Augury
- Level: 2
- School: Divination
- Class: Cleric, Druid, Wizard
- Casting Time: 1 minute or Ritual
- Range: Self
- Components: V, S, M (specially marked sticks, bones, cards, or other divinatory tokens worth 25+ GP)
- Duration: Instantaneous
You receive an omen from an otherworldly entity about the results of a course of action that you plan to take within the next 30 minutes. The GM chooses the omen from the Omens table.
#
| Omen | For Results That Will Be ... |
|---|---|
| Weal | Good |
| Woe | Bad |
| Weal and woe | Good and bad |
| Indifference | Neither good nor bad |
The spell doesn't account for circumstances, such as other spells, that might change the results.
If you cast the spell more than once before finishing a Long Rest, there is a cumulative 25 percent chance for each casting after the first that you get no answer.
Tactical Usage
When to Choose Augury:
- Essential for evaluating dangerous courses of action
- Excellent for decision-making at critical story moments
- Strong choice for avoiding catastrophic mistakes
- Valuable for gaining insight into unclear situations
Timing Considerations:
- 30-minute window requires immediate action planning
- 1-minute casting time allows battlefield consultation
- Ritual casting saves spell slots for extended planning
- Multiple castings risk losing divine connection
Question Formulation:
- Focus on specific, immediate actions
- Frame questions about direct consequences
- Avoid overly complex or multi-part scenarios
- Consider how changing circumstances might affect results
Spell Combinations
Information Gathering:
- Detect Magic: Combine with magical situation assessment
- Comprehend Languages: Understand omens in foreign contexts
- Identify: Learn about magical items before using
- Locate Object: Find items suggested by favorable omens
Decision Support:
- Guidance: Minor boost for actions augury suggests
- Bless: Improve odds for actions with mixed omens
- Protection from Evil: Ward against bad omens' sources
- Sanctuary: Protect during dangerous actions augury warns against
Material Component Details
Divinatory Tokens (25+ GP):
- Variety: Sticks, bones, cards, runes, or cultural equivalents
- Personalization: More effective when attuned to caster's tradition
- Quality: Higher value components provide clearer omens
- Maintenance: Require regular consecration and care
Traditional Options:
- Clerical: Holy symbols, blessed bones, sacred texts
- Druidic: Animal bones, marked stones, plant materials
- Wizardly: Inscribed cards, mathematical symbols, star charts
Roleplay Opportunities:
- Describe the specific divination method and interpretation
- Reference cultural or religious significance of tokens
- Use component preparation as meditation or prayer time
- Develop personal rituals around omen reading
Creator Notes
Adjudication Guidance:
- Omens reflect likely outcomes based on current information
- "Good" and "bad" relate to character goals, not universal morality
- Multiple castings create diminishing reliability
- Changing circumstances can invalidate previous omens
Narrative Integration:
- Provides structured way to give players story hints
- Creates tension between divine knowledge and free will
- Allows foreshadowing of upcoming challenges or opportunities
- Enables dramatic irony through ominous warnings
Balancing Notes:
- 2nd-level slot cost prevents overuse
- 30-minute limitation keeps guidance relevant
- Failure chance limits multiple attempts
- Vague answers maintain player agency
Environmental Interactions
Divine Communication:
- Different deities may provide different styles of omens
- Cultural context influences omen interpretation
- Location may affect clarity or accuracy of divine connection
- Time of day or celestial events might influence results
Ritual Considerations:
- Sacred spaces may enhance omen clarity
- Disturbing the ritual can invalidate results
- Environmental threats may interfere with divine connection
- Witnesses may interpret omens differently
Information Limitations:
- Cannot predict actions of other thinking beings
- Does not account for random chance or chaos
- Limited to immediate timeframe (30 minutes)
- Influenced by caster's own understanding and perspective
Common Rulings & Clarifications
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Can I ask about someone else's planned actions? A: Only if you're directly involved or affected by those actions.
Q: What constitutes "good" or "bad" results? A: Generally relates to the caster's stated goals and welfare.
Q: Can I re-cast if I get "Indifference"? A: Yes, but each additional casting increases failure chance.
Q: Do omens change if circumstances change? A: Yes, the spell reflects current trajectory, not absolute fate.
Alternative Applications
Non-Combat Uses:
- Business Decisions: Evaluate trade routes or investment opportunities
- Social Navigation: Assess potential outcomes of diplomatic choices
- Exploration: Determine safety of unknown paths or locations
- Research: Evaluate which approaches might yield desired information
Creative Problem-Solving:
- Test multiple approaches to find most favorable option
- Confirm suspicions about dangerous NPCs or situations
- Evaluate timing for important revelations or confrontations
- Guide resource allocation for maximum effectiveness
Related Spells
Divination Magic:
- Detect Evil and Good: Identify supernatural creature types
- Locate Creature: Find specific individuals
- Scrying: Observe distant locations or creatures
- Commune: Direct questions to divine entities
Future Knowledge:
- Portent: Influence future dice rolls
- Foresight: Enhanced awareness and protection
- Legend Lore: Learn about significant people, places, or objects
- Contact Other Plane: Consult extraplanar entities
2nd-Level Alternatives:
- Enhance Ability: Improve specific capabilities
- Find Traps: Detect mechanical and magical hazards
- Zone of Truth: Compel honest answers
- Suggestion: Influence creature behavior
Scaling Analysis
Level Progression:
- Early Game (Levels 3-6): Crucial decision-making tool
- Mid Game (Levels 7-12): Useful for major plot decisions
- Late Game (Levels 13+): Situational but valuable for critical choices
Information Value:
- Low Levels: Often prevents catastrophic early mistakes
- Higher Levels: Helps navigate complex political or strategic situations
- Epic Levels: Provides guidance for world-changing decisions
Long-Term Viability:
- Simple guidance remains valuable at all character levels
- Higher-level divination spells provide more detailed information
- Ritual casting makes this always available as utility
- Cultural and religious significance maintains narrative importance
Narrative Flavor
Extended Description: You arrange your divination tokens with practiced precision, each marked symbol or carved bone representing pathways through the uncertain future. As you speak the ritual words, reality seems to thin around you, and for a brief moment, you feel the attention of something vast and otherworldly focusing upon your question. The tokens shift subtly—or perhaps your perception shifts—and suddenly their arrangement speaks to you with the weight of divine knowledge, revealing the cosmic currents that flow around your intended actions.
Sensory Details:
- Spiritual: Sense of otherworldly presence and attention
- Visual: Tokens seeming to rearrange themselves or glow with meaning
- Auditory: Whispers of divine guidance or ominous warnings
- Temporal: Brief glimpse of possible futures unfolding
Cultural Context: Augury represents humanity's eternal desire to pierce the veil of uncertainty that shrouds the future. Different cultures and religions approach divination in varied ways, but all share the fundamental hope that wisdom from beyond mortal understanding can guide important decisions. The spell embodies the delicate balance between seeking guidance and accepting responsibility for one's choices.