Spellcasters are an integral feature of Dungeons & Dragons and are characters able to help their party through the use of magic. When playing a spellcaster, players can gain a wide range of spells of their choice that can offer a wide range of incredible abilities that can be used in and out of combat. While it's often easy to get tunnel vision about choosing spells that allow a character to deal as much damage as possible to their foes, various forms of utility magic can offer incredible benefits outside of combat that can be used to solve problems that sheer damage can't.
By and large, some of the most useful types of spells in D&D that are often overlooked by new players are divination spells. So we're going to explore the School of Divination magic and explain how to get the most out of some of its best spells.
What Is Divination Magic?
The School of Divination is made up of effects that can provide a player with various forms of information. Low-level examples of Divination magic include Detect Magic, Comprehend Languages, and Identify; each of which are great means of obtaining information in a given scenario. However, several incredibly useful Divination Rituals are often overlooked by players that can be used to obtain more broad information that can help players decide their next course of action. These spells include Augury, Divination, Commune, and Contact Other Plane. While these spells are each only available to specific classes, with Commune being notably exclusive to the Cleric class, as they are each rituals, meaning a character may theoretically be able to obtain them through the Ritual Caster feat or if a character is a Warlock, the Book of Ancient Secrets Eldritch Invocation.
Before we begin to discuss specific spells, we should note that outside of Contact Other Plane, the spells we're examining each come with a unique clause. If these spells are cast more than once per long rest, they have a 25% chance of failing or providing incorrect information for each time the spell had been cast prior. This means that when using these spells, one must try to gain the most paramount information first, especially if a matter is time-sensitive, as these spells are potentially unreliable after their first cast per day. Additionally, it's important to remember that as these spells may be cast as rituals and don't require a spell slot to cast, there's no downside to making use of these spells at least once per long rest as long as it's safe to do so.
Augury
The lowest-level spell we'll be examining, Augury is a second-level Divination spell available to Clerics, Druids, and Wizards. In a ritual spell, upon being cast, Augury produces an omen regarding the outcome of a proposed course of action that would be taken within the next thirty minutes. When cast, Augury produces one of the following four results:
- Weal, for good results
- Woe, for bad results
- Weal and woe, for both good and bad results
- Nothing, for results that aren’t especially good or bad
When not in a time-sensitive situation, Augury is a stellar means of averting potential risks. Worried that a door may be booby-trapped? Angry can be used to determine if the door is safe to open. Unsure which direction to turn at a fork within the halls of a dungeon? Augury can help ensure you're heading the right way. Suspicious of a new NPC who you think may betray you? Augury can even be used to provide an omen of if a character will try stabbing you in the back. While it may not cause damage like a popular choice like Fireball, Augury is a low-level way of taking an extra safety measure.
Divination
A fourth level Divination ritual available to Clerics, Druids, and Wizards, Divination is essentially the step up from Augury. While Augury can provide specific omens regarding an action that will be taken within thirty minutes, Divination allows a character to ask a question regarding "a specific goal, event, or activity to occur within seven days." The caster then received a truthful answer, though it may take the form of a short response, an omen, or a cryptic rhyme. Incredibly flexible in the types of questions it can be used to answer, Divination essentially provides a stumped party with an in-character means of asking their DM for hints of what to do next. For example, while Augury can only provide omens, the caster of Divination could hypothetically use the spell to ask which direction the party should head to find anything from the campaign's villain to fresh water or shelter.
Commune
Commune is a Stellar fifth-level ritual normally exclusive to the Cleric class. Simple and to the point, Commune allows the caster to ask their god (or a "divine proxy") three yes or no question, receiving an answer for each as long as it is something the asked god knows. While Commune doesn't allow as flexible questions to be asked as Divination, it can provide several immediate answers to pressing questions the party may have. Is a proposed meeting a trap? Was a key NPC telling the truth? Does the campaign's villain have an exploitable weakness? Based on how questions are worded, Commune can potentially offer the same value as Divination or Augury, whilst allowing three questions to be asked for a single casting of the spell.
Contact Other Plane
Easily the most flexible Divination spell of this nature, while Contact Other Plane doesn't have the same re-cast clause as the previously mentioned options, it comes with an alternate risk. A fifth-level ritual available to Warlocks and Wizards, as this spell is cast, its caster must succeed in a DC 15 intelligence saving throw or sustain psychic damage and suffer the terrible drawback of not being able to take actions, not being able to understand what other creatures say, not being able to read, and only being capable of speaking in gibberish. If a creature fails this save, this horrible effect can be removed through the Greater Restoration spell or until that character finishes a long rest. Despite this, when used by a Wizard with a high Intelligence save, this is often worth the risk. This is because Contact Other Plane allows its caster to ask five questions to an otherworldly entity, receiving truthful one-word answers to each question. This can provide answers to nearly any question a player may have that other spells on this list couldn't answer, such as the culprit of a crime, the identity of a villain, or the location of a powerful artifact.
When trying to formulate a course of action, Contact Other Plane can be used to ensure that the party is several steps ahead and has all of the information they could need regarding the matter at hand. As the spell can be cast as a ritual and doesn't provide a spell slot to cast, it is often worth it to try to make the most out of Contact Other Plane and cast it whenever a party needs more helpful information. While the Intelligence saves do add a level of risk, it can be somewhat negated when cast near the party's Paladin to make use of their Saving Throw-increasing aura.