Omens

Omens are signs or indications from deities that display the pleasure or displeasure of the gods or serve to foretell the future.

This section deals with many of the common omens of historical reality,
but omens can be useful in an AD&Dcampaign as well.
Whenever players transgress their alignment,
and especially when clerics violate the dictates of their sect,
they will receive a bad omen.
This can take several forms,
but the most common one is a partial loss of power:
a magic-user might find it impossible to memorize some of the higher level spells,
a fighter might suffer constant illness (and thus the loss of one-fourth or one-half of his or her HP),
or a cleric might be unable to renew even first or second level spells on a daily basis.
Any of these happenings should be taken as a sign to the player that he or she has done some wrong that merits punishment.
In short,
omens are devices for judges to use in correcting players that constantly do improper things in the campaign.
If a temporary loss of power does not deter the player from constantly violating his or her alignment or not following the ways of the deity,
then more severe omens can be given or the effects of some can be made permanent.

Following this paragraph will be a list of omens and signs,
along with their purported meanings.
Some of these predicted happenings are quite specific,
others are rather vague ("good luck");
whether specific or general,
the DM is reminded that any or all powers or results are entirely optional.
The same care must be taken with these omens and luck symbols as with alleged mystical properties of gems
(see DMG, p. 27: "NOTE REGARDING THE MAGICAL PROPERTIES OF GEMS, HERBS, et al.").
Under no circumstances should a player be allowed to badger a DM into,
for example,
giving the player a bonus on saving throws simply because he is carrying a pouch of four-leaf clovers!
In the AD&D universe,
such an occurrence migh foretell seven years of ill fortune to follow . . .
 
finding a four-leaf clover portends good luck
seeing the crescent moon portends good luck
finding a toadstool portends good luck
dice symbol of good luck
crossed fingers symbol of good luck
shoe symbol of good luck
fish symbol of good luck
dog symbol of good luck
wheel symbol of good luck
the three apes that see, hear, and speak no evil symbol of good luck
the finding of mistletoe in the wild good luck*
wearing of leather from top to bottom said to repel demons and devils
<shit> both good and bad
breaking a mirror bad omen
spilling salt bad omen
appearance of meteor portends great changes or happenings, usually not good
appearance of comet portends great changes or happenings, usually not good
eclipse portends great changes or happenings, usually not good
meeting an old woman as one sets out on a journey ill fortune
a bat flying in the window ill fortune
tripping as one enters a doorway ill fortune
bird perches on a holy symbol horrible things are going to happen to that sect in the near future
if someone enters a room unasked and finds knives crossed in the room considered a sure sign that the person will be cut the very next time they are attacked
13 of anything in one group the height of bad luck (this should be avoided at all costs)
taking objects from a group of 13 said to invite a horrible death
    (especially) removing the whole group of 13 from  said to invite a horrible death
the coming of a will-o'-the-wisp interpreted to mean that some building is going to burn down to the ground within 7 days
the wail of a banshee certainly means that someone is going to die that very night
rainbow definite statement from a deity

* if boiled and combined with spring water is supposed to be a universal cure for poisons

Shit: both good && bad <alt>
+ objects or persons that are covered in dung reputedly cannot be touched or hurt by the undead.
- if even a small bit of dung is cast upon an altar consecrated to good, the altar is defiled and only evil can be contacted there.
    (the forces of good must go to great lengths to resanctify such a tainted object.)

Rainbow: definite statement from a deity
Its appearance means either that the deity wants to converse with a mortal,
or that the deity wants the mortal to undertake a quest.
In Norse legend,
men and women of power could travel to Asgard merely by touching a rainbow (part of the bridge Bifrost) and wishing to be there.