Dungeons & Devlers: Divination Magic
At some point in the Age of Worms campaign, Melissa wanted to be able to see in the dark. Pretty sure it was during Encounter at Blackwall Keep, where she kept getting spotted while attempting to sneak around a lizardman lair with a torch.
I told her that she could pick a darkvision talent, flavored as a magic effect since she had Mana anyway from being an elf. This would require her to multiclass into wizard, however.
I didn't have her pick up a baseline "school" talent (like Evoker or Necromancer), because she really just wanted the one thing and I didn't think it was "overpowered", or "game-breaking", or anything like that.
She's since gone on to pick up telepathy so she can communicate with her allies while they're talking to someone else, or when they need to be absolutely quiet. I figured this would key off of divination, so made sense: she just, again, had to pick up another wizard level for the wizard-specific talent.
But with Red Book coming up we're going to expand on existing wizard trees (they need a bunch of talents for a full 20-level spread), and want to include as many schools as possible. This means I need to actually design the divination tree properly.
Here's what we got so far:
DIVINER
Prerequisite: Divination
Sustain 2
You can use your Intelligence instead of Wisdom when making Insight and Perception checks, and you gain a +1 on Search checks
Magic Missile: When you hit a creature with your magic missile, the next attack made against them gains a +1 bonus to the attack roll.
Since this is the prerequisite for all other divination talents, I'm listing it first. Here's another iteration I'm considering:
DIVINER (Take 2)
Prerequisite: Divination
Sustain 2
You can use your Intelligence instead of Wisdom when making Insight and Perception checks, and the range of your Detect Magic talent is increased to 60 feet.
Magic Missile: When you hit a creature with your magic missile, the next attack made against them gains a +1 bonus to the attack roll.
Mostly the same, it just mods Detect Magic instead of a Search bonus.
ARCANE EYE
Prerequisite: Divination
Concentration
Drain: 1d4
You conjure an immobile eye within 30 feet of you, which lasts for up to 1 minute per wizard level. It must be created in a location you are familiar with, or an obvious one (such as right behind a door). You can see whatever the eye can: it normally sees whatever a typical human can, but if you cast talents that enhance your vision (such as darkvision or see invisibility), those function through the eye. The eye can be attacked: it has an AC of 10 + your Intelligence, and is destroyed if it suffers any damage.
+2 Drain: The eye is invisible.
+2 Drain: The eye can move up to 100 feet away from you per wizard level. It has a fly (hover) Speed of 30 feet.
+2 Drain: The eye transmits auditory information.
COMPREHEND LANGUAGES
Prerequisite: Divination
Sustain: 2
You can understand any spoken language, and read any text.
1d4 Drain: A creature you touch gains the benefits of this talent for 10 minutes per wizard level.
DARKVISION
Prerequisite: Divination
Sustain 2
You can see in the dark, out to a distance of 30 feet.
Sustain (4): You can instead see up to 60 feet.
Sustain (6): You can instead see up to 120 feet.
Drain (1d6): A creature touched can see in the dark up to a distance of 60 feet. This effect lasts for 1 hour per wizard level.
DETECT THOUGHTS
Prerequisite: Divination
Concentration
Drain: 1d6
For 1 minute per wizard level, you can sense the number and general direction of intelligence creatures within 30 feet of you.
As a Standard Action, you can focus on the thoughts of a single creature to learn what it is currently thinking: these are only simple, surface thoughts, but when interacting with the creature you can use your Intelligence on any ability or skill checks.
IDENTIFY
Prerequisite: Divination
Ritual 1d6 x 10 minutes
You learn all of the properties and abilities of a single magic item, how to activate any of those functions, and how many times it can be used.
Drain (1d4): Using this talent only takes 1d4 minutes.
NONDETECTION
Prerequisite: Divination
You cannot be affected or detected by divination magic, unless the creature is your level or higher. If the effect permits a saving throw, you roll twice and take the highest. If it does not normally allow a saving throw, you can attempt one anyway to resist or negate the effect.
