D&D: Five Divination Spells That Will See Your Way To Victory

Divination is an underrated school of magic. But these five divination spells prove that in D&D, like life, knowledge is power.

Divination is one of the least flashy schools of magic in D&D. But just because it doesn’t producce balls of fire or conjure up auras that cause your enemies to take anywhere from 2d8-7d8 extra damage per attack doesn’t mean that Divination isn’t full of potent spells. It all depends on how you use them.

Because with the right divination spells, you can be forewarned, forearmed, and most importantly, can avoid bad decisions before you make them. Which can keep your characters alive when they really ought not be.

With that in mind, here are five great divination spells in D&D.

True Strike

True Strike got a major glow up in the new edition. It’s gone from completely useless to being an absolutely indispensible tool in any caster’s arsenal, as long as they can get their hands on a decent weapon with which to use it.

This cantrip now has the potential to do as much or more damage than the other cantrips – and a big part of the secret is that when you cast the spell, it lets you make an attack with a weapon, but you get to use your spellcasting modifier for your attack and damage rolls. And at higher levels, in addition to dealing weapon damage, the spell stacks on extra radiant damage.

It works great with either melee or ranged weapons, and now enables many different playstyles. A worthy addition to any spellcaster’s repertoire.

Divination

Divination is one of the two most iconic divination spells. Which, considering that it’s named divination, it should be. But as far as the spells that let you ask the DM questions and they have to answer go, this is probably the best bang for your buck.

Sure, you have to spend 25 gp each time, but you get to ask a more open-ended question. This is a great way to learn about your enemies – because you can ask about a specific goal, event, or activity that will happen within the next 7 days, and you’ll get a truthful reply, which could be a short phrase or a cryptic rhyme.

So you’ll have knowledge of your enemies, even if you do have to interpret it for yourselves.

Scrying

This is the other big iconic divination spell in D&D. This is the old Wizard looking at you through a crystal ball type spell. It creates an intangible, invisible sensor either in the same location of someone you know well, or in a location you’ve seen.

While casting the spell, you can see and hear whatever your target is saying and see whatever they’re doing. And unless they happen to be able to see invisibility, there’s no way they’ll ever know they were targeted by the spell – because according to the rules, unless there’s a perceptible effect, people don’t know they’ve been targeted by a spell. Even if they make a saving throw.

Speak With Animals

If you’ve played Baldur’s Gate 3, you already know why this is on the list. It’s just too amazing not to grab.

Practically speaking, animals are a great source of information, because they see and hear all sorts of things. They may even know secrets or have quests. Like in BG3, there may even be whole side stories that unfold with the various animals of your D&D world.

And here’s the reason this spell will help you to victory. Because everyone loves playing a weird little guy. Even DMs. Especially DMs. And this divination spell is your way of saying, “please make this weird little guy talk now” whenever you cast it.

Sending

Finally, the one spell that has, no kidding, helped save whole realities. If you know, you know. Sending is one of D&D’s most useful spells, because it’s unfailing, almost instantaneous conversation that can happen across any distance, and even across realities. You can send a message to another plane.

That’s extraordinarily powerful and useful for any D&D party. You can warn an assassin’s target, inform someone important that you’ve just rescued the real High Priestess and the one in the temple is a doppelganger, or call for aid without having to light a bunch of beacons in the sky.

And now it comes with a block button in 5.5E. Because if someone Sends you a message, and you don’t want to hear from them again, a creature can block your ability to contact them with this spell for up to 8 hours.

These spells put the DIVINE in DIVINation spElls!

Bell of Lost Souls Staff Writer and DM, J.R. covers RPGs of all stripes and on occasion eats sandwiches. You can ask him about either at [email protected]

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