What am I missing regarding Divination?

[Lostcause78]

As the title suggests, I've seen many consider Divination to be the best specialized school to take.

I'm rather new to RP and have only ever played with 1 Divination wizard in the party up until now. However that was more than enough, a lot of the time he and the GM got into long arguments because they disagreed on what the wizard could and could not do with certain spells/abilities.

Apart from that he felt like a wizard would be performance wise. So did the player just play the wizard wrong or am I not getting something fundamental?

[Matthew Downie]

The bonuses to initiative and immunity to surprise are very valuable, increasingly so at high levels. It keeps you from dying before you get a chance to act, which can happen very easily to frail characters like wizards.

(The actual divination spells aren't that great for the most part.)

[Otherwhere]

Scry and Fry.

Improves initiative.

Prevents surprise.

All good!

[KenderKin]

These!

Forewarned (Su)

You can always act in the surprise round even if you fail to make a Perception roll to notice a foe, but you are still considered flat-footed until you take an action. In addition, you receive a bonus on initiative checks equal to 1/2 your wizard level (minimum +1). At 20th level, anytime you roll initiative, assume the roll resulted in a natural 20.

Diviner's Fortune (Sp)

When you activate this school power, you can touch any creature as a standard action to give it an insight bonus on all of its attack rolls, skill checks, ability checks, and saving throws equal to 1/2 your wizard level (minimum +1) for 1 round. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.

The Foresight sub-school is also worth looking at!

[Lostcause78]

Right, he must have been foresight sub-school because he used prescience a lot.

Thanks for the replies, I didn't know about the Forewarned and Initiative bits, that certainly seems very good.

[Eltacolibre]

A wizard who can act in a surprise round with a massive initiative bonus is a wizard who essentially never get caught by surprise. It can essentially change a situation from this assassin is about to kill me, to ...I cast a spell and totally reverse the situation or even get away if said opponent or opponents are too dangerous.

Divination/foresight wizards essentially take out a possible weakness, of catching a wizard unprepared for combat.

[Gisher]

[Fore]knowledge is power. ;)

[Ms. Pleiades]

Surprise Round!
I get to act. I roll the highest initiative. I receive one Standard or Move Action.

Time Stop. I am no longer unprepared for combat as I put on my litany of buff spells including blur, fly, mage armor, and shield.

At lower levels: Stinking cloud or Invisibility or any other number of spells which keel over enemies can work too.

[Claxon]

Yeah the reason divination is good is because of the school bonuses, not the spells.

Other posters have already described a myriad of reasons why this is the case.

[Ms. Pleiades]

Claxon wrote:

Yeah the reason divination is good is because of the school bonuses, not the spells.

Other posters have already described a myriad of reasons why this is the case.

Although Divination does have a few good utility spells, but those are typically what scrolls are for.

[Claxon]

Ms. Pleiades wrote:

Claxon wrote:

Yeah the reason divination is good is because of the school bonuses, not the spells.

Other posters have already described a myriad of reasons why this is the case.

Although Divination does have a few good utility spells, but those are typically what scrolls are for.

Indeed. For non-divination specialist most divination spells end up on scrolls and many wizards often choose divination as an opposed school, since generally speaking you don't need to a high DC to accomplish what you want with Divination spells. And if you do need one with the full DC the ability to cast it using two spells slot (out of combat) and the recharge and go back to adventuring the next is a pretty time honored tradition.

[Ms. Pleiades]

Claxon wrote:

Ms. Pleiades wrote:

Claxon wrote:

Yeah the reason divination is good is because of the school bonuses, not the spells.

Other posters have already described a myriad of reasons why this is the case.

Although Divination does have a few good utility spells, but those are typically what scrolls are for.

Indeed. For non-divination specialist most divination spells end up on scrolls and many wizards often choose divination as an opposed school, since generally speaking you don't need to a high DC to accomplish what you want with Divination spells. And if you do need one with the full DC the ability to cast it using two spells slot (out of combat) and the recharge and go back to adventuring the next is a pretty time honored tradition.

Yep. I'm thinking of making a Divination school Wayang, but taking Spell Focus (Conjuration) and related feats. Still need to decide on opposition schools. I'm thinking Illusion and either Evocation, Enchantment or Necromancy.