Tome of Prowess (3.5e Sourcebook)/Dowsing
Contents
Dowsing
Key Attribute: Wisdom
DC Modifiers
| Circumstance | DC Modifier | |
|---|---|---|
| Double search radius or area1 | +5 | |
| Dowse with empty hands | +3 | |
| Rushing2: reduce a 1 minute action to a 1 round action | +4 | |
| Rushing2: reduce a 1 round action to a move action | +4 | |
| Rushing2: reduce a move action to a swift action | +4 | |
| ||
Untrained Uses
None. Sorry, you actually can’t do this stuff without a bit of training.
Rank 1 Uses
The Pull of Water
| The Pull of DM Generosity |
| The first two abilities of the dowsing skill vary quite a lot from other skill abilities, and are worth taking a moment to talk about. While a lot of other abilities are designed to allow the players more narrative freedom and control, these abilities just let you find things that someone else has already put in the world. And yes, that means that these abilities won’t be particularly useful in lots of games and that the dowsing skill isn’t all that useful at level 1. Not for PCs anyway. It's fantastically useful for NPCs however. This skill actually goes a long way to helping NPCs get by in the world, and to explaining why every settlement has a source of fresh water and every mine is a fabulous treasure trove of wealth. So while it might not be useful to you at low levels, it’s a useful thing to have in the game. |
Fresh, drinkable water is a necessity for most of the life in the world. The world knows where it is, and can guide you to it if you know how to let it. As a full-round action, you can attempt to find the available sources or fresh drinkable water within a 1 mile radius. If there are multiple sources within the area, you can tell how large and how far away the water is. Your check result indicates the minimum size of the accessible water pool you can locate with this ability. You will not be able to locate smaller bodies of water without a retry.
Finding water outdoors on the surface is fairly easy with this ability. You make the check, and walk in the indicated direction until you find it. Looking for water underground or within a structure, where walls can block your path, is a bit harder. A single check will point you in the direction, but several checks from different places will help you better find the exact location regardless of intervening structures. Multiple checks will also help you find the best place to break through a wall or dig a well if that's what's required to reach the water. In general, your first check will let you know if there's an aquifer below you or an underground river to the side, and a few hours spent moving around and making additional successful checks will find you the best way to get there. Assuming there's not a better spot within a mile from where you've walked anyway.
The water found with this ability might be free flowing, standing, underground (accessible via well or pit), or even trapped in a plant. There is no guarantee that it will be fresh and tasty, or that it won’t be full of toxins or diseases that will eventually kill you, but it will allow you to stay alive longer than not drinking it.
Special: If you are some bizarre type of creature that doesn’t drink water and needs something else to live, then this ability will find some variety of that for you instead. It doesn’t matter how bizarre it is, it can be crystallized magic or whatever and you will be guided to the largest source within your search area. Again, there is no guarantee that it will be easily accessible or particularly clean, but it will be something that will keep you alive longer than not consuming it.
Base DC: 15 + conditions
Check Result:
- DC+10 and above: If the largest source of water is wrapped up in a baby cactus, then you can follow the pull towards it. This is not enough water for a medium creature for one day, but it’s a lot better than nothing.
- DC+5 to DC+9: You can feel the pull towards any source of water larger than a bucket. This is enough water for most medium creatures for one day.
- DC+0 to DC+4: You can feel the pull towards any source of water larger than a bathing tub. This is enough water for about 10 medium creatures for one day.
- DC-1 to DC-5: You can feel the pull from any source of water larger than a cottage. This is enough water for a lot of people for one day.
- DC-6 and below: You don't feel any pull at all. If it’s not a lake of fresh water that you can already see on the horizon, you won’t be drawn towards it.
Rank 4 Uses
The Pull of Wealth
The world also knows where it hides its mineral wealth. This has its own distinct pull on the heart, one you can recognize and follow. As a full-round action, you can attempt to find the largest source of un-mined mineral wealth within a 1 mile radius.
Base DC: 20 + up to 10 for specific materials
Check Result:
- DC+10 and above: If the largest source of water is wrapped up in a baby cactus, then you can follow the pull towards it.
- DC+5 to DC+9: You can feel the pull towards any source of water larger than a bathing tub.
- DC+0 to DC+4: You will be drawn towards
- DC-1 to DC-5:
- DC-6 and below: If it’s not a lake of fresh water, you won’t be drawn towards it.
Augury
Portents, omens, and signs surround us every day, telling us what our fates will be. Other people ignore them because they don’t see them, but you know what to look for when you need to seek guidance on a question.
Base DC:
Check Result:
- DC+10 and above:
- DC+5 to DC+9:
- DC+0 to DC+4:
- DC-1 to DC-5:
- DC-6 and below:
Rank 6 Uses
Sense Presence
The world is full of creatures that cannot be detected with normal senses or have trained themselves to avoid the senses of others. You have trained yourself to feel their presence anyway and can spend some time attuning yourself to the world to detect creatures hidden within it. As a standard action, you can gain blindsense out to 60’ for 1 round. As a swift action, you can gain blindsense out to 15’ for 1 round. These distances are reduced to half, round down, if you do not have an implement in your hands, like a dowsing rod, greatsword, or long bow.
Rank 8 Uses
The Individual’s Pull
Water and wealth give off strong pulls that often drown the subtle pull that every object and person in the world gives off. By focusing on an object or person, you can draw upon your connection with them to block out the stronger pulls of the world and follow that specific one. This pull will lead you right to them if you follow it.
Leads you to them, or to path to them, if within 1 mile. This is a ‘path sensitive’ ability, so if you wanted to find a man who was trapped in a secret dungeon accessible from the door hidden in a tree trunk, you really could ask your father (or whatever) to guide your sword and be lead to the tree with the secret door, even if it isn’t the shortest straight line distance.
If not within 1 mile, a full minute of attempting to find it will leave you pointing in the right direction without knowledge of the distance to them.
Creatures or objects that are protected from location divinations by spell add twice the spell level to this DC. Creatures or objects that are non-detectable through other means simply add their CR to this DC.
Base DC:
Check Result:
- DC+10 and above:
- DC+5 to DC+9:
- DC+0 to DC+4:
- DC-1 to DC-5:
- DC-6 and below:
Rank 10 Uses
Locate Creature
Base DC:
Check Result:
- DC+10 and above:
- DC+5 to DC+9:
- DC+0 to DC+4:
- DC-1 to DC-5:
- DC-6 and below:
Rank 12 Uses
Sense Coplanar Presence
There are places and planes in the multiverse that overlap, where a creature can be right on top of you but hidden by the veil of reality. You can sense them anyway. When you use the Sense Presence ability, your blindsense now detects coplanar creatures within range, such as those on the ethereal plane or plane of shadow while you are on the prime material. Once you know where they are, you can deal with them as your other options allow.
Rank 14 Uses
Remote Viewing
A pool of water, a silvered mirror, a crystal ball, these are windows to other places if one is properly trained.
Base DC:
Check Result:
- DC+10 and above:
- DC+5 to DC+9:
- DC+0 to DC+4:
- DC-1 to DC-5:
- DC-6 and below:
