the special Scooby Doo rules and lets you apply the +4 bonus to any Search check, then make some room in you haversack for this ASAP.

Torch Bug Paste
Price: 25 GP
Weight: --
(Complete Scoundrel p. 120)
Why bother with see invisiblity if you can just paint them with glowing bug poop? Thrown as a splash weapon, non-magical faerie fire effect, which pinpoints invisible creatures and completely negates concealment.

More divination-friendly items:

Desk Clock
Price: 25 GP
Weight: 8#
(Ghostwalk p. 42)
Heavier but considerably cheaper than firmament stones (see below). I'm not entirely sure how it would be useful, but I always thought it would be pretty cool to carry one of these around, and it seems like something a Diviner would want.

Devil's Eye
Price: 150 GP
Weight: 0.1#
(Complete Mage p. 135)
When used as a material component in a divination spell, this increases the spell's level by one, as if by Heighten Spell.

Firmament Stone
Price: 110 GP (each)
Weight: 0.5# (each)
(Dungeonscape p. 35)
Listed as an alchemical item so supposedly non-magical, but can be used to determine the time of day (sun stone) or the phase of the moon (moon stone). No actual game effect, but very cool window-dressing if you want to go whole-hog into ranting about ascension tables, sidereal calculations, astrological omens, whether the moon is in the proper house, etc.

Mechanus Eye
Price: 100 GP
Weight: --
(Planar Handbook p. 77)
+1 competence bonus on search checks.

Planar Atlas
Price: 25 GP
Weight: 2#
(Planar Handbook p. 71)
+2 competence bonus on Knowledge (the planes) checks. Spend an additional +50 GP to make it a masterwork tool for an additional +2 circumstance bonus.

Spells:

Detect Aberration (Druid 1, Eberron Campaign Setting). Avoid getting ambushed by tentacle-beasts.

Master's Touch (Brd/Sor/Wiz 1, Spell Compendium). Swift action, proficiency with any weapon held. Loads of fun with orc shotputs.

Omen of Peril (Clr/Dru 1, Spell Compendium). A somewhat crude version of "detect traps". May be useful for any "Lady or the Tiger" type decisions, or one of those "One of us always lies, one of us always tells the truth" door puzzles if one of the guardians isn't wearing a sombrero.

Scholar's Touch (Brd/Clr/Sor/Wiz 1, Races of Destiny). Touch a book to absorb its contents. Unlikely to ever be particularly useful, but fantastic if you're going for style/flavor.

Vision of Punishment (Sanctified 1, Champions of Valor). Costs 1d2 Str damage, but you can nauseate an opponent with divination.

Guidance of the Avatar (Cleric 2, available online (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20010504a)). Never leave home without it.

[theos911]

Yes, I realize he isn't particularly awesome for his job, but this isn't high op so it should not be a major issue.

It is too late to change, and I have never used either of those suggested classes. I do plan to take spontaneous divination.

Let me word it this way. What divination spells am I missing or wouldn't want to use a slot for, but are definitely needed if their situation arises? (Stuff that when you need it, you need it, but you won't need everyday.)

[Gavinfoxx]

Make sure to read this?

http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=394.msg8065#msg8065

Pick up scrolls? Archivist is a great Diviner, if you can get access to most of the divination spells from all over...

[Psyren]

The trouble with Diviners is that a lot of the time you're not much better off than a Generalist. You get a bonus slot every spell level, but rarely need an extra Divination at each one.

Since you're using 3.5, what sources are available? The more splats you have access to, the more likely you'll find useful divinations for each spell tier.

[gbprime]

The best tools to hook you up as a dedicated Diviner come at levels 5-7.

At Wizard 5, take the Spontaneous Divination ACF from Complete Champion instead of the level 5 bonus feat. Now you can fill your wizard slots with combat or utility magic and spontaneously cast any divination spell you know.

With a bit of planning (knowledge religion and a skill focus in it), you can pick up Divine Oracle PrC at level 6, which comes with the Oracle Domain. This gives you +2 caster level to divinations and spells like Augury and Divination added to your spells knowable. Combined with Spontaneous Divination, this is really juicy.

