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Message: <blockquote data-quote="WizarDru" data-source="post: 2842229" data-attributes="member: 151">In addition, understand that obscurity is a very good defense mechanism.  Remember the first rule of high-level spellcasters and organizations that like to stay alive:If No One Knows Who You Are or Where You Are, They Can't Get You.In other words, big bad guys tend to wage battles from three levels back.  They weave defense upon defense to defend themselves.  Divination spells are only as useful as the questions the players have the wherewithall to ask.  This isn't to say you make it valueless...just that the players MUST use the spells to get the info, as opposed to using the spells to jump past the part you want.Another thing to do is review the high-level spells, and look at the specifics.  For example, someone above mentioned a password to get to a location.  That's fine, except that Find the Path will TELL you the password.  BUT, Find the Path only works with locations, not items or people.  WHen my players, at 18th level, went to stop the Lich Queen of the Githyanki...they needed to find her phylactery and another item....they used Find the Path to go to the Queen's Library, where it was supposed to be.  BUT IT WASN'T.  The spell worked, but a simple misdirection given earlier made the question that was asked incorrect.  And here's the thing: it was a honest mistake of an NPC who didn't know he was wrong.  It wasn't a lie, it was just bad info.  Another spell COULD have solved that mistake.  And that's fine, too.  Find the Path also takes the easiest route...but that isn't always a safe route.  You still need to go past the ancient red dragon if there's only one way to go.  Knowing he's there doesn't make him easier to bypass.Lots of the high-level divination and movement spells have achilles heels that you can use to preserve a sense of challenge without stealing away the players abilities.  Further, as it's been said...make the players USE those powers.  Travel powers getting you down?  Make it so the players need to hop all over the place as part of an adventure.  Put them in a time restraint.  Have them make choices with consequences.  Teleporting to Place A means you aren't at place B.  And remember that the villains have access to some of that power, too.  As a DM, you can cheat a little and basically assume that evil clerics and wizards have been using THEIR off-time to do divinations and preparations of their own.The most important part is to make sure the players get to use their powers, and that you don't make it seem like you're opposing them.  They should be able to use their powers to succeed...and that success feels more meaningful when the villains seem prepared.</blockquote>

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