If you are looking to seriously increase the scope of diviners in your campaign, this is the book for you. After all, a
fireball throwing wizard is all well and good, but the magical masters of fantasy fiction would be nothing without their seemingly god-like divination abilities. A wizard just knows.
As with all books in the Encyclopaedia Arcane series, Divination kicks off with an Overview of the school. Detailed information is given on how Divination magic relates to other schools and how it forms a vital part of any fantasy world. The constant battle between arcane and divine is also looked at, with a specific eye towards Divination spells and the advantages of each.
Knowing the Unknowable looks at Divination practitioners themselves and gives some useful adventuring tips for those looking to survive in the depths of a dungeon while still being as useful (if not more!) as a magic missile thrower. Those seeking to specialise in Divination magic will find the prestige classes in this chapter useful. The Arcanopath blends Divination magic with telepathy, while the Mindshifter uses the art to interfere with the thoughts of others. The Savant predicts the actions of his enemies (and is no pushover in combat!), the Seer will be, for many, the epitome of Divination magic and finally, the Witness enhances his spellcasting with supernatural senses.
A massive 39 new Divination spells can be found in the new chapter, and these run through the entire vista of the diviner's abilities. Analyse creature finally gives players an in-game reason to have a copy of the Monster Manual lying around, while foretelling, portents and omens, timesight, and pure sight will bring the power of prophecy well and truly into any campaign.
A brief selection of feats geared towards Divination specialists follows, allowing practitioners to use crystals to boost their powers, or transferring magical ability to their own senses, permitting supernatural feats of awareness. New magical items will also be craved by Divination specialists, whether they are crafting objects themselves or relying on the local guild. My Gnome Wizard, Loki, wants a mnemonic ring, and he isn't even a dedicated diviner!
The Art of Gemsight allows scrying wizards to use a variety of materials in their crystal balls, permitting a wide range of effects if the wizard can both craft such devices and afford their construction - if you fancy gaining the divine true seeing ability of being able to detect alignments, grab yourself a Celestite crystal ball! Such items can be the basis of entire quests, if your players are seeking to defeat some great evil (hmm, gives me an idea for our present office campaign. . .).
The book winds up with Help for Games Masters, the chapter that appears in every Encyclopaedia Arcane, designed to integrate new rules quickly and easily into an existing campaign, without disrupting it. This chapter also covers some basic tools to help Games Masters avoid having entire scenarios spoiled by a diviner who manages to spot the secret assassin through clever spellcasting. |
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