Omen Reading (Mental 1, Wisdom/Understanding) — There are hundreds of myths and superstitions about the art of divination or predicting the future through the reading of signs or indications. A character with this skill is proficient in a single form of divination and knows the proper ceremonies and observances to use in order to obtain a valid reading. He is also familiar with the various messages or indications that characterize a form of divination. Omen readers use dozens of different methods for their auguries, including astrology, numerology, reading palms, examining animal entrails, casting bones, dice or runes and burning incense to observe the smoke, just to name a few. The exact nature of the character’s expertise is up to the player.

To use this skill, the omen reader phrases a general question about a course of action, such as, “Is this a good day to start our journey?” “Should we try to track the orcs to their lair, or wait for their next raid?” or “When will the dragon return?” The DM then makes a skill check in secret; if the character fails, the DM can tell him that the signs were inconclusive or make up a false answer for a spectacular failure (a roll of 96-00). If the omen reader succeeds, the DM can give the character a vague answer based on his assessment of the situation.

An omen is usually good, bad or inconclusive, although an answer of “a day or two,” or “proceed, but with caution,” is acceptable as well. Omens aren’t guaranteed; if a party ignores a bad omen, they might succeed in their task anyway. An omen is nothing more than the DM’s best guess about a course of action.

Performing the ceremony of reading an omen requires an hour or more. Special tools or supplies, such as runesticks, may be necessary depending on the character’s favored form of Omen Reading. Some superstitious or primitive cultures may place a great deal of weight on Omen Reading, and a skilled diviner may be held in high regard by these people.

Clearly this skill requires preparation and advance knowledge on the part of the DM. Because of this, it is permissible for the DM to avoid the question, although this shouldn’t be done all the time. Players who want to make their DM’s life easier (always a good idea) should consider using this skill at the end of a gaming session, giving the DM until the next session to come up with an answer. (In most cases use of this skill to predict the future requires much study on the part of the character and a result won’t be seen by him until the next gaming session.) The DM can use this skill as a catalyst and guide for his adventures — something that will prompt the player characters to go to certain places or to try new things.

Five of the more common forms of Omen Reading are listed below:

Astrology: This skill gives the character some understanding of the supposed influences of the stars. Knowing the birth date and time of any person, the astrologer can study the stars and celestial events and then prepare a forecast of the future for that person. The astrologer’s insight into the future is limited to the next 20 days, and his knowledge is vague at best. If a successful skill check is made, the astrologer can foresee some general event — a great battle, a friend lost, a new friendship made, etc.

Astrology is only available to characters who live on or near the surface of Fälgorna. Characters who originate in the Everdark and others who do not have easy access to the surface may not begin play with the Astrology skill. In order to use Astrology, you have to see the stars.

Characters with the Astrology skill gain a +5% bonus to all Navigation skill checks, provided the stars can be seen. A character with this skill defaults to Sage Knowledge: Astronomy at half his Astrology skill.

Dream Interpretation: A successful check in this skill allows a character to understand that a dream — either a personal dream or one which another character relates — is prophetic. The character can then attempt to interpret the dream by making a second skill check. The DM should only give hints to the meaning of the dream — revealing the important elements. The player must try to make sense of the details, much as a riddle that must be solved.

Most dreams are of no real significance, but on occasion a dream might hold important clues about the present or future, perhaps suggesting a way to deal with a present dilemma or warning of a future hardship.

For example, a royal advisor might come to Mariella seeking an interpretation of the following dream: A tame bear dances to the tune of a pallid foreigner’s pipes, while jugglers hurl documents into the air and tumblers spin somersaults. The crowd is blinded, with silver scarves across their eyes, and joyfully toss their money to the bear.

Mariella (making a successful skill check) determines that the important images are the dancing bear, the piper and the blinded crowd. She also understands (and is thus informed by the DM) that the bear symbolizes a member of the royal court obeying the commands of an outsider or foreigner and that the crowd represents the people, appreciating the courtier’s actions and therefore supporting him or her. The details of the dream may not immediately be clear, but in time the advisor or shaman may come to better understand them.

