Ancestral Memory
DivinationDivination spells enable you to learn secrets long forgotten, predict the future, find hidden things, and foil deceptive spells.
Many divination spells have cone-shaped areas. These move with you and extend in the direction you choose. The cone defines the area that you can sweep each round. If you study the same area for multiple rounds, you can often gain additional information, as noted in the descriptive text for the spell.
PFS Legal
Available to
- Casting Time
- 1 standard actionMost spells take 1 standard action; others list 1 round, 1 minute, or more, or use a swift or immediate action.Full rule on Archives of Nethys ↗
- Components
- V, SV (Verbal): A spoken incantation; you must be able to speak in a strong voice. A silence effect or a gag spoils it, and being deafened risks failure.S (Somatic): A precise movement of the hand; you must have at least one hand free to perform it.Full rule on Archives of Nethys ↗
- Range
- personalHow far the spell reaches. Close = 25 ft + 5 ft/2 levels; Medium = 100 ft + 10 ft/level; Long = 400 ft + 40 ft/level. Personal = yourself; Touch = a creature or object you touch.Full rule on Archives of Nethys ↗
- Target
- youHow the spell is aimed: a Target (specific creatures or objects), an Effect it creates (e.g. a wall or a summoned creature), or an Area shape (burst, cone, line, and so on). Some areas are shapeable. "Target or Area" means the spell uses either, at your choice.Full rule on Archives of Nethys ↗
- Duration
- 1 round/levelHow long it lasts. Instantaneous resolves at once; Concentration lasts while you keep focusing; Permanent lasts until dispelled. A trailing "(D)" means you can dismiss it as a standard action.Full rule on Archives of Nethys ↗
When you cast this spell, you open your mind to the vast experiences of your ancestors in the hope of learning something pertinent about your current situation. The chance of successfully finding an ancestral memory that is pertinent is equal to 70% + your caster level. Failure indicates you merely gain a +5 insight bonus on all Intelligence-based skill checks for the duration of the spell.
Success indicates that you not only gain the +5 insight bonus on all Intelligence-based skill checks, but that one of your ancestors came across a situation or problem similar to one you are currently facing. In this case, the GM provides you with some specific information to assist you in overcoming your problem.
For example, a character might encounter a clay golem deep underground, and finds that her magic weapon and spells seem to be useless against the creature. She successfully casts ancestral memory, and “remembers” the proper type of weapons and spells that work against such creatures.
Success indicates that you not only gain the +5 insight bonus on all Intelligence-based skill checks, but that one of your ancestors came across a situation or problem similar to one you are currently facing. In this case, the GM provides you with some specific information to assist you in overcoming your problem.
For example, a character might encounter a clay golem deep underground, and finds that her magic weapon and spells seem to be useless against the creature. She successfully casts ancestral memory, and “remembers” the proper type of weapons and spells that work against such creatures.