In an earlier article I brought up the subject of sages. Now I want to discuss another important source of information in the fantasy world. Only this one is more of a divine source of information. Oracles in Dungeons and Dragons can provide answers when sages cannot. Granted…sages can give answers on most topics in their fields of study. But sometimes even a sage cannot tell you an answer to questions that are not in any books.
Oracles Were Reclusive
Oracles preferred to be a long way from civilization. They did not want frequent visitors. Presumably ancient oracles did not want people around too often as their methods of divining answers might be exposed as fraud. The Oracle at Delphi shown above was located at a remote location on a mountain top. Leaders had to travel great distances to consult with them.
Oracles Were Often Female
In the ancient world Oracles were often women. Often they were young girls. The Oracle at Delphi is commonly depicted in artwork as a girl. It was sometimes believed that once an Oracle mated for the first time she would lose her powers to divine and her ability to see the future.
Oracles in Dungeons and Dragons
Oracles in Dungeons and Dragons should be kept reclusive. They should not be found in a major town or city. Instead it should take an epic and dangerous journey to find them. Perhaps their location will be known commonly. But their great distance makes visiting them a risky proposition. This keeps the masses away from them. And it keeps their secrets safer.
An Oracle is likely to be part of a large temple in this remote location. Mountain top temples would be a likely place to find one. The Oracles themselves will not show themselves. They will have many attendants and priests to serve as intermediaries. This keeps prying eyes off of their secret ways of divining.
Oracles and Magic
Perhaps in your games you might wish your Oracle to have actual magical power to determine the answers with. Perhaps they have some spell casting ability such as legend lore or contact other plane at their disposal. Or perhaps their many attendants and priests perform this function for them and they just deliver the answers in a manner that suggests that they have used some all powerful force to find the truth.
Purposes for Oracles in Dungeons and Dragons
An Oracle can serve several purposes in your adventures. Sometimes big campaign questions need to be answered. Who is the real villain behind the scenes? What caused this plague? Who places this curse upon us? Will the Jural Empire attempt to invade us this year? Who is behind all these barbarian raids on our sea coast?
A sage won’t have answers to these kinds of questions. The sage, however, might have the answer on what to do once the questions are answered. Let’s use the curse or plague examples. The Sage may not know who or what caused the plague. But once the plague is identified (or the curse) the sage may have ideas on what could be done to cure it.
Oracles in Dungeons and Dragons
An Oracle can be the source of an adventure all of it’s own. One can travel a great distance through a hostile land to a remote mountain top. And once there they can find the priests and attendants to the Oracle unwilling to let the visitors pass. Perhaps tests will be required before one is allowed to consult with her. Perhaps challenges will be issued. There is one thing for sure. It will be an adventure.