The Dream Interpretation skill is a vehicle through which DM’s can provide players with clues, as well as launch exciting investigative adventures.

Following are some examples of images that might appear in the dreams of characters:

Acrobat: The defiance of natural forces; a precarious situation.

Animals: Each has its own meaning, which is tied to what is considered their defining traits; a lion represents courage and nobility; the cat cunning; the owl wisdom; the mouse timidness; the serpent treachery; the bear strength; the beaver industriousness, and so on.

Ashes: A passing away, never to return; the destruction of material things and mortal life.

Bathing: Washing away or cleansing; ritual purification.

Balance/scales: An important judgment; the need for an accurate assessment of a situation; a balance of opposites.

Craftwork: The act of creation; turning raw materials into fine artifacts; building a state, business, etc.

Fruit: Fertility, plenty; the result of previous actions.

Grave: Death, disaster or bereavement. An open grave might symbolize the danger of death (perhaps a deliberate plot), a closed grave one that has already happened.

Crossroads: Key decisions must be made; a parting of the ways, where old friends separate; the crossing of two peoples’ destinies.

Knots: Binding and losing; holding captive, constraining or controlling.

Lantern: A light in the darkness, leading the way; the last hope of success.

Mountain: A great obstacle or enormous struggle; firmness and constancy; a massive force resisting change.

Road: The course of one’s life; a journey; passing beyond death; progression.

Scythe: A cutting down or gathering in.

Seeds: Potential and promise; a small beginning from which something great will come.

Thread: The line of time or fate; a tenuous or fragile link.

Wheel: Progress, a forward movement or powerful force; fate. A turning wheel might indicate the passing of time or the revolutions of the seasons.

Numerology: Like Numeracy, Numerology deals with numbers but from their mystic and magical side. Each number has its own presence and power, and an individual’s birth hour or favorite number is as revealing as other methods of divination with regard to his or her future. The Numerology skill is often used to determine the best time for certain actions, ceremonies or pronouncements. A character who specializes in Numerology (skill score of 90%+) may with a successful skill check made at a -40% penalty use the skill to calculate the locations of doorways to other planes.

If the character also possesses the Arithmology skill, Arithmology may be used with Numerology to divine the future more effectively. A character who knows both skills gains a +10% bonus when using Numerology.

Omen Interpretation: A character with this skill is able to infer information about the present or future from natural phenomena. Therefore, the character can neither choose when to use the skill, nor what questions to seek answers to.

Omens are signs hidden within the mundane or natural world — thought to have been sent by the spirits or deities — that give warnings or encouragement to mortals. The flight of a rare bird, patterns in the sunset, the color of smoke rising from a campfire, all of these things may be omens which contain hints toward the likely outcome of a battle, the wisdom of starting a journey, or any similar matter. This skill allows a character to recognize and identify an omen.

It is possible for a character to seek an omen. For example, an interpreter might spend a day standing on a hilltop looking for unusual birds or he might take a walk through the woods studying the wildlife and plants. After 1d10 hours have passed, a successful skill check (rolled either by the player or secretly by the DM) means the character identifies an omen, and the DM should then give vague hints regarding the matter he seeks information on. The character has no control over when or if an omen appears and the DM has the option of presenting the character with a false omen if the skill check is failed.

The following are examples of omens the DM might weave into his adventures. They are grouped according to subject; the information in quotation marks is an interpretation of the omen.

Battle

• The night before a battle the flames of the campfire flicker with a reddish hue — “one of those around the fire will die if he or she joins the battle tomorrow.”
  
• As the forces gather on the field, vultures wheel lazily overhead — “the vultures are lethargic because they know that there will be few deaths here today.”
  
• A few drops of rain fall from a clear sky as the forces gather — “the gods/spirits are saddened that this battle is to be fought.”
  
• A sacred bird wheels above the battlefield — “the spirits know that this battle is of great importance, and have sent a messenger to watch for its outcome.”
  

