The Divination school was short-changed in the games. Not surprising, considering that we actually know everything that's going to happen unless it's random and there is nothing to know. But perhaps we can turn the table for this school and make it give predictions that come true because it makes them true. Medieval saints who set out to convert heathens were in the habit of "predicting" calamities to stubborn kings who quickly fell ill and died and so on as foretold. Whether the saint in this case had seen an inevitable course of events or really supplicated God for this happen is an open question.
So imagine this for Augury, a 2nd level priest spell that divines the outcome of events: the party can ask about the most opportune moment to fight, how to avoid enemy magic or where to find treasure. It receives a message saying that the moment will come in so many rounds, and a timer begins to run. When it runs out, the party will receive a boost to attack, magic resistance or some monsters will appear and attack to be killed for loot. Since the players aren't going to stand around until then, they are going to have to think where to go on the map to best use this advantage.
Or take Commune or Contact Other Planes, spells that let casters ask questions. Suppose the question is when it will be most dangerous time to enter an area and the least dangerous time? The answer may be in 12 hours, in 1 day, in 2 days. When the time comes and if the party is there, this sets a global and either an area-wide Maze is applied to Everyone or extra monsters are spawned all over.
This would make information a tool in players' hands, and a degree of randomness would keep it from abuse.
Edited by temnix, 12 April 2017 - 03:49 PM.
