Omens From Beyond

August 26th, 2011

Pavlos A. Devant

From the Workshop Archive 

            Greetings kind traveler, and welcome to this week’s From the Workshop. If the little picture in the top of the article is quite unfamiliar, it’s because the Necromancers graced me with a chance for a guest article. I look forward to clenching this opportunity to offer you some insight in less common topics of interest, starting with today’s talk, about the Omens from Beyond. Omens are the most ancient form of communication from the divine world to the mortal one. Indeed, witnessing an omen does not require any supernatural skills, and deducing the meaning is a matter of wisdom and devotion rather than magical capacity.

            In essence, an omen is a physical phenomenon caused by a divine entity with the express purpose of conveying a message to the mortal world. Such is the nature of omens that they can occur even in places where magic would not function, such as inside an anti-magic field. Four characteristics define omens: nature, target, subtlety and clarity.

Nature: As far as the nature of omens goes, there are two distinct cases, natural and supernatural omens. Technically, all omens are supernatural, but this characteristic describes the perceived effect. For example, a crow flying low above the head of a character is a natural omen, while a candle fire momentarily doubling in size is a supernatural omen.

Target: The target of an omen can be either personal or public. A personal omen is perceivable only by a single individual or by a specific group. On the other hand, a public omen is perceivable by anyone that could naturally observe the phenomenon. Any omen can be either personal or public, depending on the particular divine entity’s intentions.

Subtlety: Some omens are easily perceivable as such, while others are much subtler. The subtlety characteristic defines how easily the perceived phenomenon is identified as an omen. From easiest to hardest, the possible values of this characteristic are five: evident, obvious, expectable, subtle and indiscernible. A few examples:

• Evident: A deity’s symbol is carved on a tree trunk in front of a character’s eyes.
• Obvious: A deity’s favored animal appears in front of the characters and behaves strangely.
• Expectable: A cloud takes a very discernible shape.
• Subtle: The wind seems to be blowing towards a specific direction at all times.
• Indiscernible: Oak leaves in a pine forest form a path.

 

Clarity: While the purpose of all omens is to convey a message, the content of that message is not always telltale. Religious symbols, history and practices might be involved in the understanding of the omen and an oblivious individual, although possibly capable to observe the event, holds little chance to actually understand it. There are five possible values for the clarity characteristic: telltale, mystical, puzzling, obscure and unreferenced. Their description follows:

• Telltale: Almost anyone can understand the meaning of the omen.
• Mystical: Some knowledge of the relative religion is required to interpret the omen.
• Puzzling: Although it seems quite evident, the message is eluding.
• Obscure: A very deep knowledge of religion is required to interpret the message.
• Unreferenced: There is nothing in the given deity’s holy scriptures to assist in interpretation.

 

            In order for a character to identify a phenomenon as a genuine omen, a Knowledge (religion) check, modified by Wisdom instead of Intelligence, is required. Alternatively, a Perception check, or a Knowledge (nature) check, again modified by Wisdom, can be performed. Once identified, a number of Knowledge (religion) checks, modified by Intelligence as normal, can be used to provide assistance on the interpretation of the omen. If the source of the omen is the personification of nature or other similar concept, Knowledge (nature) is used instead. Typically no roll is required to witness an omen, since the main purpose of omens in an adventure is to guide the players. If the need arises for a PC or an NPC to perform a Perception check to perceive an omen, the DC is equal to the Knowledge (religion) DC to identify it as such.

            The following table summarizes the DC modifiers to identify an omen and to properly interpret it:

 

            The following feat and spell could be inserted in any adventure where omens play a significant role:

Omen Seer
You are frequently called to interpret omens, and as such, you have become acquainted with the patterns often perceived in them.
Prerequisites: Wis 13
Benefit: You receive a +4 bonus to all rolls related to identifying and interpreting omens.

 

Request Omen
School conjuration; Level cleric 3, druid 3
Casting Time 10 minutes
Components V, S, M, DF (a stick of sandalwood incense)
Range personal
Target you
Duration Instant
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

            The caster engages in ritualistic prayer requesting an omen from her patron. The spell does not guarantee that an omen will occur; it simply communicates the request to the divine entity. There is a 5% chance per caster level that an omen will occur within the day, with a maximum of a 75% chance at level 15. In essence, the omen may occur hours after the spell was cast, if at all. Note that the DC to identify the omen is reduced by 2 since the caster is a divine spellcaster associated with the omen’s source. Additionally, the DC is further reduced by 4, since the caster is actively expecting an omen. The omen can be of any type and is always related to the most immediate problem the caster is facing, even if she is unaware of it.

            The following table provides ten example omens along with their type and interpretation (characteristics of the omens are abbreviated to the first three letters):

 

 

            Omens represent an optimal monty hauling tool and a fine plot device. Best of all, omens work fine in low magic settings and they are easily adaptable to almost any setting. Use omens to initiate side quests, bring the players back to the main course, give hints when the players get stuck and set the prologue for later events. Omens should never be predictable, even when expected. Avoid overusing omens to the point that players expect them to progress. Also, avoid follow-ups. An omen should be complete in itself without later omens complementing the first one on the same subject. On the other hand, using patterns enhances the flavor of omens; for example, if a given deity is known to favor the crow as a symbol, then it is probably a frequent sight when an omen from that deity occurs. Finally, remember to always blur the line between natural events and natural omens. After the players fail to give proper attention to a natural omen, they will be more careful in the future.

            As my first article for the Necromancers is close to its end, I am contemplating on what was achieved through it. Personally, I believe that roleplaying games in general are going through an era of trials. More and more influenced by digital games, slowly moving away from the storytelling traditions, the line between roleplaying games and board games is fading. I strongly believe in the educative and entertaining capacity of roleplaying games and I encourage everyone who bothers to heed me to always pay attention to the little details. Granted, a handful of dice representing a dragon’s breath weapon can be interesting, but nothing beats a vivid description that carves fond memories on the mind. The Omens from Beyond add that touch of flavor that, although it might have little direct mechanical impact, can certainly function as both a powerful mastering tool and an interesting contemplative element for the players. That is all for today, traveler; farewell on your journey and do not forget to come back for more.