With a lot of spells in D&D 5e, the potential uses are fairly limited, and the results are clear-cut. However, when it comes to Augury, this is not the case. Augury is one of the most vague spells in 5e, which may not sound like a good thing on the surface.
However, the nature of this spell means that if you’re a Cleric, you can use Augury to get creative and find answers to important questions in the game. For anyone not familiar with the word ‘Augury’ it means ‘fortune’, or ‘omen’.
Basically, Augury is a spell that provides you with an omen in response to a question (or statement) voiced to the DM. There’s a lot of room for interpretation, and you might be surprised by the omens you receive, but that’s part of the fun!
Whether you’re playing as a Cleric yourself, or want to learn more about this spell as a DM, this guide to Augury is the perfect place to start.
About Augury: The Basics
Augury is a 2nd level Divination spell primarily accessible to Clerics. Its range is classed as Special and its duration is Instant. Its components are V S M (Vocal, Somatic, Material), and the target is technically the player asking the question.
The components of Augury specify that you will need to use your voice along with your hands and certain specific materials to cast the spell.
The idea is to ask a higher power whether a decision or action will have a positive, negative, or neutral outcome, and in order to do this, you need to connect the physical world to the spiritual.
Because the duration of the spell is Instant, you can’t cast this spell too far ahead of a decision you’re planning to make. You must take action within a 30-minute window.
How The Augury Spell Works?
There are a variety of situations in which you could cast Augury, as we’ll discuss in a moment. For now, though, it’s best to conceptualize this spell as something you cast when you want to know whether you should make a decision, either individually or as a party.
For example, you (the Cleric) might ask your DM, “Should I drink this potion?’ Your DM must then answer one of four things: ‘Weal’, ‘Woe’, ‘Nothing’, or ‘Weal and Woe’.
Weal (Good Omen)
‘Weal’ is the Augury response for a good omen. If you ask your DM whether or not you should do something, and they reply with ‘Weal’, it means there will be a positive outcome to your decision. Generally, this means you should go ahead and do what you suggested.
So, in the context of ‘Should I drink this potion?’, this response would mean that not only is it safe to drink the potion, but doing so will yield a positive outcome.
Woe (Bad Omen)
On the other hand, if you ask your DM whether you or another member of your party should drink a potion, and they reply with ‘Woe’, you probably shouldn’t do it. That’s because ‘Woe’ signifies that there is a negative outcome associated with the decision.
In our hypothetical example, the potion might be poisoned, or it could cause madness. Your DM isn’t allowed to tell you what that negative outcome is, but you can generally trust that it’s a sign to abandon the plan.
Nothing (Neutral)
‘Nothing’ is the neutral response to the Augury spell, and it may be vocalized literally, or the DM might actually not respond at all. This response is not to be confused with the conflicting ‘Weal and Woe’, which we’ll touch on next.
The neutral reply to Augury means that the outcome of the decision hinges on what you do afterward.
For instance, drinking the potion itself may not have any immediate effect, but actions you take afterward might trigger a positive or negative outcome. Alternatively, you may need to roll to determine a clearer outcome.
Weal And Woe (Good And Bad Omens)
If the DM responds to your question with ‘Weal and Woe’, you’ll need to think very carefully about whether you want to proceed with the decision. ‘Weal and Woe’ means that the outcome of the decision could be both positive and negative.
For example, in the potion scenario, you could gain an ability, such as being able to breathe underwater. However, the potion may also make you unable to breathe on land for a certain period of time.
If you go ahead with a decision based on a ‘Weal and Woe’ response, you’ll be taking a risk in exchange for a possible reward. However, if you decide not to proceed, you could potentially be turning down a positive outcome.
What Impacts Augury Rulings In 5e?
Ultimately, your DM is in control of the rulings for Augury, but there are guidelines that the majority of DMs will follow to ensure consistency. Here are some factors that may impact the type of ruling given by the DM in response to Augury:
External Forces
What counts as an external force needs to be clarified by the DM ahead of time. This is because there may be circumstances outside of the packaged omen that impact the outcome.
Sometimes, a decision itself might have a positive outcome, but something bad might happen before you can benefit from that outcome, or a certain spell might be cast that interferes with the result
Skill Checks
There may be situations in which the outcome of a decision relies on a skill check. In these scenarios, the DM should reply to the question with ‘Nothing’ so that the players know there might be something to take into consideration before clearer guidance can be given.
The DM will tell the player which dice they need to roll and which modifiers, if any, should be added to the total. Depending on how high the player rolls, the ‘Nothing’ response may become either ‘Weal’, ‘Woe’, or ‘Weal and Woe’. Higher rolls are associated with good omens, whereas lower rolls indicate bad omens.
Roleplaying
When casting Augury, you (the Cleric) should roleplay as player-character rather than asking a question simply as yourself. So, instead of asking ‘Is this a good decision for my character to make?’, ask ‘Should I do this?’ or ‘Does this decision benefit us?’
Not only is this a more realistic and immersive way of playing D&D, but direct communication with the DM as ‘higher power’ will get you a clearer answer.
Casting Too Often
Here’s where things get tricky. The first time you cast Augury, you are guaranteed a genuine answer from the DM. However, every time you cast Augury after the first instance, there’s a ¼ chance that you will get a misleading answer.
