Commune: The Unclear Option
Usable By: Cleric
Spell Level: 5
School: Divination (ritual)
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: Self
Duration: 1 minute
Components: V, S, M (incense and a vial of holy or unholy water)
You contact your deity or a divine proxy and ask up to three questions that can be answered with a yes or no. You must ask your questions before the spell ends. You receive a correct answer for each question.
Divine beings aren’t necessarily omniscient, so you might receive “unclear” as an answer if a question pertains to information that lies beyond the deity’s knowledge. In a case where a one-word answer could be misleading or contrary to the deity’s interests, the GM might offer a short phrase as an answer instead.
If you cast the spell two or more times before finishing your next long rest, there is a cumulative 25 percent chance for each casting after the first that you get no answer. The GM makes this roll in secret.
Review by Samuel West, Twitter: @CrierKobold
"Dear god, I need your sage wisdom. These questions are of the utmost importance, and I can't express enough how thankful I am for your word. But first, Larg, our barbarian, needs to know, in a fist fight, would Chuck Norris beat the Rock?"
Oh, Commune, what a wild tool that asks the DM so many questions before the players even get a chance to ask one. This is the kind of spell that gets the whole group riled up over arguments like "would a god of the forge know EVERYTHING that goes on in ALL forges ALL the time?"
Most tables have no problem with it, using it as a means of getting extra information as needed from the GM, but there will always be a few fights over expectations with it. If you're a player looking to take commune to learn more generally, keep in mind you might be literally creating an NPC the DM creates all the rules for, potentially on the spot.
Be prepared to hear a lot of "uncertains" if you're asking about things unrelated to their realm. How you phrase each question is critical to the spells function; "if we walk this way, will we get home?" might result in a yes, but could require you circling the world a few thousand times to actually get to where you want to go.
Relative terms can turn a useful question worthless; "quickly" relative to a human is different from what a deity considers "quickly". To get the most out of the spell your best bet is asking questions with only binary answers; questions of fact regardless of perception. "Is the crypt close" may result in a yes, where a deity considers close to be on the same plane of existence, whereas "Is the crypt within our pace in an hour's time" asks the same question in more concrete terms. It could feel like less information (what if it's an hour and a minute away), but this kind of phrasing can prevent miscommunication between the two sides.
The ritual tag makes most spells a no brainer to prepare; not needing spell slots to use magical effects like this functionally gives you more features at a low cost.
Take it to learn about the world, or more honestly, take it to finally answer that age old question of “who would win in a fight” we all just have to know.
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