What is the point in picking Chronurgy Magic instead of Divination? Divination seems much better and reliable than Chronurgy Magic in every point. Am I overlooking something here?
Firstly...when I read that forum title: I immediately thought it was some "brand-new" Arcane Tradition that involved making duplicates of the Wizard.
That would be SO sweet.
But as to your question:
The big selling point of the Divination Wizard is that you KNOW what the portent rolls are; and you get to substitute them in whenever the situation arises.
That's a pretty big deal...you're locked into whatever numbers you roll; but you have the freedom to choose when to use them.
"Chronal Shift" for the Chronurgy Wizard is similar...you can re-roll a dice & then you have to substitute the roll...so you're really using that feature when something critical happens; and it MUST succeed or fail.
Both, I feel, are INCREDIBLY useful...Divination's is slightly better for its flexibility; but Chronurgy will undoubtedly be used when it's needed most.
...now the tipping point: most of what Chronurgy Wizard's offer beyond the 2nd Level, at least to me, overshadows much of what Divination has to offer.
The ability to freeze a target multiple times, without expending a spell slot, so that your party can adjust their tactics...the ability to "pocket" a spell, and give it to an ally to use themselves...a boost to your own initiative (ALWAYS useful)...and their capstone can be used repeatedly, with impunity, to ALWAYS SUCCEED on a roll.
The only caveat being...every time you use it, you get a level of exhaustion...so a smart wizard will only do that once, maybe twice, per long rest.
Divination Wizards...get a special vision plan; and the ability to get spell slots back when they cast a Divination spell...of which, there are few.
And they can portent three times per rest; instead of twice.
Good...but it lacks the boldness of the Chronurgy Wizard.
I'd view it like this: if you're making a seer, or fortune teller-type character who sees destiny...you still want a Divination Wizard, because portents are still one of the most effective features in D&D.
...but if you want something that achieves a similar effect; and gains some tactical benefits during encounters...Chronurgy has features that are ALWAYS useful.
That, and they get bonus spells they can learn...and those bonus spells are CRAZY good.
I'm gonna go kind of ability-by-ability to compare things here. This is all coming from the point of view of someone who has played (and is playing) a Divination Wizard a fair bit, but did look over the Chronurgy option for the current character (flavorwise, Divination was the better response, no matter the strength or weakness of either).
LEVEL 2: PORTENT VS CHRONAL SHIFT
Divination requires preparation. You have your portents, and you need to decide AHEAD of a roll being made whether you're going to use a Portent or not. You could technically waste it on a roll that was going to go in your favor, whichever direction that is, if the die was rolled. But you can't have known that, and you decided you wouldn't take that chance. However, once you do choose to use it, you know for CERTAIN what the result is. Portents are most useful when they're very high or low, though middle-of-the-road portents are good for amounts that are just above or below what you think is needed for a "fairly easy" check.
Chronurgy is more reactive. You see a roll you don't like, you force a reroll after you see the result (success or failure, not just what the die landed on). Means you're less likely upfront/unknowingly to waste the effect in the way Portent can. However, you have no control over what that die lands on. They could roll the exact same number as they did before, and you used the chronal shift to no effect. You're giving things another chance, but they could even get worse - a failure becomes a Nat 1, a success becomes a Nat 20!
LEVEL 2: SAVANT VS. TEMPORAL
This one I'm not splitting; temporal is obviously combat-focused, savant matters if your DM both allows you opportunities to copy spells into the book AND counts the coin you pay to do so. Temporal is probably generally more useful, though sometimes I prefer being later in initiative and seeing how the battlefield structures itself before going, but you time wizards better be willing to pay up.
LEVEL 6: EXPERT VS. STASIS
Expert Divination is an interesting feature, and not my favorite overall (mostly because it somehow implies that Divination is overall a "lesser" form of magic that can require less energy, as no other school has this kind of cost-reduction feature). However, if you find yourself using a lot of those early-day or out-of-combat spells, often scrying or information gathering ones, you can recoup the ability to still have some spell slots left for fighting. If your DM runs your days long, and Arcane Recovery isn't enough to sustain you, this feature becomes far more useful; resource management is very DM-dependent. I've used this when having to repeatedly attempt to find someone who did not want to be found, with dispelled scrying abilities forcing them to use up their spell slots entirely while I got some of mine back.