PORTENT
Prerequisite: Divination
Ritual 10 minutes
Drain 1d6
Using this talent as a ritual requires some sort of divination implement: a deck of cards, dice, rune stones, staring at the stars, gazing into a bowl of leaves, cutting open an animal and examining the entails, etc.
Roll a d20 and record the result: when a d20 roll would be made by you or a creature you can see (friend or foe) you can instead replace it with that result. You can only store a single roll at a time: if you use this talent while you have a roll stored, it is lost. It is also lost if not used within 10 minutes per wizard level.
SEE INVISIBILITY
Prerequisite: Divination
Sustain 2
You can see invisible creatures within 10 feet of you.
Sustain (4): You can instead see invisible creatures within 30 feet of you.
Sustain (6): You can instead see invisible creatures within 60 feet of you.
TELEPATHIC BOND
Prerequisite: Divination
Concentration
Sustain 4
You can touch a single creature to establish a telepathic link. Once established, it has a maximum range of 100 feet per wizard level.
Sustain +2: You can establish a bond with an additional creature. The number of creatures you can establish this bond with cannot exceed your level.
1d4 Drain: You can establish a link with a creature up to 30 feet away from you. Doing this requires no movement or sound of any kind. You can attempt to establish a link with a creature that you can sense via the detect thoughts talent.
What do you think? I want to include something like ddtect evil/good, detect poison, detect traps, and so on, but I don't want to make it like three other talents. Instead, something like "enhanced sensories" or detect [something]: you just pick something and then can sense that for a set duration. Any suggestions on what it could be called?
Our latest Dungeon World class, The Apothecary, is now available.
Dwarven Vault is our sixth 10+ Treasures volume. If you're interested in thirty dwarven magic items (including an eye that lets you shoot lasers) and nearly a dozen new bits of dungeon gear, check it out!
Just released our second adventure for A Sundered World, The Golden Spiral. If a snail-themed dungeon crawl is your oddly-specific thing, check it out!
By fan demand, we've mashed all of our 10+ Treasure volumes into one big magic item book, making it cheaper and more convenient to buy in print (which you can now do).
I told her that she could pick a darkvision talent, flavored as a magic effect since she had Mana anyway from being an elf. This would require her to multiclass into wizard, however.
I didn't have her pick up a baseline "school" talent (like Evoker or Necromancer), because she really just wanted the one thing and I didn't think it was "overpowered", or "game-breaking", or anything like that.
She's since gone on to pick up telepathy so she can communicate with her allies while they're talking to someone else, or when they need to be absolutely quiet. I figured this would key off of divination, so made sense: she just, again, had to pick up another wizard level for the wizard-specific talent.
But with Red Book coming up we're going to expand on existing wizard trees (they need a bunch of talents for a full 20-level spread), and want to include as many schools as possible. This means I need to actually design the divination tree properly.
Here's what we got so far:
DIVINER
Prerequisite: Divination
Sustain 2
You can use your Intelligence instead of Wisdom when making Insight and Perception checks, and you gain a +1 on Search checks
Magic Missile: When you hit a creature with your magic missile, the next attack made against them gains a +1 bonus to the attack roll.
Since this is the prerequisite for all other divination talents, I'm listing it first. Here's another iteration I'm considering:
DIVINER (Take 2)
Prerequisite: Divination
Sustain 2
You can use your Intelligence instead of Wisdom when making Insight and Perception checks, and the range of your Detect Magic talent is increased to 60 feet.
Magic Missile: When you hit a creature with your magic missile, the next attack made against them gains a +1 bonus to the attack roll.
Mostly the same, it just mods Detect Magic instead of a Search bonus.
ARCANE EYE
Prerequisite: Divination
Concentration
Drain: 1d4
You conjure an immobile eye within 30 feet of you, which lasts for up to 1 minute per wizard level. It must be created in a location you are familiar with, or an obvious one (such as right behind a door). You can see whatever the eye can: it normally sees whatever a typical human can, but if you cast talents that enhance your vision (such as darkvision or see invisibility), those function through the eye. The eye can be attacked: it has an AC of 10 + your Intelligence, and is destroyed if it suffers any damage.
