Augury: No Weals, Only Woes

Usable By: Cleric

Spell Level: 2

School: Divination

Casting Time: 1 minute (ritual)

Range: Self

Duration: Instantaneous

Components: V, S, M (specially marked sticks, bones, or similar tokens worth at least 25 gp)

By casting gem-inlaid sticks, rolling dragon bones, laying out ornate cards, or employing some other divining tool, you receive an omen from an otherworldly entity about the results of a specific course of action that you plan to take within the next 30 minutes. The GM chooses from the following possible omens:

Weal, for good results
Woe, for bad results
Weal and woe, for both
Nothing, for actions that don’t have especially good or bad results

The spell doesn’t take into account any possible circumstances that might change the outcome, such as the casting of additional spells or the loss or gain of a companion.

If you cast the spell two or more times before completing your next long rest, there is a cumulative 25 percent chance for each casting after the first that you get a random reading. The GM makes this roll in secret.

Review by Sam West, Twitter:@CrierKobold

“I beseech you, spirits of the swamp; come, grant me your wisdom, tell me now, before its too late: Is it really stupid to try to just run at the big angry green dragon? Like, will charging at it head first across the mire of muck and mud, guns blazing, be effective at taking its head off?”

Augury is the tool a party uses to in game ask their DM if an idea they have is particularly stupid. Normally, the answer is yes, this plan is stupid, but might work with some wild luck and crazy improv. That result specifically is weal and woe, and one of my biggest pain points with Augury. I personally find it very difficult to provide answers outside of weal and woe, as to me, most outcomes will have both good and bad results. That’s a personal DM problem though; your mileage may vary depending on how your DM runs things.

Ritual spells tend to be at their best when you recast them over and over to engage the world on a new axis. Augury kind of does this, with a gate being the 25% failure chance that guarantees bad results after four rolls. Before that, though, there is a fun little minigame, push your luck style, to try to squeeze as much out of your DM as possible about a plan you think is going to go horribly wrong.

This minigame isn’t fun for everyone. I personally don’t want to see Augury cast more than a handful of times per game, and mainly at big, pivotal moments with variables the players are aware that they don't know with certainty. Repetitive casting on every adventure gets old quick, and can drag a plan to a halt and create decision paralysis. Augury is at its best when used sparingly, and when it's most crucial. Once in a while, going for broke and trying it out five times can be fine, but I’d try to use it sparingly beyond that.

I think Augury is the best way D&D can handle this kind of mechanic. It's simple, clear, and usable, while not divulging information the DM may not know yet. As far as divining information goes, if it needs to be in the game, I want it to look like Augury.

5e Spells

Augury: No Weals, Only Woes