Help me out here. Do you have any suggestions on prestige class that focus on divination for an arcane spellcasters? Plus, any tips or thoughts on how best to play a divination focus wizard. Thanks.
Complete Mage has a couple you might be interested in. The obvious one is the Master Specialist, which gives you a few handy extra abilities over time, like allowing you divinations that require concentration to stay in effect for a few rounds after you stop concentrating, or giving you uncanny dodge when you cast a divination spell.
If you want to play a diviner, but not one that is a "standard" wizard type, the Unseen Seer class is a rogue/diviner PrC that give you a bonus to your divination caster level, silent spell, a special ability that functions like nondetection, and full spell progression and a progression of sneak attack damage.
Depending on how what PrC you are interested in, the Master Specialist diviner is a good one to know a lot of general magical spells (you only have to pick one opposition school) while still getting some good bonuses to learning about your foes and the areas. You could play a character that is an information gatherer/battlefield technician.
On the other hand, the Unseen Seerer is a great spy character. You can still learn a pretty full range of spells, but you can act a bit more like a rogue, carry more dangerous weapons, and in general play everything closer to the vest.
There is also the Divine Oracle from Complete Divine. If I recall correctly most of it's abilities are defensive in nature.
Don't forget that the Loremaster from the DMG makes a great divination specialist.
If you want to get more exotic, diviner is a good specialty for an illumian rogue/wizard/loredelver (Races of Destiny). For a dwarf or gnome, the Earth Dreamer prestige class (Races of Stone) is a good choice. Also, look over the Diviner Variants in the SRD.
I've been interested in playing a diviner for quite some time, but never gotten around to it. I'm interested in hearing about good ways to play such a character (and learning what a realistic level of preparation against the party is for villains who have access to such magic).
What are the "Do's and Don't's" of being a diviner? Just how effective is it (i.e., how much more do you typically really know than if you didn't bother with divinations at all)?
One of the real advantages to playing a diviner is that you get an extra spell slot and only have to give up one school. Divination magic is almost always very useful, but a lot of it is utility spells that you typically want to have... but don't always memorize because you also need a big, nasty spell to handle situations where you need to deal heavy damage. Divination sort of becomes like a domain spell.
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My textbook PC is a Divination Wizard with Evocation as the opposition school. If you're in the right gaming group -- heavy combat PCs -- you can really pull this off. The only weakness is so few skill points to spread among your Knowledge skills; ask your DM if you can bend some rules just to get more skill points for Knowledges. Trade your Familiar for 2 Knowledge skill points per level; have 1 or 2 Gestalt Expert Class levels since you can't even cast a magic missile, etc.
The Loremaster TRULY sucks.
-W. E. Ray
My textbook PC is a Divination Wizard with Evocation as the opposition school. If you're in the right gaming group -- heavy combat PCs -- you can really pull this off. The only weakness is so few skill points to spread among your Knowledge skills; ask your DM if you can bend some rules just to get more skill points for Knowledges. Trade your Familiar for 2 Knowledge skill points per level; have 1 or 2 Gestalt Expert Class levels since you can't even cast a magic missile, etc.
The Loremaster TRULY sucks.
Compared to a straight Wizard (Diviner)? Any Wizard can easily qualify for Loremaster after 7 levels: Assuming a 14+ Int, maximize Concentration, Knowledge (Arcana), one other Knowledge, and Spellcraft; Scribe Scroll is free at 1st, a wizard gains one bonus item creation or metamagic feat at 5th, just pick one other item creation or metamagic feat and Skill Focus (Knowledge (Arcana)), leaving one more feat (two for humans) for whatever you want. A Loremaster gains 4+Int mod skill points per level, Loremaster Secrets, Lore abilities, and bonus languages, with full spell progression and the same BAB and same HD as a Wizard. Excuse me, but you need to justify why this is worse than a straight Wizard (Diviner). Also, why give up Evocation? Give up Enchantment or Necromancy instead.
Heck, if you really want some extra skills, go with Elf, Gnome, Half-Elf, or Human Bard 1/Wizard (Diviner) 6/Loremaster and gain a slight bonus (as Bard and Loremaster levels stack for determining Bardic Knowledge/Lore checks), plus the ability to use wands of cure light wounds, for the cost of one Wizard spellcasting level. Use the Enhanced Awareness variant (from the SRD Diviner Variants) instead of having a familiar. Take Extra Music as one of your feats with this build.