Chapter 1 - Non-weapon Proficiencies
Prophecy Non-weapon Proficiency
(for Seer only)
This proficiency allows a seer to convey the information he receives through divination magic in a fairly understandable way. Most information gleaned through divinatory methods comes to the seer in quick, almost explosive visions, or nearly incomprehensible words. The seer can use this prophecy to "translate" those visions and words into a format more easily understood by normal men and women.
This is not to say that such messages become crystal clear. In fact, these prophecies are still couched in enigmatic and cryptic language. However, without this proficiency, a seer's warnings would be totally incomprehensible.
Once a seer receives a prophetic vision through the use of his magic, he must make a Prophecy proficiency check. Failure means that he was unable to convey the message of his vision in a way that anyone else can understand.
The seer can also use this proficiency to decipher prophecies made by others. In order to do this, the seer must have the complete prophecy - either written down or memorized - on hand. He then makes a proficiency check with a -2 penalty. If he succeeds, he is able to get a general sense of the prophecy. Failure, however, indicates that the seer could not decipher the prophecy.
If the seer fails to interpret a prophecy, he cannot take another shot at it until he has had a full night's sleep. Once he wakes up with a refreshed mind, the seer can attempt to interpret the prophecy again.
If the prophecy is a particularly long or complicated one, the DM can require several successful checks on the seer's part. Each time a check is passed, the DM should give the seer a short clue as to the meaning of a particular passage from the prophecy. It's still up to the seer to piece the whole thing together.
If a seer critically fails (rolls at 20) his proficiency check when deciphering a prophecy, he comes up with an interpretation that is totally incorrect. However, he is unaware of his error.
The misinterpretation should be something stated by the DM so that the seer (and any who believe his interpretation) will actually work to make the prophecy come true if they are trying to prevent it. For example, if the prophecy states that the party should destroy Oghar's gem, the seer misconstrues the warning and tells the party that they must protect the item. Conversely, if the are struggling to bring the prophecy to fruition, this interpretation will actually set them at cross-purposes to their true desires.
If the seer entirely misinterpreted a prophecy, he cannot attempt to reinterpret it until he is conclusively shown his error. In addition, he requires a full night's rest before attempting to interpret the prophecy again. No equipment is required to make use of this nonweapon proficiency. All the seer needs is either the message from a spell to turn into a prophecy or a prophecy which someone else has made.