Temporal Stasis is, in my opinion, a good option disguised as a brokenly good option. The size limit of Large isn't horrible, but it is limiting; no freezing adult dragons, here. 60 feet is mid-distance, so you don't have to be next to them, but you can't freeze someone at the edge of Fire Bolt range. CON is a save that narrows your options of who this is good to use on, but monsters are rarely in the middle about this, and it's usually pretty clear if they're gonna be good at CON saves. It's one turn OR until damage is taken, so you have to hope they don't get hit before their turn would pass in initiative. INT modifier times per day is pretty cool, up to 5 maximum. It's sort of a spell-slot-less, flash version of Hold Person; can target non-humanoids, doesn't eat your concentration, BUT can only last one turn, and the CON vs WIS saving throw is a matter of situation. This ability looks fantastic for nixing an enemy spellcaster - concentration is dropped upon incapacitation, so if it lands, the spell they're holding up falls even if they immediately get freed by being hit. You can also combine it with your Chronal Shift if you really want them to fail that save.
LEVEL 10: THIRD EYE VS. ABEYANCE
I, personally, love Third Eye. It's changeable on short rests, which means you can adjust to needed situations. All of the "sights" offered are duplicated by various spell effects; which means in my mind, this is another resource save, because you're less likely to need those spells. If you already have darkvision, then that option is off the table - but if you don't, that'll probably be your default, to keep up with a party full of night-vision. Don't want to touch the runes on the entrance to the spooky place to use Comprehend Languages? Read them from a safe distance! Ethereal vision is good for dealing with ghosts, or things that try to peace out mid-fight through it. You're less likely to pick See Invisibility, but in the right moments, it has truly saved my life; mostly because now I could both dodge and target the invisible thing trying to kill me.
Arcane Abeyance looks like it turns into one of two things: casting time-sensitive buffs on allies outside of the applicable range by letting them carry the buff inert until they need it, or giving someone who doesn't look like they'd have a magical bomb to hold, a magical bomb to hold (doesn't literally have to be a Fireball style bomb, but you get the idea). It is destructible, but the opponent would need to know what it is and that it needs to be destroyed, so questionable if that will happen. The biggest nerf here is the time limit. You need to know exactly what spell to put in that bead within an hour of the time it will need to be used. Ironically, I think this feature would fit almost just as well on a Divination wizard, because of the emphasis on forethought and planning. It also costs you the spell slot, which is an overall loss if it doesn't get used, because you don't get that slot back. Once per short/long rest is a good amount.
LEVEL 14: GREATER VS. CONVERGENT
Greater Portent is just more Portent options. Known quantity, plan ahead, no downsides.
Convergent Future is, essentially, a powered-up reactionary Portent with a cost. You finally get to decide FOR SURE what the effect of the roll will be, you get to do it AFTER the roll instead of before so you don't waste it, and you gain exhaustion. Exhaustion is a fine balancing act to take (ask any Berserker Barbarian). Realistically, you're not going to be using this more than two, maybe three times in a day, because once you start getting disadvantage on saving throws, you become a very juicy target. Even being at half speed can be a risk. This is definitely a good way to turn the tide of a major fight, but overuse will leave you weak, as only long rests can heal exhaustion, and those only heal one at a time.
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
The Diviner is meant to see ahead; to have the information to take the best course of action for you and your allies, and to have the resource management to last as long as you need to get there. Utility spells are always in a bit of a balancing act with use vs. keeping slots in reserve for a fight you don't know about; Divination structures itself around giving you the information so you don't get into a fight you don't know about, and keeping you stocked enough in slots so getting that information doesn't cost you your life in the end. It's very preparation-heavy, and also (again, in my opinion) somewhat dependent on the campaign. If you're always taking long rests to get your spells back, or don't need to do a lot of magical logic and planning, it's going to feel weaker than some other, flashier or blastier schools. Portent is powerful and limited, and one of the few times that you as a player get to say "NO, in fact, DM, THIS is what happens" and be a little smug about it. But not too smug, or the DM will find a way to punish you for it.
The Chronurgist is more reactive, adjusting to things in the moment. They are definitely more combat-oriented than the Diviner, and they're a riskier gambit; messing with the future is never as sure as knowing it from the beginning. I'd say there's a lot more chances for the Chronurgist to have a cool cinematic moment, but there's also more chances for the Chronurgist to fail, for their meddling with time to come up empty. Some people, and some campaigns, favor that kind of risk-taking. It's sort of the subclass equivalent of those "save or suck" spells - really dramatic if it works, does very little if it doesn't work. This is all speaking in theory, as I have yet to have Chronurgist experience, but I think it fills a different "vibe" of a wizard than a Diviner does; more in line with the Evoker or Abjurer, or perhaps a Wild Sorcerer.
I think they both have their purposes, their strengths and weaknesses - some people like playing chess, and some people like motocross.