[theos911]

Books allowed:
- 3.5 core
- Expanded Psionics Handbook
- the Complete- books
- the Races of- books
- Heroes of Horror
- Unearthed Arcana
- Players Handbook 2
- Dungeon Master Guide 2
- Spell and Magic Item Compendium
- Eberron Campaign Setting (and expansion books on case-by-case basis)
- The 'environment' books (Cityscape, Dungeonscape, Sandstorm etc.)
- The equipment from this site http://www.traykon.com/Equipment/index.php
- Most other material will be accepted on a case-by-case basis, but no Tome of Battle and no homebrew (except the above)


Make sure to read this?

http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=394.msg8065#msg8065

That is an awesome resource! :smallbiggrin:


The best tools to hook you up as a dedicated Diviner come at levels 5-7.

At Wizard 5, take the Spontaneous Divination ACF from Complete Champion instead of the level 5 bonus feat. Now you can fill your wizard slots with combat or utility magic and spontaneously cast any divination spell you know.

With a bit of planning (knowledge religion and a skill focus in it), you can pick up Divine Oracle PrC at level 6, which comes with the Oracle Domain. This gives you +2 caster level to divinations and spells like Augury and Divination added to your spells knowable. Combined with Spontaneous Divination, this is really juicy.

A. Noted

B. I plan on taking that.

C. Master of Knowledge could easily be replaced by a skill focus. I will look into that PrC.

[Flickerdart]

Now you can fill your wizard slots with combat or utility magic and spontaneously cast any divination spell you know.
Spontaneous Divination is the best argument against being a Diviner, or ever learning a single Divination spell.

[Lateral]

Spontaneous Divination is the best argument against being a Diviner, or ever learning a single Divination spell.

Not at second level, it ain't.

[gbprime]

Spontaneous Divination is the best argument against being a Diviner, or ever learning a single Divination spell.

Most reasonable DM's will not let you skate out on spells known by taking an ACF, no matter how it is worded. Safest to assume you have to know the spell and that it has to be on your class spell list before you can spontaneously cast it.

[Psyren]

Not at second level, it ain't.

Do you need to Identify that often though, that you need a whole slot dedicated to it?

[Lateral]

Do you need to Identify that often though, that you need a whole slot dedicated to it?

I guess it's true that you aren't getting too many divinations useful on a daily basis until after Spontaneous Divination anyway. Still, it's inaccurate to say that it completely obviates Divination specialization, especially since I have yet to meet the DM who would accept that gross ignoring of obvious intent. (Plus, as long as you were planning on readying at least one divination per day anyway, Divination is the best specialization since you get the same amount of bonus spells with only a single banned school. Barring such ACFs as Abrupt Jaunt or Rapid Summoning, of course; with those, obviously specializing in your actual discipline is often better. Still, as a chassis, Divination is almost always better.)

[Psyren]

(Plus, as long as you were planning on readying at least one divination per day anyway, Divination is the best specialization since you get the same amount of bonus spells with only a single banned school.)

For this to be worthwhile, not only do you have to be playing outside of core and even the SRD, but you need specific sources to make the limitation less onerous. Because sources allowed are the province of the DM, it's easier to warn prospective players away from Diviner.

And when the two schools left to choose from are Evocation and Enchantment, getting to keep one more of them isn't much more of an advantage anyway.

[Flickerdart]

Most reasonable DM's will not let you skate out on spells known by taking an ACF, no matter how it is worded. Safest to assume you have to know the spell and that it has to be on your class spell list before you can spontaneously cast it.
That's a reasonable houserule, but as written, the ACF lets you cast any Divination, period.

[Lateral]

That's a reasonable houserule, but as written, the ACF lets you cast any Divination, period.

This is not the RAW Q&A thread. Being RAW isn't relevant when no sane DM with any experience would allow this out of a high-power, strict RAW game. The OP, in particular, certainly isn't playing one of those.

[Darrin]

That's a reasonable houserule, but as written, the ACF lets you cast any Divination, period.

Check the errata.

[Flickerdart]

Check the errata.

Well I'll be damned, WotC making a good call? Somebody pinch me.

[Psyren]

Well I'll be damned, WotC making a good call? Somebody pinch me.

They do good work sometimes. (Factotum, Binder, most of ToB/MoI...)

[theos911]

That's a reasonable houserule, but as written, the ACF lets you cast any Divination, period.

I would go ahead and give them access to any divination spell on their class list, so long as that is the theme of their character and they have spent most of their class known slots on divination spells.