D&D 5E How might this custom magic item be broken? Try to break my campaign.

You make a wall of them and people can talk to each other on both sides

dpkress2 said:

I'm thinking of putting a magic item(s) in my game. They are modified sending stones, here are the differences:

1.They only work when you are one foot or less from each other.
2.They only work when you and any other individual is holding them.
3. They DO NOT grant comprehension
4.There are no charges. You can use them 24/7
5.There is LITERALLY an ENDLESS supply of them. They are just lying around on the ground. Anyone who wants one can just go outside and pick one up off the ground.

4 and 5 are obviously the potentially game breaking properties.

What ways can you think of that my players will use these to break my game?

GO!!!

(Edited for content)

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Torture device. Affix any number of them higher than 2 to an individual. Then place an equal number of them within 1 foot and get people to think very strong thoughts at the individual. There's no save on Sending, so if the stones work as the spell, you could simply bombard the target's mind with threatening, devaluing or otherwise terrifying comments until their will breaks. One or two whispers over time can drive one to insanity, but the human(oid) mind will have difficulty processing multiple information inputs if those inputs are already stressful on the psyche (such as hateful or disturbed messages) the strain will likely overwhelm any regular mind in a short time.

Quick learning or otherwise massive information transfer. 25 words or less (per the Sending spell) adds up when you have unlimited charges. You could communicate vast volumes of knowledge with little effort. Wizards could use it to secretly transfer spells. Rogues could use it to secretly transfer codes. Monks could use it to impart age-learned wisdom.

Political influence, with how common these things are, you could drop one in a person's pocket or give a king or queen a "necklace" or something wherein one of these stones is concealed and then communicate thoughts to them while in close proximity. I mean, do the bearers know who any given thought came from?

Hive mind, a large enough group each wearing one of these while in close proximity could potentially synch up their minds if they shared enough information about themselves with each other, to those around them. Eventually personalities and memories would blur until you have a large group of people who are unable to identify themselves individually from the collective. (Resistance is futile!)

Mental imprint, given enough time an individual could press enough of their information onto another mind that the subject mind would have difficulty distinguishing between their original personality and the new personality.

Tony Vargas said:

You can also use them to make soup.

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Stone soup? lolz.

So if Person A and B are using the stone to communicate and I get up close to them can I hear their conversation?

What happens if I steal one persons stone while they are using it to communicate?

You sandwich yourself between 26 people (9 people in each the bottom and top layers, and 8 people around you) and sing silent Lady Gaga songs directly into their mind. Campaign broken.

EDIT: Or you could stand, and have 5 person high stacks of horizontal people around you (heads touching you), so 8 squares around you x 5 people = 40 people in your mini-concert. Mind blown. Literally.

FrogReaver said:

So if Person A and B are using the stone to communicate and I get up close to them can I hear their conversation?

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Yes if you are also holding a stone.

FrogReaver said:

What happens if I steal one persons stone while they are using it to communicate?

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They lose the ability to hear person C and you gain it.

Kobolds don't yip anymore. They've learned that making any sort of noise just gets them eaten by bigger, meaner monsters. Now they each carry a stone, and huddle close for conversations. Kobold warrens are eerily silent.

Ettins are extinct. They wore the stones on necklaces, driving each head insane by the other head's constant inane blather, and not being smart enough to just take the necklaces off, it ended badly.

Stones can be added to the saddles of intelligent mounts, so they and the rider can seamlessly coordinate.