Allowing Vicious Mockery via telepathy

[Oofta]

You still have to babble the incantation. Just the deaf target isn't immune to suggestion because they still receive the command. It's a minor benefit of a ribbon ability that counters a minor fluff penalty of the spell (that doesnt matter 99.9% of the time). How often do you think this comes up to NOT just roll with a cool idea? Twice a campaign?

I swear some DM's look for any reason to say no...

One person's "any reason to say no" is another's "what stupid **** do you wan to pull this time?". Or "that's not how I see magic working in my world".

Any game has to have limitations and rules. Well, unless you're playing Calvinball.

I don't usually care about "slippery slope" arguments, but I do think this is one of them.

I always try to work with my players, but ruling has to make sense to the me as a DM. Sometimes that means saying no.

 

[Satyrn]

Well, unless you're playing Calvinball.

I expected a comic, not an essay.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

To everyone pulling for telepathy for replacing verbal components: Why do you hate Silence???

 

[CTurbo]

To everyone pulling for telepathy for replacing verbal components: Why do you hate Silence???

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There aren't a lot of ways to get telepathy so I don't see a problem

 

[Negflar2099]

I'd probably allow it too, just because it's so clever, but I certainly wouldn't offer it up to players. It's a neat trick though.

 

[DEFCON 1]

To everyone pulling for telepathy for replacing verbal components: Why do you hate Silence???

I can count on one hand with a couple fingers missing the number of times any spellcaster in my game used Silence to try and disrupt an enemy spellcaster. I'm not worried in the slightest of one specific PC getting a special workaround for an event that barely ever occurs.

 

[DEFCON 1]

It’s a given that each DM is empowered to rule as they like.

True. But the question that was asked was 'Is this overpowered?' And the answer is that you can't make that determination without knowing the style of the DM in question. Every DM's style is different, so there is no right answer. My post is a fairly good representation of one end of the spectrum-- and why the question of "overpoweredness" is unnecessary.

Enough other players gave the strict "game mechanics first" reply for their styles, which is why I spoke up going the other way.

 

[Mistwell]

If you share a language then yes I'd allow it. If you do not share a language then no I would not allow it. Because Silent Speech requires a shared language for it to function. Vicious Mockery itself does not require a shared language however, so if you lack a shared language you will need to use verbalization to convey the magic.

 

[posineg]

To everyone pulling for telepathy for replacing verbal components: Why do you hate Silence???

I would not allow telepathy in replace of the verbal component of casting the spell. I would allow the effect of a spell to use telepathy in the case of effecting a target who does not hear. For example using telepathy to Vicious Mockery a deaf targets mind or Suggestion effecting a target who does not understand your language but you can effect with telepathy.

The verbal/somatic/material part of the spell is still the same, so Silence would effect a spell being cast with a verbal component.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

I would not allow telepathy in replace of the verbal component of casting the spell. I would allow the effect of a spell to use telepathy in the case of effecting a target who does not hear. For example using telepathy to Vicious Mockery a deaf targets mind or Suggestion effecting a target who does not understand your language but you can effect with telepathy.

The verbal/somatic/material part of the spell is still the same, so Silence would effect a spell being cast with a verbal component.

I was kind of just having fun with my post, but I do like how you handle it here.