Divination Enhancements

Divine [element], [creature], or [virtue]

Divinations allow the magic-user to discover information, detect objects, view distant locations, to see things normally unseen, and to let her spells reach extreme distances. When you successfully divine something, a vision of the location appears in the mind of the target or targets of the spell (usually just you). You might see the image appear in a pool of water or a crystal ball, but only those affected by this spell can see the image. If you fail the MAG check, you see nothing.

Normally, since you receive the visions directly, you do not need to buy range or area of effect enhancements for divinations. If you do, however, any creature in the area of effect sees the same vision that you would. If you are not in the area of effect of your own spell, you yourself do not see anything from the divination. Duration functions normally.

You can attach a “rider” spell to a scrying attempt, effectively sending a spell at long distance. The rider spell costs double the amount it normally would.

To make an area rather than a specific creature or object the target of your scrying, you need to use the secret of space.

A divination cantrip can read tea leaves, throw bones, do a tarot reading, or other divination implements, to answer a single yes/no question, but this can only be done once per day. Alternatively, it can be used to detect the presence of (but not the exact location or details of) a creature, element, or virtue within 5’.

Clairvoyance

Clairvoyance. Cost 5 MP. The most common use of a divination is to spy on a distant creature, object, or location. To spy on a creature, you make a Magic check, opposed by the target’s Mental Defense. You must have seen the target before. If your MAG check is successful, you can see the immediate surroundings of your target, about a 20' radius (so gigantic creatures may take up all of your view). Your target gets an INT check (opposed by your casting check) to notice that he is being scried upon.

To be able to hear or use other senses through the divination, or to expand the field of view, requires extra enhancements. To spy on an area or object, make a Challenging [13] MAG check. If you have special vision (darksight, truesight, omnisight), these work normally. This can be combined with Clairaudience. You can also move your viewpoint with telekinesis; the “sensor” counts as a tiny object (1 MP, Speed 5) and requires the movement skill.

Clairaudience. Cost 2 MP. As Clairvoyance, but you hear sounds instead of seeing the target. Sounds from beyond the 20' radius are muffled and unclear. This can be combined with Clairvoyance.

Discreet View. Cost 2 MP per die. You can make your scrying harder to notice. You gain +1d6 per 2 MP to the second roll when remote viewing.

Expanded View. Cost 1 MP per 10' radius. Increase the radius of a Clairvoyance field of view by 10'. You can choose this enhancement multiple times.

Comprehenion

Comprehension. Cost 1 MP. Choose one language. Affected creatures understand and can read that language. This can also enable semi-sentient creatures to understand a language in order to convey simple commands. For an additional 1 MP, affected creatures can write in the chosen languages.

Comprehension, Full. Cost 3 MP. Affected creatures understand and can read any language. For an additional 1 MP, affected creatures can write in any language.

Decode. Cost 5 MP. Affected creatures can decipher encrypted text or speech in code.

Vision

Darksight. Cost 1 MP. You or the target gains darksight to the spell’s range for the duration of the spell.

Truesight. Cost 2 MP. You or the target gains truesight to the spell’s range for the duration of the spell, enabling the creature to see invisible creatures, through illusions, and through disguises.

X-ray Sight. Cost 5 MP. Affected creatures can see through solid objects within the selected range. Darkness still provides concealment, but objects, fog, etc. do not. The creature can choose which objects it wants to see through, such as if it wants to be able to shield itself from a medusa hiding behind a rock.

Detection

Dowsing. Cost 1 MP. Dowsing is basic detection and location: you determine the direction to the nearest significant quantity of the selected secret. If there are several different things of the chosen type within the area of effect, you are aware of roughly how many there are, and can concentrate on each one by one to determine its location.

Dowsing, Specific. Cost 3 MP. As Dowsing, except you choose a specific object or creature you would be able to identify if you saw it, and you sense the direction to it.

Information

History Reading. Cost 5 MP. If you have a creature or object available, you can use this ability to see an overview of the history of the subject. When you make this divination, choose a span of time in history you want to read through. The shorter the span of time, the more specific the details are, and the longer the span, the more general. If you do a reading for a sword’s history in the past week, you will see what battles it has been used in, and who it has killed, but if you try to read the past hundred years on it, you will likely just learn the vague identities of its owners. Using the secret of magic, this enhancement can be used to identify a magical item: name, effects, and methods of activation.

Oracle. Cost 2 MP. Questions are asked of an entity, whether local or extraplanar. You can ask a nearby tree or a bird, or you can try to contact distant planar entities. You cannot ask the same question through a divination in the same 24 hour period. You receive a short answer to your question. If the question is direct, you will likely receive a simple “yes,” “no,” or “neither” answer. If the question is complex, the answer will be cryptic. The question must relate to the present (within a minute); to ask questions about the past or the future, an additional 2 MP must be spent, and to ask questions about the distant past or future, an additional 5 MP must be spent.