Commune

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• Level: 5
• School: Divination
• Class: Cleric
• Casting Time: 1 minute or Ritual
• Range: Self
• Components: V, S, M (incense)
• Duration: 1 minute

You contact a deity or a divine proxy and ask up to three questions that can be answered with yes or no. You must ask your questions before the spell ends. You receive a correct answer for each question.

Divine beings aren't necessarily omniscient, so you might receive "unclear" as an answer if a question pertains to information that lies beyond the deity's knowledge. In a case where a one-word answer could be misleading or contrary to the deity's interests, the GM might offer a short phrase as an answer instead.

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

Divine Guidance: Commune provides direct access to divine knowledge through yes/no questions that can resolve critical campaign mysteries. This 5th-level divination spell excels at obtaining crucial information when other sources fail.

Optimal Timing: Most effective during investigation phases or when facing major campaign decisions. The ritual casting option allows use during safe downtime periods.

Resource Management: Uses a 5th-level spell slot - available from character level 9+. Risk of failure on repeated use encourages careful question planning.

Target Selection: Focus questions on critical information that can be answered definitively with yes/no responses.

Spell Combinations

Synergistic Spells:

• Zone of Truth: Combine divine answers with mortal verification
• Detect Magic/Evil: Follow up divine guidance with detailed magical investigation
• Divination: Use both divine and arcane information gathering methods

Class Feature Interactions:

• Divine Domain: Different cleric domains might receive answers influenced by their deity's portfolio
• Channel Divinity: Enhance connection to divine powers for more reliable answers
• Ritual Casting: Available as ritual to preserve spell slots for other purposes

Multi-Caster Coordination: Multiple clerics can ask different question sets to gather comprehensive divine insight.

Material Component Details

Component Acquisition: Incense - readily available from temples, religious suppliers, or general goods stores.

Component Handling: Minimal cost and weight. Consider maintaining quality incense for important communications with your deity.

Roleplay Opportunities: Different incense types might reflect various religious traditions or appeal to specific deities.

Economic Considerations: Low cost makes regular use economically viable, though repeated casting risks failure.

Creator Notes

Encounter Balancing: Provides definitive answers to yes/no questions, which can bypass puzzle elements or reveal crucial plot information.

NPC Usage: Enemy clerics might use this to track party activities or divine their plans through careful questioning.

Environmental Considerations: Requires divine connection - areas of divine silence or planar effects might interfere with deity contact.

Campaign Integration: Central to investigation adventures and divine mystery plots. Can provide crucial revelations at dramatic moments.

Environmental Interactions

Terrain Effects: Functions anywhere with divine connection. Unhallowed or desecrated areas might complicate deity communication.

Weather Influence: No direct impact, though severe conditions might affect the ritual casting concentration.

Structural Interactions: No line of sight requirements - divine knowledge transcends physical barriers.

Elemental Interactions: Planar effects or areas of strong antimagic might interfere with divine communication channels.

Common Rulings & Clarifications

Timing Questions: Questions must be asked during the 1-minute duration. Divine beings answer based on their current knowledge.

Target Limitations: Limited to yes/no questions or very brief phrases. Divine beings aren't omniscient and may answer "unclear."

Duration Interactions: Information is accurate at the time of casting but may change afterward. Divine perspective may differ from mortal understanding.

Mechanical Interactions: Cumulative failure chance encourages careful use. Deities may refuse misleading answers in favor of brief clarifications.

Alternative Applications

Non-Combat Uses: Investigate mysteries, verify suspicions, confirm divine will regarding major decisions or moral questions.

Social Encounters: Verify truthfulness of claims, confirm divine approval for diplomatic actions, or seek guidance on complex ethical situations.

Exploration Applications: Locate missing persons through yes/no questions, confirm safety of unknown areas, or verify historical claims.

Utility Functions: Divine guidance for character decisions, confirmation of religious doctrine, or verification of prophecy interpretations.

Related Spells

Same School: Other divination spells like divination (4th level arcane version), contact other plane (5th level planar contact), legend lore (5th level historical knowledge).

Similar Effects: augury (2nd level simple divination), divination (4th level cleric divination), contact other plane (5th level extraplanar knowledge).

Progression Options: augury (2nd level simple guidance), divination (4th level detailed divination), true seeing (6th level ultimate sight).

Complementary Magic: zone of truth (verify mortal honesty), detect thoughts (understand motivations), speak with dead (question deceased).

Scaling Analysis

Level Progression: Remains valuable throughout campaigns as divine guidance becomes more crucial for high-stakes decisions.

Upcast Benefits: No improvement from higher spell slots, but multiple castings provide additional question opportunities despite risk.

Campaign Phases: Peak usefulness in mid-to-high level play when campaign mysteries require divine insight for resolution.

Comparative Value: Excellent information gathering that competes with other 5th-level options but provides unique divine perspective.

Narrative Flavor

Casting Description: Sacred incense smoke rises as divine presence fills the area, creating a bridge between mortal and divine consciousness.

Effect Manifestation: Divine knowledge flows directly into your mind with certainty that transcends normal understanding, carrying the weight of absolute truth.

Personal Style: Different deities might communicate through visions, voices, emotional impressions, or direct knowledge transfer based on their nature.

World Integration: Represents advanced divine magic requiring significant faith and connection, often reserved for crucial moments in divine servants' missions.

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