Omens and Prophecies in Dungeons and Dragons can set an atmosphere of mystery and magic in a campaign. In medieval times people were superstitious. When they saw unusual things occur it made them stop and consider the meaning of it all. And in a fantasy realm the common people would likely be just as suspicious of such happenings. Only in their world….magic actually exists! So these omens and prophecies might actually be telling them something. And they had better listen to them.
Historical Omens
Historically there have been many signs that people have considered to be omens over the years. The opening picture to this article shows a comet flying in the night sky. Comets have often been considered omens. Some of you may remember the horror movie “The Omen.” No not the shitty remake. The original one starring Gregory Peck from the early seventies. The omen indicating the arrival of the Antichrist was a red comet flying over the night sky. Later in the series a shining star in the sky signified the arrival of the Messiah. Both of these would be considered omens. And of course the New Testament of the Bible itself suggests an omen with the star of Bethlehem predicting the birth of Jesus.
But the Bible is not the only source of omens. For omens have been around since the dawn of mankind itself. The Greeks and the Romans were known to have many signs that they considered to be omens.
The Greeks considered the following to be good omens:
- The Cry of a Heron
- Lightning striking to the right
Other omens had to be interpreted by a diviner:
- The sounds of thunder
- The flight of a vulture
- The behavior of a sacrifice as it approaches the altar
- The offal of such a sacrifice after it is slaughtered
The Romans were also known to be highly concerned about omens. Some that they considered to be good signs included:
- Birds flying to the left
- A raven flying to the left and a crow flying to the right
Bad signs could include:
- Birds flying to the right
And other signs had to be interpreted:
- Behavior of domestic chickens
- The entrails of animals sacrificed had to be examined
- Meteor showers
- Blood rain
- hermaphrodite births
- Dreams
Sailors are also known to be a superstitious lot. There are many signs that are considered to be good or bad omens by sailors. Given the fact that sailing was a very risky business to be in during the middle ages it is no wonder that sailors were concerned about such signs. Some good signs might include:
- An albatross flying overhead
- A dolphin swimming nearby
- A narwall swimming in the sea
- Red sky at night sailor’s delight
- Cats
- Cormorants
And some bad omens might include:
- A dead albatross, dolphin or narwall in the sea
- Sightings of ghost or phantom ships
- Bloody sea (red tide)
- Red Sunrise (red sky in morning sailor take warning)
- A bad luck passenger (a Jonah)
- Setting sail on fridays
- Rolling clouds
- Roaring waves
- Bananas aboard ship
Certain astrological and astronomical events were considered omens either good or bad:
- The comet as mentioned earlier
- Eclipses (lunar or solar)
- Meteor showers
- Earthquakes
Omens in Dungeons and Dragons
There are many ways in which the Dungeon Master might use omens in the Dungeons and Dragons campaign. While I would not suggest making it a regular occurrence adding one in once in a while could add some flavor to the game. Predictions of occurrences will make the adventurers either want to make them come true or want to keep them from coming true. In either event they will be subtly moved in one direction or the other.
For example, the adventurers arrive at a tavern and an old crone sitting at a table rolls some bones on the table in front of them and makes a prediction of some event to come. Will the adventurers ignore it? Will they give her a tip and walk away amused? Or will they be deathly concerned about her reading of the bones?
Perhaps they come across a gypsy camp and find an old fortune teller who reads a crystal ball and gives a prediction. Or maybe they are travelling to a nearby town and see a red comet fly overhead. When they arrive in town they find the entire place stricken with fear of doom. Or perhaps the townspeople have now all turned into zombies! Or perhaps it is an omen that the evil villain that everyone thought was dead has come back from the grave!
There are lots of ways to use omens to reveal part of your story line to the adventurers in a unique way. Your adventurers might learn about a dire threat to the realm from some omen or portent. They might learn of danger to one of them individually from some such sign. However you choose to use them in your game they could add a fun and interesting element to them.
Prophecies in Dungeons and Dragons
A prophecy is some message that is communicated to an individual from some spiritual source…usually from a god. Often such prophecies are not clear. They have to be interpreted. Sometimes they foretell future events.
Virtually every major religion in the world has prophecies associated with them. Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam and even the Native American had prophecies associated with them. And of course there are the well known prophecies of Nostradamus. Throughout history there have been predictions of future events. Some of these predictions have been made hundreds of years in the future. Some have come true. Some not.
Most of the time when they come true it is called a coincidence. And sometimes the predictions have been so vague that they were virtually bound to come true at some point. Sometimes so many predictions are made by one such prophet that many are almost guaranteed to come true.
But in Dungeons and Dragons one can use prophecies to build story lines. For example, say an adventurer, arrives in town and the locals react to him in a peculiar way. He has a strange shaped battle scar or birthmark. And some ancient prophecy known to the locals indicates that a stranger will arrive some day with such a mark. This stranger is either a harbinger of doom…..or a hero who will save the realm…..
Or perhaps there is a prophecy about some dark omen like a red comet flying overhead. When it is seen it signifies the apocalypse….. or the coming of the four horsemen….. or some other such evil event.
Omens and Prophecies in Dungeons and Dragons
Adding these to your game can insert a little mysticism into the campaign. The locals will likely be superstitious. They will often be highly suspicious of strangers to begin with. But when such omens and prophecies to your game can change the dynamics of their interaction with the adventurers. The new arrivals can be treated as potential heroes or they can be feared as the harbingers of doom.
If your goal is to build a campaign where your adventurers build a reputation as the heroes of the realm then using these kinds of devices can help build the story in such a way that the players themselves feel as if the forces of the divine are at work. Of course, not every dungeon master wants that sort of game. And that is perfectly fine. But if you do consider the signs you could place in your game and the prophecies that could tell the story that you want told.
If you enjoyed this article you might like these related articles:
Oracles in Dungeons and Dragons