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What is the point in picking Chronurgy Magic instead of Divination? Divination seems much better and reliable than Chronurgy Magic in every point. Am I overlooking something here?
Firstly...when I read that forum title: I immediately thought it was some "brand-new" Arcane Tradition that involved making duplicates of the Wizard.
That would be SO sweet.
But as to your question:
The big selling point of the Divination Wizard is that you KNOW what the portent rolls are; and you get to substitute them in whenever the situation arises.
That's a pretty big deal...you're locked into whatever numbers you roll; but you have the freedom to choose when to use them.
"Chronal Shift" for the Chronurgy Wizard is similar...you can re-roll a dice & then you have to substitute the roll...so you're really using that feature when something critical happens; and it MUST succeed or fail.
Both, I feel, are INCREDIBLY useful...Divination's is slightly better for its flexibility; but Chronurgy will undoubtedly be used when it's needed most.
...now the tipping point: most of what Chronurgy Wizard's offer beyond the 2nd Level, at least to me, overshadows much of what Divination has to offer.
The ability to freeze a target multiple times, without expending a spell slot, so that your party can adjust their tactics...the ability to "pocket" a spell, and give it to an ally to use themselves...a boost to your own initiative (ALWAYS useful)...and their capstone can be used repeatedly, with impunity, to ALWAYS SUCCEED on a roll.
The only caveat being...every time you use it, you get a level of exhaustion...so a smart wizard will only do that once, maybe twice, per long rest.
Divination Wizards...get a special vision plan; and the ability to get spell slots back when they cast a Divination spell...of which, there are few.
And they can portent three times per rest; instead of twice.
Good...but it lacks the boldness of the Chronurgy Wizard.
I'd view it like this: if you're making a seer, or fortune teller-type character who sees destiny...you still want a Divination Wizard, because portents are still one of the most effective features in D&D.
...but if you want something that achieves a similar effect; and gains some tactical benefits during encounters...Chronurgy has features that are ALWAYS useful.
That, and they get bonus spells they can learn...and those bonus spells are CRAZY good.
I'm gonna go kind of ability-by-ability to compare things here. This is all coming from the point of view of someone who has played (and is playing) a Divination Wizard a fair bit, but did look over the Chronurgy option for the current character (flavorwise, Divination was the better response, no matter the strength or weakness of either).
LEVEL 2: PORTENT VS CHRONAL SHIFT
Divination requires preparation. You have your portents, and you need to decide AHEAD of a roll being made whether you're going to use a Portent or not. You could technically waste it on a roll that was going to go in your favor, whichever direction that is, if the die was rolled. But you can't have known that, and you decided you wouldn't take that chance.
However, once you do choose to use it, you know for CERTAIN what the result is. Portents are most useful when they're very high or low, though middle-of-the-road portents are good for amounts that are just above or below what you think is needed for a "fairly easy" check.
Chronurgy is more reactive. You see a roll you don't like, you force a reroll after you see the result (success or failure, not just what the die landed on). Means you're less likely upfront/unknowingly to waste the effect in the way Portent can.
However, you have no control over what that die lands on. They could roll the exact same number as they did before, and you used the chronal shift to no effect. You're giving things another chance, but they could even get worse - a failure becomes a Nat 1, a success becomes a Nat 20!
LEVEL 2: SAVANT VS. TEMPORAL
This one I'm not splitting; temporal is obviously combat-focused, savant matters if your DM both allows you opportunities to copy spells into the book AND counts the coin you pay to do so. Temporal is probably generally more useful, though sometimes I prefer being later in initiative and seeing how the battlefield structures itself before going, but you time wizards better be willing to pay up.
LEVEL 6: EXPERT VS. STASIS
Expert Divination is an interesting feature, and not my favorite overall (mostly because it somehow implies that Divination is overall a "lesser" form of magic that can require less energy, as no other school has this kind of cost-reduction feature). However, if you find yourself using a lot of those early-day or out-of-combat spells, often scrying or information gathering ones, you can recoup the ability to still have some spell slots left for fighting. If your DM runs your days long, and Arcane Recovery isn't enough to sustain you, this feature becomes far more useful; resource management is very DM-dependent. I've used this when having to repeatedly attempt to find someone who did not want to be found, with dispelled scrying abilities forcing them to use up their spell slots entirely while I got some of mine back.
Temporal Stasis is, in my opinion, a good option disguised as a brokenly good option.