Birth

• Two usually solitary animals (like eagles) are seen together — “the birth will produce twins.”
  
• A snake is found in the house where the woman is in labor — “the child will be evil and should be abandoned or sent far away.”
  
• A dead mouse is found in the house around the time of the birth — “the child will not live to adulthood.”
  
• An owl lands on the roof of the house where a woman is in labor — “the child will be exceedingly wise” (in other words, would make an ideal apprentice for a shaman).
  

Journey

• A vulture is perched watching the travelers as they walk towards it along the road — “there will be death on this journey.”
  
• As the travelers assemble a cuckoo lands close by — “one in the group is not all that he or she claims, and should not be trusted.”
  
• As the group begin their journey a fox is spotted in the bushes just up the path — “an ambush has been set further on.”
  

King/Ruler

• A lion in the forest is being chased down by a pack of wild dogs — “the fate of the noble is in the hands of the base.”
  
• One night a storm blows up, and though not particularly ferocious it fells the great old tree that stands in the center of the wood — “though the danger may not seem great, it may lead to the downfall of the ruler or his/her dynasty.”
  

Trade

• Immediately upon leaving home in the morning, a merchant finds a gold piece in the gutter — “today will bring many opportunities for easy profit.”
  
• The town’s mayor is given a fine, rare, smoked fish by an ambassador or trade envoy, but when he has it served up that evening he nearly chokes on a bone — “trade with that place (the ambassador’s/envoy’s city) will bring ruin for this town.”
  

War

• The call of war goes out, but when one of the commanding officers goes to fetch his weapons from his vault he finds his sword flecked in rust — “the armies of the nation are ill-prepared for this coming conflict.”
  
• As the party enters the gates of a city, a single stone falls from the top of its impressive walls — “if the city is besieged, it will fall, despite its mighty defenses.”
  
• On the morning that the army marches out, they pass a funeral cortege — “the army is doomed.”
  
• The day that hostilities break out the sunrise bathes the land in a deep golden light — “the war shall bring the nation vast wealth.”
  

Vision Quest: A character with this skill may undertake a spiritual journey to seek an answer to any question. This vision quest may be performed no more than once per week and involves elaborate rituals and special materials, both of which are a reflection of the religious beliefs of the seeker.

The exact components of these rituals should be discussed with the DM at the time that this skill is chosen. Usually it involves hours of prayer and chanting, sometimes accompanied by a musical instrument. Often a character using this skill uses herbal compounds or other substances to bring him to a state of altered consciousness and sometimes a small sacrifice is required. The time allotted to this activity is usually 12 hours or less. Seldom do vision quests exceed 24 hours, however.

At the end of the rituals, a secret skill check should be made by the DM. A natural 96-00 means that whatever god or spirit the character was trying to contact is angered at his presumption and sends him a false vision. Otherwise, a failed roll indicates that nothing happens. Success means that the character receives some sort of vision, usually cryptic, which, upon reflection, should provide enlightenment about the subject of the question.

For example, Korag, the barbarian warrior, is concerned that he and his friends are contemplating the exploration of an ancient temple. Though the temple is long destroyed and was dedicated to another god, he is worried he might anger the spirits that might still live there. So, he goes on a vision quest that night. He wanders away from his friends and spends the night by his solitary fire, chanting and beating a small drum, slowly falling into a trance with the aid of an herbal concoction blended from wild mushrooms and flower seeds.

When the sun rises, he throws some food into his fire as a sacrifice and contemplates the vision he experienced during the night. The DM makes a secret roll, which is successful, and Korag is able to remember his vision in which he sees the temple as it once was, the happy people worshiping, and the dark horde that raided and defiled it. He sees the worshipers screaming in agony and reaching their arms toward him. When he returns, he discusses his vision with his friends, and they decide that the souls of the dead worshipers might need their help to be put to rest. This interpretation might seem obvious, but often the most obvious interpretation is not the correct one.

