Wizard Divination Help

[Frostthehero]

I am struggling with the concept of how a wizard can tell what he or she is going to fight the next day. Can anyone explain how? Contact other plane seems like the best way, but you only get one word answers as per the spell description, and there is a chance of failure.

Is there any way to perfectly predict the future, so that spells can be prepared for the encounters that are to come?

[gooddragon1]

I am struggling with the concept of how a wizard can tell what he or she is going to fight the next day. Can anyone explain how? Contact other plane seems like the best way, but you only get one word answers as per the spell description, and there is a chance of failure.

Is there any way to perfectly predict the future, so that spells can be prepared for the encounters that are to come?

Not perfectly, but wizards have every knowledge skill available. This allows you to investigate clues to have an idea of what you might be fighting. Such as dungeoneering allowing you to know that the nature of the wounds on a corpse indicates that it fought an ooze recently. Thus you prepare a spell to resist acid. Or perhaps, much later, you contact other plane (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/contactOtherPlane.htm) and ask about the nature of a monster you are hunting. Legend lore (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/legendLore.htm) is also another high level option. The key is to use multiple piece of evidence to understand what you're up against. Only by doing this can you become batman (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?104002-3-5e-The-Logic-Ninja-s-Guide-to-Wizards-Being-Batman) a good wizard.

Though I don't really play wizards so a wizard player like tippy might give you a better idea of what to do and what spells are available.

Of course, there's always the polymorph (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/polymorph.htm) spell. That and a good knowledge of monsters for the right situations can prepare you for a great deal of situations.

[Story]

I think it's hard to constantly be prepared in a practical game, so the key is keep a selection of spells that are useful in a wide variety of situations. At low levels, this is stuff like Web and Glitterdust. Those work almost everywhere. Polymorph as mentioned above is the king of this. You can pretty much get by with only Polymorph if you really try.

Also, sometimes you will get advance info due to the nature of the encounter. For example, farmer says that her basement has been overrun with Kobolds and hires you to make them go away, it's a pretty good guess what you'll be facing. Though it's rarely a good idea to overspecialize your slots. You always want some wildcards prepared just in case.

Another tip is to leave some empty slots so you can prepare other spells with 15 minutes notice. It's a little noticed feature and there are sometimes I got burned by preparing all my slots stupidly. If you don't expect to need a spell in a situation where it can't wait 15 minutes (i.e. most out of combat utility), there's little reason to prepare it at all.

Oh and Uncanny Forethought is always good if you can spare the feats.

[Andezzar]

Another tip is to leave some empty slots so you can prepare other spells with 15 minutes notice. It's a little noticed feature and there are sometimes I got burned by preparing all my slots stupidly. If you don't expect to need a spell in a situation where it can't wait 15 minutes (i.e. most out of combat utility), there's little reason to prepare it at all.At the cost of a bonus feat you can make that tactic even better. The Spontaneous Divination ACF let's you cast any divination spell you know spontaneously by sacrificing a previously prepared spell. So use all the spells you haven't cast at the end of the day for divinations.