The size limit of Large isn't horrible, but it is limiting; no freezing adult dragons, here. 60 feet is mid-distance, so you don't have to be next to them, but you can't freeze someone at the edge of Fire Bolt range. CON is a save that narrows your options of who this is good to use on, but monsters are rarely in the middle about this, and it's usually pretty clear if they're gonna be good at CON saves. It's one turn OR until damage is taken, so you have to hope they don't get hit before their turn would pass in initiative. INT modifier times per day is pretty cool, up to 5 maximum. It's sort of a spell-slot-less, flash version of Hold Person; can target non-humanoids, doesn't eat your concentration, BUT can only last one turn, and the CON vs WIS saving throw is a matter of situation.
This ability looks fantastic for nixing an enemy spellcaster - concentration is dropped upon incapacitation, so if it lands, the spell they're holding up falls even if they immediately get freed by being hit. You can also combine it with your Chronal Shift if you really want them to fail that save.
LEVEL 10: THIRD EYE VS. ABEYANCE
I, personally, love Third Eye. It's changeable on short rests, which means you can adjust to needed situations. All of the "sights" offered are duplicated by various spell effects; which means in my mind, this is another resource save, because you're less likely to need those spells. If you already have darkvision, then that option is off the table - but if you don't, that'll probably be your default, to keep up with a party full of night-vision. Don't want to touch the runes on the entrance to the spooky place to use Comprehend Languages? Read them from a safe distance! Ethereal vision is good for dealing with ghosts, or things that try to peace out mid-fight through it. You're less likely to pick See Invisibility, but in the right moments, it has truly saved my life; mostly because now I could both dodge and target the invisible thing trying to kill me.
Arcane Abeyance looks like it turns into one of two things: casting time-sensitive buffs on allies outside of the applicable range by letting them carry the buff inert until they need it, or giving someone who doesn't look like they'd have a magical bomb to hold, a magical bomb to hold (doesn't literally have to be a Fireball style bomb, but you get the idea). It is destructible, but the opponent would need to know what it is and that it needs to be destroyed, so questionable if that will happen.
The biggest nerf here is the time limit. You need to know exactly what spell to put in that bead within an hour of the time it will need to be used. Ironically, I think this feature would fit almost just as well on a Divination wizard, because of the emphasis on forethought and planning. It also costs you the spell slot, which is an overall loss if it doesn't get used, because you don't get that slot back. Once per short/long rest is a good amount.
LEVEL 14: GREATER VS. CONVERGENT
Greater Portent is just more Portent options. Known quantity, plan ahead, no downsides.
Convergent Future is, essentially, a powered-up reactionary Portent with a cost. You finally get to decide FOR SURE what the effect of the roll will be, you get to do it AFTER the roll instead of before so you don't waste it, and you gain exhaustion.
Exhaustion is a fine balancing act to take (ask any Berserker Barbarian). Realistically, you're not going to be using this more than two, maybe three times in a day, because once you start getting disadvantage on saving throws, you become a very juicy target. Even being at half speed can be a risk. This is definitely a good way to turn the tide of a major fight, but overuse will leave you weak, as only long rests can heal exhaustion, and those only heal one at a time.
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
The Diviner is meant to see ahead; to have the information to take the best course of action for you and your allies, and to have the resource management to last as long as you need to get there. Utility spells are always in a bit of a balancing act with use vs. keeping slots in reserve for a fight you don't know about; Divination structures itself around giving you the information so you don't get into a fight you don't know about, and keeping you stocked enough in slots so getting that information doesn't cost you your life in the end.
It's very preparation-heavy, and also (again, in my opinion) somewhat dependent on the campaign. If you're always taking long rests to get your spells back, or don't need to do a lot of magical logic and planning, it's going to feel weaker than some other, flashier or blastier schools. Portent is powerful and limited, and one of the few times that you as a player get to say "NO, in fact, DM, THIS is what happens" and be a little smug about it. But not too smug, or the DM will find a way to punish you for it.
The Chronurgist is more reactive, adjusting to things in the moment. They are definitely more combat-oriented than the Diviner, and they're a riskier gambit; messing with the future is never as sure as knowing it from the beginning. I'd say there's a lot more chances for the Chronurgist to have a cool cinematic moment, but there's also more chances for the Chronurgist to fail, for their meddling with time to come up empty. Some people, and some campaigns, favor that kind of risk-taking. It's sort of the subclass equivalent of those "save or suck" spells - really dramatic if it works, does very little if it doesn't work. This is all speaking in theory, as I have yet to have Chronurgist experience, but I think it fills a different "vibe" of a wizard than a Diviner does; more in line with the Evoker or Abjurer, or perhaps a Wild Sorcerer.
I think they both have their purposes, their strengths and weaknesses - some people like playing chess, and some people like motocross.