Fasting before a Vision Quest is a helpful way to prepare and grants a +5% bonus to the skill check for every three days spent fasting.

This skill is common among the druids, Elberethi and Variquesti elves, Fälgornian humans, Wild Halflings and Lizard Men. However, it is virtually unknown to other character types and characters of races or classes other than those listed may not select this skill at first level.

Racial modifiers: Fälgornian humans receive a +15% bonus when utilizing this skill and Wild Halflings receive a +20% bonus. A dwarf attempting to use this skill is seldom successful and is penalized by -25% to his skill score.

Oratory (Mental 1, Charisma/Leadership -1) — This is the power to move other people with words and emotion. By captivating an audience, the character can convince them of the rightness of his words through force of will and dramatic speaking.

The DM can decide how any group of listeners is likely to be affected by the character’s exhortations. If they’re inclined to be hostile or are preparing to attack the character, there’s very little he can say to change their minds.

To use the skill, most members of the crowd must be able to see and hear the character. For each turn spent exhorting the crowd, the character makes a skill check. A successful check allows the character to modify an encounter reaction check by one category — hostile to indifferent, or indifferent to friendly, for example. A roll of 01-05 allows the character to change the mood of the crowd by two categories, i.e., hostile to friendly.

A check that fails by less than 25% has no positive or negative effect on the crowd. However, a check that fails by more than 25 changes the mood of the crowd in the opposite direction of that desired, i.e., friendly becomes hostile. A roll of 96-00 moves the mood of the crowd in the opposite direction by two places.

Optionally, a character using Oratory may be able to encourage the crowd to take a specific action that they’re inclined to perform anyway. If an angry crowd wants to see an important prisoner freed because it’s rumored he was convicted wrongly, a character with Oratory may be able to push them into storming the jail or convince them to give up and go home. If the player presents an especially moving argument or speech, the skill check is made with a +5% to +20% bonus. Especially poor speeches are penalized by -5% to -15%.

Priests: Priests with this skill can attempt to proselytize (seek converts) among small audiences by proclaiming the glories of their faith and the dangers of nonbelief, but the character must pass his check by a margin of 20% or more to win any long-lasting converts to the faith. A convert will listen to the priest’s suggestions or ideas, but won’t necessarily become a follower or hireling of the character.

Additional information: See: “Playing the Crowd: Oratory and Mob Rule in Your AD&D™ Campaign,” Dragon #172, pg. 78-81, for more information on how this skill can be used.

Organic Preservation (Mental 1, Intelligence/Knowledge -1) — Organic materials come from plants and animals, and have a habit of decomposing once the life process has been interrupted. A character with this skill is experienced in using materials and processes that can prolong the usefulness of these organic substances. Whether it is properly wrapping and sealing food so that it won’t spoil, using a certain tree sap to preserve a spell component or pickling a baby cockatrice in a specimen jar, this character knows how to keep things from rotting. The amount of time for which these things may be preserved varies and should be determined by the DM.

The shelf-life of wrapped or sealed materials may be extended up to three times as long as normal, whereas something preserved in chemicals may be kept indefinitely.

Orienteering (Mental 1, Intelligence/Knowledge -2) — This is the ability to keep one’s bearings on roadless, trackless land. Skilled characters will not get lost as long as they can either see the sky or have the use of a compass or lodestone. This means that they can maintain track of a given direction, keeping themselves and their companions traveling in a straight line.

Characters who possess a map and can track their direction of travel can arrive at specific points — towns, ferry crossings, bridges, monuments, wells, springs, etc. — without making a skill check.

If the map used is slightly erroneous or lacking in crucial details, the character will have to make a successful skill check to accurately arrive at a specific point. This check can be modified for increased difficulty based on poor weather or major problems with the map.

Though this skill differs from the Direction Sense and Navigation skills, these skills share common characteristics with Orienteering. A character with the Direction Sense or Navigation skills (50% or greater) may add +10% to his Orienteering Skill score. A character with both skills adds +20% to his skill score.