Divination without casting a spell.

[johnsemlak]

Thanks all, useful suggestions.

I'm a little suprised everyone's suggested drawing off existing knowledge skills. Does no one create a Knowledge: Astrology or similar skill (admittedly, it may be a little do focused, perhaps knowledge--fortunetelling in a broader sense?)

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

Check out Occult Lore. It has an Astrologer class that has neat bits that you could break out and use for a normal PC class - in my current game I'm playing a wizard with Knowledge (Astrology), and I'm able to do simple (Augury-style) divinations using that skill.

 

[johnsemlak]

Check out Occult Lore.

Sounds familiar, but can't place it. Is that a FFG title?

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

Sorry, should have been more specific - it's a hardback from Atlas Games' Penumbra line. Includes many variant spellcasting systems, from Astrologers to Herbalists to Alchemists to Dream Magic.

 

[johnsemlak]

Oh yess, now I remember, I'll definitely give that one some thought, though I'm probably not buying new books for my current campaign.

 

[Tarrasque Wrangler]

Back in the days of 3.0 and the scrying skill, I used to make gypsy-like fortune tellers who could use Scry to get an Augury effect. It took about ten minutes, and required enough props, incense and pseudo-mystical hoo-hah that you couldn't really use it in a dungeon without a lot of prep work. Without the Scry skill in 3.5, I guess you could use a wisdom check, or something like Profession (fortuneteller).

 

[ichabod]

I'm currently pplaying a wizard/diviner and trying to style my character as an uber diviner of sorts, grabbing all divination spells possible.

I got to wondering, wouldn't it be possible for a diviner to be able to do some things without casting a spell. For example, if my character is capable of divining by watching bird flight patterns, should he have to cast a spell to learn something, or can he just observe birds and receive some sort of omen.

Of course, one would assume that this would require a skill check or something, but still, can it be done without spellcasting? Any DMs allow this or have rules for it?

Well, I don't do the reading of omens, but I allow meditation for divination using the concentration skill. They have to make six successively harder checks to get an answer to one yes/no question, and they can only do it once a day. I suppose you could do a similar thing for reading omens. I'd do that with a single skill check, with DC based on how useful the answer will be.