Allowing Vicious Mockery via telepathy

[CTurbo]

How broken would it be?

I'm talking about like maybe a Ghostwise Halfling or GOOlock.

I love the flavor of inflicting psychic damage telepathically.

If it's too broken as is, what about doing it with Subtle spell so it at least comes at a cost and couldn't be spammed indefinitely?

 

[Gardens & Goblins]

I'd probably say nay to both, at the risk of being pedantic, while being prepared to wiggle on the first.

Viscous Mockery requires the target to hear you.

The question is - can you hear telepathy? Granted, 'Silent Speech' is a fluffy name rather than a strict description. The ability states you and your target can understand each other, if you both share a language. Is it consensual? Does the target know the source of the Silent Speech? If not, could GW haffers run amok sowing madness into the minds of the masses, even without magic? (Heh!) If the target knows the source of the telepathy (which I think is generally the case in 5E?) then I'd be more willing to support it.

As for Subtle Spell, it specifically states you can cast without any somatic or verbal components. The entire point is that nobody hears you - and, again, Viscous Mockery states your target needs to be able to hear you.

Rule of Cool? Maybe... tho I'm not a fan of helping making GW halflings any better. For such a rare subrace they're already very popular at our table - and thus prevalent .

 

[posineg]

I'd allow it.

Personally, I think the part about the target needing to hear you is due to the definition of Mockery: "teasing and contemptuous language or behavior directed at a particular person or thing." Therefor, it is hard to Mock a deaf person.

BUT WITH THE POWER OF MAGIC (sorry for the dramatic voice) you can speak to someone who is deaf using telepathy. By the transitive property, all spells that require the person to "Hear" you should work via telepathy.

Would you also not allow Suggestion, Mass Suggestion and other similar spell not work even though you could "talk" to a person via your telepathy?

 

[jaelis]

I would allow telepathy to meet the requirement that the target can hear you. But the spell still has a verbal component so I'd require you to speak for that (unless you used subtle spell).

 

[jgsugden]

I'd allow it. It tells a good and fun story.

 

[MNblockhead]

Yes. I would.

My last game involved far more telepathic creatures (illithids, aeboleth featured heavy in the plot) than is normal for my games. There were no bards in the party, but vicious mockery would be a great way to respond to being communicated with telepathically.

"You want in my mind‽ Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you, you mop-mouthed, squid-headed abortion! Yo mama so ugly, she threw away her body--her naked brain was the only thing anyone could stomach seeing nude!"

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

I really see no balance issues, and have actually doing this for some time. The party has an NPC archaeologist (modeled after Marcus Brody) "bard" with all his spells being reflavored as psychic abilities. Vicious Mockery became Mind Thrust. We sometimes jokingly acknowledge there are Aquaman fish telepathy rings coming from him to the target. In two + years of this campaign, I think he maybe would have used the power twice on a deaf target, so Rule of Cool allows the minor benefit he would receive. And we don't have to deal w a bunch of stupid jokes. Well, from THAT ability at least.

 

[Oofta]

The target has to hear you, it does not need to understand you. That to me implies that the magic is carried by sound, not necessarily content.

So I lean towards no, although I do think it's not that big of a deal. About the only time it would matter is if you don't want anyone else to hear you saying mean things to their buddy. In that case, losing the image of sneaking up behind someone to kill them by whispering in their ear would be kind of sad.

 

[Galendril]

If VM, then what else? Suggestion? Dissonant Whispers? I think this opens a Pandora's Box.

 

[Quartz]

This would be a cool ability for a fiend or aberration. But one of the drawbacks of the verbal component vs telepathic is that not only can your target hear you but so can everyone else. On that basis, would you allow Vicious Mockery in sign language?