Re: Trying to do Divination Better
Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2023 6:30 pm
Merxa,
You're on to something. Since there are no metaphysics to D&D magic, there's literally nothing that can't be a spell. The best way to solve any problem is to research a spell that solves that problem. It could be 'summon macguffin' or even 'create macguffin'. Why does it matter where it is now when it could be where you are when you want it to be?
I definitely see how recommending an optimal course of action is limited by the imaginations of the players and the information that the GM shares is bound to be a failure. BUT, the real question is not whether Kaelik succeeds 100% in making the best possible divination rules but whether he addresses the problems he identified in the existing 3.x ruleset and therefore whether these spells work better replacing the existing divination spells. In most cases, the answer is 'yes'. 3.x did so poorly where it literally did require you to know all of everything everywhere for all time that providing more limited but directly useful information if helpful (even if it isn't limited to 'this plane of existence').
There are surely more elegant ways to address the failings in 3.x (including rewriting the whole system to address all of the problems), but as a simple kludge to make divinations easier to use for both the player and the DM, this isn't terrible. Probably not needed at most tables, but for a 'table rules variant' it probably works.
You're on to something. Since there are no metaphysics to D&D magic, there's literally nothing that can't be a spell. The best way to solve any problem is to research a spell that solves that problem. It could be 'summon macguffin' or even 'create macguffin'. Why does it matter where it is now when it could be where you are when you want it to be?
I definitely see how recommending an optimal course of action is limited by the imaginations of the players and the information that the GM shares is bound to be a failure. BUT, the real question is not whether Kaelik succeeds 100% in making the best possible divination rules but whether he addresses the problems he identified in the existing 3.x ruleset and therefore whether these spells work better replacing the existing divination spells. In most cases, the answer is 'yes'. 3.x did so poorly where it literally did require you to know all of everything everywhere for all time that providing more limited but directly useful information if helpful (even if it isn't limited to 'this plane of existence').
There are surely more elegant ways to address the failings in 3.x (including rewriting the whole system to address all of the problems), but as a simple kludge to make divinations easier to use for both the player and the DM, this isn't terrible. Probably not needed at most tables, but for a 'table rules variant' it probably works.