+2 Drain: The eye is invisible.
+2 Drain: The eye can move up to 100 feet away from you per wizard level. It has a fly (hover) Speed of 30 feet.
+2 Drain: The eye transmits auditory information.
COMPREHEND LANGUAGES
Prerequisite: Divination
Sustain: 2
You can understand any spoken language, and read any text.
1d4 Drain: A creature you touch gains the benefits of this talent for 10 minutes per wizard level.
DARKVISION
Prerequisite: Divination
Sustain 2
You can see in the dark, out to a distance of 30 feet.
Sustain (4): You can instead see up to 60 feet.
Sustain (6): You can instead see up to 120 feet.
Drain (1d6): A creature touched can see in the dark up to a distance of 60 feet. This effect lasts for 1 hour per wizard level.
DETECT THOUGHTS
Prerequisite: Divination
Concentration
Drain: 1d6
For 1 minute per wizard level, you can sense the number and general direction of intelligence creatures within 30 feet of you.
As a Standard Action, you can focus on the thoughts of a single creature to learn what it is currently thinking: these are only simple, surface thoughts, but when interacting with the creature you can use your Intelligence on any ability or skill checks.
IDENTIFY
Prerequisite: Divination
Ritual 1d6 x 10 minutes
You learn all of the properties and abilities of a single magic item, how to activate any of those functions, and how many times it can be used.
Drain (1d4): Using this talent only takes 1d4 minutes.
NONDETECTION
Prerequisite: Divination
You cannot be affected or detected by divination magic, unless the creature is your level or higher. If the effect permits a saving throw, you roll twice and take the highest. If it does not normally allow a saving throw, you can attempt one anyway to resist or negate the effect.
PORTENT
Prerequisite: Divination
Ritual 10 minutes
Drain 1d6
Using this talent as a ritual requires some sort of divination implement: a deck of cards, dice, rune stones, staring at the stars, gazing into a bowl of leaves, cutting open an animal and examining the entails, etc.
Roll a d20 and record the result: when a d20 roll would be made by you or a creature you can see (friend or foe) you can instead replace it with that result. You can only store a single roll at a time: if you use this talent while you have a roll stored, it is lost. It is also lost if not used within 10 minutes per wizard level.
SEE INVISIBILITY
Prerequisite: Divination
Sustain 2
You can see invisible creatures within 10 feet of you.
Sustain (4): You can instead see invisible creatures within 30 feet of you.
Sustain (6): You can instead see invisible creatures within 60 feet of you.
TELEPATHIC BOND
Prerequisite: Divination
Concentration
Sustain 4
You can touch a single creature to establish a telepathic link. Once established, it has a maximum range of 100 feet per wizard level.
Sustain +2: You can establish a bond with an additional creature. The number of creatures you can establish this bond with cannot exceed your level.
1d4 Drain: You can establish a link with a creature up to 30 feet away from you. Doing this requires no movement or sound of any kind. You can attempt to establish a link with a creature that you can sense via the detect thoughts talent.
What do you think? I want to include something like ddtect evil/good, detect poison, detect traps, and so on, but I don't want to make it like three other talents. Instead, something like "enhanced sensories" or detect [something]: you just pick something and then can sense that for a set duration. Any suggestions on what it could be called?
Announcements
You can now get a physical copy of Dungeons & Delvers: Black Book in whatever format you want! We've also released the first big supplement for it, Appendix D, so pick that up if you want more of everything.Our latest Dungeon World class, The Apothecary, is now available.
Dwarven Vault is our sixth 10+ Treasures volume. If you're interested in thirty dwarven magic items (including an eye that lets you shoot lasers) and nearly a dozen new bits of dungeon gear, check it out!
Just released our second adventure for A Sundered World, The Golden Spiral. If a snail-themed dungeon crawl is your oddly-specific thing, check it out!
By fan demand, we've mashed all of our 10+ Treasure volumes into one big magic item book, making it cheaper and more convenient to buy in print (which you can now do).
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