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I'd like to start this out with a thought that I've always thought that divination spells either underpowered at low levels or plotbreaking at high levels.
The book stuff is in normal next, comments in italics, and some alternate suggestions are in bold. I'd really like to see other ideas or viewpoints on this, esp if I'm (at least possibly) wrong.
Specialist Bonus: You can always act in the surprise round, but
you are still considered flat-footed until you take an action.
Personal Area Divination (Su): You can automatically scry upon yourself and your belongings gaining awareness of the contents of all books, texts, and scrolls within 5 feet, +5 feet for each 5 levels. Furthermore you can Read them, allowing you to cast scrolls from your bag or spellbook, or even from a close enough enemy.
1st Diviner’s Fortune (Su): You can touch a creature as a standard action, giving it an enhancement bonus to a single attack roll, skill check, ability check, or saving throw equal to your caster level. This bonus lasts 3 rounds or until used. Once a creature has benefitted from diviner’s fortune, it can gain no further benefit from this ability for 1 day.
This is actually worse then the Guidance Orison, which I used as the basis for the following.
Diviner's Guidance (Su) This spell imbues the subject, which the Diviner can communicate with, with a touch of divined guidance. The creature gets a +1 competence bonus on a single attack roll, saving throw, or skill check. It must choose to use the bonus before making the roll to which it applies. As a diviner increases in level the bonus increases by +1 every three levels (to a maximum of +5 at level 15).
8th Scrying Adept (Su): You are always aware when you are being observed via magic, as if you had a permanent detect scrying. In addition, whenever you scry on a subject, treat the subject as one step more familiar to you. Very familiar subjects get a –10 penalty on
their save to avoid your scrying attempts.
I got nothing
20th Near Omniscience (Su): You are never surprised and cannot be caught flat-footed. You can cast scrying at will and subjects get a –10 penalty on their save, regardless of how familiar they are to you. You can even use this ability to scry on areas protected from
scrying, although the subjects get a +5 bonus on their save to resist.
Remember that 1st Diviner's Fortune is equal to the Caster Level, so at level 10 that's a +10 to a single attack/save/whatever. Not too shabby.
No kidding - the Destined Sorcerer in my group is quite envious (Touch of Destiny gives about the same bonus, but at half caster level, only getting +2 at level 4).
This is one of those things that kind of makes me nervous about "balance" though . . . diviners are suppose to be good at divination . . . learning secrets, seeing the future, etc.
The diviner is going to help the party figure out mysteries faster than the more combat oriented wizard, and he's going to let them do some planning up front for battles instead of having to wade in blind and overpower foes.
Making him too effective "on the fly" in combat, in the same way that, say, an evoker is, is kind of changing the flavor and the point of a diviner. At the same time, when the "story" parts of the campaign come around and the party wishes that the evoker was better at reading thoughts or scrying on their enemies, that's where the balance comes in.
I'm not saying that this sort of wizard is going to appeal to everyone, but I guess that's the point. If you want a blaster wizard, or even one that's able to use divinations, but isn't focused on them, you play an evoker or a generalist.
Just some thoughts. I'll be interested in seeing the prevailing opinions on this one.
Probably the best way to make a diviner more combat helpful is to add a few "buffing" spells. Perhaps a spell that grants an ally a reroll on the next failed d20 roll due to a flash of precognition.
This would allow some combat assistance, while still keeping the focus on gathering intelligence.
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Probably the best way to make a diviner more combat helpful is to add a few "buffing" spells. Perhaps a spell that grants an ally a reroll on the next failed d20 roll due to a flash of precognition.
This would allow some combat assistance, while still keeping the focus on gathering intelligence.
This strikes me a good idea