The DM will need to roll to decide whether the answer will be fake or real, and if it’s fake, the answer must be selected randomly. If you want to reset your ability to cast Augury successfully, you’ll need to take a long rest.
Cleric Equipment
Remember that one of the components of Augury is M (Material). That means you need to have a relevant token that you can use to cast the spell.
If you look in the handbook, the guidelines for Augury specify that acceptable items include sticks and bones (or similar materials) worth a minimum of 25 GP, with special markings.
Items such as these are available in divinity or magical shops, but you can also find them in churches. If you’re passing through a town and don’t know where to find suitable items to cast Augury, you can try asking Clerics nearby.
Question Phrasing
It’s important to phrase your question to the DM in the best possible way when casting Augury to ensure you get an accurate answer. For example, if you simply ask ‘Is it a good idea to drink this potion?’ you’re leaving a lot up to interpretation.
That’s because you haven’t stated which party members you’re asking on behalf of. Instead, you could ask ‘Would it benefit me to drink this potion?’ or ‘Would the party benefit from drinking this potion?’
When And How To Use Augury?
There are many different situations when you might want to use Augury, and there’s nothing wrong with using the spell for something more trivial or even a little silly from time to time.
However, bear in mind that you have a 25% chance of getting a fake answer after the first time you cast Augury until you take a long rest, so it’s generally best to save this spell for important decisions. Here are a few examples of situations where casting Augury is likely a sensible choice:
Avoiding Poisoning
If you’re considering eating or drinking something in D&D, especially if you’re in an unfamiliar location or situation, it’s a good idea to use Augury to check whether it’s safe to do so. Sometimes, the answer will be clear-cut.
If you ask ‘should I drink this?’ and the liquid is poisoned, the DM will answer ‘Woe’. If the liquid gives you new abilities or improves your health, the answer will be ‘Weal’. Other times, however, the answer might depend on what your character’s preferences are.
The liquid might turn you into a vampire, for instance, and while that might not bother some characters, your character may be very displeased with this result. If the DM isn’t clear on your character’s stance, they may have to answer ‘Nothing’ or ‘Weal and Woe’.
Entering Locations
Some locations in D&D will not be safe to enter. Opening a door could lead to an ambush, or there might be treasure behind it. Often, in order to reach the desirable outcome in a specific location, you’ll need to engage in combat, which could be risky.
If you use Augury to determine whether you should enter a location, the clarity of the answer will depend on whether what you’ll encounter is entirely positive or negative, neutral, or a combination of both.
For example, if you ask, ‘Should we go through this door?’ and there are both monsters and treasure behind the door, ‘Weal and Woe’ is the likely answer.
Trusting NPCs
It’s best to try using Insight as a first option if you’re not sure whether to trust an NPC. However, this doesn’t always work, so you may need to use Augury.
Bear in mind that this can be tricky because some members of the party may have nothing to fear from the NPC, whereas other party members might be at risk if they trust this character.
If you ask, ‘Does it benefit the party to trust X’, your DM will need to weigh up the best interest of the party as a whole. If you ask whether one specific character should trust the NPC, only that character’s best interest will be considered.
The experiences of other party members might impact that character, in which case, that will need to be considered as a factor.
Detecting Traps
Traps are a common concern in D&D 5e, (see also: Javelins 5e: The Complete Guide)but luckily, you can cast Augury to determine whether something is likely to be a trap or not. The best way to do this is to ask whether something is a good decision, for example, ‘Should I go through this archway?’
You can ask, ‘Should I check if this is a trap?’, but we don’t recommend this because if the DM says ‘Woe’, you won’t know whether that means you shouldn’t check for traps or that there is a trap nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, Augury is a useful spell in D&D 5e, but it’s only effective if you know how to word your questions.
As long as you make your questions as specific as possible and consider both your character and other party members as individuals as well as the party as a whole, you can use Augury to get the information you need.
It’s also important to save your Augury spell slot for important decisions and take a long rest to avoid depleting its accuracy.
The components of Augury are V S M. That means you need to use your hands and your voice to cast the spell, and you’ll also need a divining item to make the spell work.
First, though, you’ll need to make sure you have a free spell slot. Otherwise, you won’t be able to cast the spell even if you have the necessary components.
Usually, only Clerics can use Augury, but other classes can multi-class to get access to Cleric spells, including Augury. Bear in mind, though, that accessing Augury can be a long process for other classes because Cleric spells are not as intuitive as Wizard spells.
It’s up to your DM whether other characters, including NPCs, are able to detect your use of Augury. You need to use your voice to cast the spell, but there’s nothing in the rules to specify that other people hear your voice.
If only the Cleric casting Augury knows it’s being cast, this can significantly change the dynamic of the party and impact interactions with other NPCs. If you are a DM, this is something you should consider carefully if you have a Cleric in your party.
Final Thoughts
Augury might seem like a vague and confusing spell on paper, but once you understand how it works and how you can make it more effective, it’s a really useful and fun way to guide your party in the right direction in D&D.
When used correctly, Augury can help to detect traps, determine trustworthiness, and indicate the safety of various situations and objects. If you’re playing as a Cleric in D&D 5e, this is one spell you should definitely consider.
Then my partner bought me a starter set for 5e and my friend ran us a mini-dungeon to give us a feel for the game play and I was immediately hooked. Since then, I have lost countless hours to playing, DMing, and creating homebrew.
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