Scry all the things!!!

[rmnimoc]

I recently had a conversation with one of my players that reminded me of WotC view on divination. She said that as far as magic schools go, divination is the worst. Her reasoning was that unlike every other school of magic, you can't make a competent character using nothing divination. I managed to convince her that at least it beats evocation, but there is just one problem. I honestly can't think of a build where you can use nothing but divination and not be worse off than any other wizard with only one school. So here I am yet again, to ask if anyone here can make a build to reaffirm my belief that divination is the penultimate school of magic*?

**Universal is the best, because it has both Wish and Prestidigitation.

[Rhynn]

That's a ridiculous argument, honestly.

Divination doesn't need to do everything itself, the point is that using divination you know exactly what spells to prepare and how to use them. It gives you an overwhelming tactical advantage when used correctly.

A pure diviner would just direct the rest of the party, acting as a force multiplier, but that's a waste of spell slots: they could be getting into the fray and using SOD/SOS spells, buffs, and control spells.

[Deophaun]

A pure diviner isn't an adventurer, plain and simple. They are simultaneously under qualified for the job and better suited for taking over the world.

[TuggyNE]

The question of which school is best in isolation is largely academic, since there is never any good reason for a wizard to limit themselves to just one school. Rather, the question should be which school is best to specialize or focus in, or perhaps which school contributes most to a balanced build.

In such cases, Divination is usually reasonably high in the rankings, but it's best used to direct other actions; it's a force multiplier, but has little direct effect otherwise.

[Schizek]

Knowledge is power.


You can be perfectly fine using only Divination. It will completely different play style but still very effective. Anyway to succeed in this, you need high knowledge skills and a a lot patience.

Dragonfire Adept 1/Wizard 5/Geometer 3/Olin Gisir X/

Feats:
Improved Familiar: Imp( 1/Week Commune)
Invisible Spell
Extend Spell

Invococation:
Draconic Knowledge(+6 Knowledge)

Items:
Scrolls of Uncertain Provenance (MIC 183) give a +5 to all knowledge

Cleric Spell added by Extra Spell (if DM allow that)
Lore of the Gods,

Your average knowledge skill on 10 lvl would be:
1/2 Max rank(6)+6 Draconic Knowledge+ 5 Item + 10 Lore of the Gods+ 2 Aid from Imp + 7 Int + D20 Roll(10)= 46 possibly more if needed with Legend Lore.

Tactic:
You never fight face to face. Ideal situation:
1. When you want to target someone just start collecting information.
2. Use Polymorph on Imp and use him us scout
2a Possibly have some Planar Binding with more capable scout.
3. Find natural enemy of your enemy. Or manipulate someone to be enemy.
4. Help one side of conflict or another.
4a Observe situation, If result is bad, then try to help in more active way.

This is not suited for classical team dnd. It is better suited for some NPC fighting from a shadows.

[nedz]

Rogue / Focussed Diviner / Unseen Seer is a viable build because of all the divination spells which help rogues stab things better — and that's only the low level divination spells. The medium level ones help you find the things you are looking for and see ways in which you can get them without getting dead first.

Playing a diviner well is hard though, but basically you should always be one step ahead of the opposition.

[eggynack]

The question that your friend is asking is not the relevant question when it comes to schools of magic. The important question is, how many unique effects does this school of magic provide? For divination, the answer is a lot. For most of the things in the school there is nothing from any other school that can accomplish those things, and for that reason banning it would almost certainly be the wrong thing to do if you had the choice.

In fact, on a focused specialist incantatrix, chances are the correct schools to ban would be the same as they are now, which is evocation, enchantment, illusion, and necromancy. I don't think any of those schools offer as many unique abilities as divination does. By contrast, something like enchantment offers only a small swath of effect types, mostly limited to SoL's of various flavors, as well as minionmancy. Little in the way of unique abilities, in other words. I don't know how you could possibly consider universal the best school, by the by. There really isn't that much in between prestidigitation and wish. It's just those, limited wish, and permanency. I don't know if there's some non-core universal spell that's good, but this isn't enough to justify a best school, if you can even call it a school.

Edit: Actually, there are really two questions. First, what schools are best to ban. For that, you need to determine the unique effects thing. The other question is which schools are best to specialize in. For that, you need to determine whether there is a spell of each level in that school that you'd want to prepare each day. That's not that hard to do for most schools, so what you specialize in doesn't matter to an incredible degree. Focused specialization requires three spells of each spell level, which is more limiting.

[Rubik]

The question that your friend is asking is not the relevant question when it comes to schools of magic. The important question is, how many unique effects does this school of magic provide? For divination, the answer is a lot.Alas, like everything else, Conjuration and, to a point, Transmutation and Illusion, can provide Divination effects. Summoning and calling can pull in creatures to do your divination for you, shadow Illusion spells can create creatures to do the same, and with some finagling (mainly through Assume Supernatural Ability), Polymorph can turn you into something with (Su) Divination abilities.

[Spore]

I was under the assumption that Divination is weak because it does nothing in the fights. That was about 10 years ago. Gradually I have built up the confidence to say: A diviner together with a summoning specialist and battlefield controller is one of three reasons to play a wizard.

Divination reveals the location of baddies. You don't have to walk through 10 random encounter only to end up exhausted and without spells in front of the BBEG. Divination protects you from cursed items and tells you what that items is you're holding. Never sell an "simple magical sword" again without knowing it's +3 Win-the-next-encounter Sword. See invisible creatures. It may not be worthy a slot until you really meet invisibles. And tbh, if you KNOW your enemy is an arcane spellcaster, you prepare it. Let your party face speak all the languages. Want to diplomance the kobolds to tell them the way to their master's loot hoard? Why not? Detects Scrying and hampers nasty ambushes. And I shouldn't have to tell you how nice True Seeing is.

That being said, the CRB holds way not enough Divination spells to really validate a specialised Diviner. That being said you could keep your diviner slot empty on some levels or exchange it for a ACF that exchanges spell slots. Diviners are meh, Divination is great.