What exactly can divine senses tell a paladin?

[holywhippet]

I used my paladin's divine senses for the first time last game. I think it surprised my DM as he wasn't familiar with the power and I had to show him in the entry in the PHB as to what it does. We were in sewers so I suspected there might be undead around and sure enough I sensed several off to the left. Is that all divine senses can tell me though? Just number and location? The description says it won't tell me specifics like one of the undead being Count Strahd but what about knowing the type of undead eg. skeleton, wight etc?

[ShadowSandbag]

I think it can give an exact location, but its range is only 60 feet so its not going to tell you too much that you cant already see.

[Feuerphoenix]

Yeah it tells you exact location and number and whether it is a fiend/undead. But the senses make no "sense". Because the undead must't behind total cover so the paladin senses the undead when is actually seeing him already 😋

[holywhippet]

Ok. It would still get around concealment if not cover I suppose. Like if the undead were lying down under water (we are in a sewer) they might be concealed or hard to notice but not behind cover so my paladin's senses would notice them when they might be overlooked otherwise (until they attack).

[Arkhios]

Personally, I would let it sense the presence and even direction, if not numbers, through a more solid cover. It's still only up to 60 feet.

[Mr. E]

If I understand correctly, it's designed so you can sense disguised fiends and such like (succubi/incubi) rather than for undead or other things of that nature. But, if they are concealed, it will come in handy I suppose.

[Pex]

Sometimes in dungeons undead don't do anything until you enter the room even if you only open the door. If you see bodies and bones on the floor or propped against the wall Divine Sense would pick up if any are undead. Even intelligent undead like ghouls may want to, er, play dead. Divine Sense would also work if the room was just dark.

[BW022]

holywhippet,

"The presence of strong evil registers on your senses like a noxious odor, and powerful good rings like heavenly music in your ears. As an action, you can open your awareness to detect such forces. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any celestial, fiend, or Undead within 60 feet of you that is not behind total cover. You know the type (celestial, fiend, or undead) of any being whose presence you sense, but not its identity (the Vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich, for instance). Within the same radius, you also detect the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated, as with the Hallow spell.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier. When you finish a Long Rest, you regain all expended uses."

You know the location of any celestial, fiend, or undead within 60 feet, which is not behind total cover and its type (celestial, fiend, or undead).


Is that all divine senses can tell me though?

It doesn't say number. Since you know the location of any creature, I would say that number would be implied. DMs could be vague on this... especially if several were bunched together. I would rule that you could estimate numbers if the creatures were spread out ("There is one north 20', one south-east 30', and one south-west 40'.") but not if bunched closely together ("There are several sources close together at the bottom of that pit.") I might ask for a religion check for say several piled together.

As a DM, I might be generous and let you know if one was moving fairly quickly. "It is 30' north, but moving towards the north-east fairly quickly." and if generous might give some clues as to whether it was moving in and out of cover "It was 30' north but disappeared" (i.e. moved behind a door). If the player was cunning and asked, I might allow them to deduce (or make a religion) check to get some idea of something unusual -- for example, its location/movement means it is flying. In super rare cases I might allow a really strong lingering sense from a powerful undead, devil, etc. to give an aura -- say a vampire murders a bunch of town folk. "You get a sense that some undead aura was once here. It is extremely faint, but something powerful likely was in the area." However, all that is relying on the DM. By the book, you get their location and type (if not behind total cover).

[Spiritchaser]

Stealth, silence and mucking about where the sun can't shine is a big part of my current campaign (at least for now)

At least in that context it's useful

[Reaver25]

I've always been one to say that Divine Sense also tells the Paladin whether a creature is good or evil, going by the first sentence. It says that evil registers on the Paladin's sense like a noxious odor, and good registers like heavenly music on the ears, or whatever. This is enough for me to rule it as sensing a creature's Good/Evil Alignment.

[JobsforFun]

Quick question, I am playing a paladin currently and I had a question about the divine sense ability since I am a Treachery paladin and naturally evil would it still sense undead? I wish if you chose an evil oath for the paladin if would specif more. Like Divine Strike doing necrotic instead of radiant, makes more sense.

[JobsforFun]

I've always been one to say that Divine Sense also tells the Paladin whether a creature is good or evil, going by the first sentence. It says that evil registers on the Paladin's sense like a noxious odor, and good registers like heavenly music on the ears, or whatever. This is enough for me to rule it as sensing a creature's Good/Evil Alignment.

I'd agree with that, otherwise it wouldn't make much sense. It is like a ritual correct where it has to be active for a certain amount of time before it tells you the specifics?