Mind Blank and Telepathic Bond = The Uninformed Barbarian?

[Hypersmurf]

Does Mind Blank prevent me from understanding the protected target with the Tongues spell, too, since I could gather informations by speaking with him or her?

I'd say for consistency, the answer would be the same as the True Seeing answer. If Mind Blank protects against True Seeing, it blocks Tongues. If it doesn't, it doesn't.

-Hyp.

 

[-=Xar=-]

Tongues is not a mind-affecting spell. It doesn't really makes contact with the subjects mind, and you aren't reading his thoughts, it simply translates whatever has been said. So while he is protected by a Mind Blank you could still understand what the person is saying, but a Detect Thoughts wouldn't work.

 

[Thanee]

Tongues is not a mind-affecting spell.

Neither is Telepathic Bond.

It's just a silent form of communication.

Bye
Thanee

 

[the Jester]

I allow both sending and Rary's telepathic bond to work when there's an active mind blank involved.

 

[KarinsDad]

Neither is Telepathic Bond.

It's just a silent form of communication.

True. However, Mind Blank does not merely limit mind affecting effects.

It also disallows the acquisition of information mentally: "as well as information gathering by divination spells or effects".

Telepathic Bond is a divination spell that allows the others in the group to gather information (i.e. they get to hear what you have to say telepathically). It does it so well that it even overcomes language differences.

So from a literal reading of the two spells, the target of Mind Blank could also be a target of a Telepathic Bond, however, none of the other characters in the bond could hear his thoughts.

The protected character could, however, listen in on the conversation, he just could not participate.


Now, a really strict interpretation of "The subject is protected from all devices and spells that detect, influence, or read emotions or thoughts." would be that he could not even hear the conversation and not be affected by Telepathic Bond. The reason is that if he could hear the conversation (potentially of creatures that he could not otherwise communicate with), then it is influencing him. However, I think the word influence here means "magical influence", for example, domination (as per "No special power or influence is established as a result of the bond."), and not the generic influencing of being influenced whenever you hear something.


So he can hear, but he cannot talk through the bond.

 

[Thanee]

The big difference I see there is, that you cannot just read thoughts as you like, but you can only receive thoughts sent to you voluntarily.

Also you do not need to protect someone from being able to freely choose to converse or not.

A literal reading clearly indicates, that it will work, as there is absolutely no mentioning of anything written in the Mind Blank description in the Telepathic Bond description.

No mind-affecting, no information gathering, no thought reading, etc.

You absolutely could read it as that, it's telepathy after all and as such quite dependant on contacting the mind, but I wouldn't do so. The spell just seems to protect against forced attempts of that. It's not a complete barrier, that shuts off your mind completely from the world out there.

Bye
Thanee

 

[KarinsDad]

The big difference I see there is, that you cannot just read thoughts as you like, but you can only receive thoughts sent to you voluntarily.

Also you do not need to protect someone from being able to freely choose to converse or not.

A literal reading clearly indicates, that it will work, as there is absolutely no mentioning of anything written in the Mind Blank description in the Telepathic Bond description.

No mind-affecting, no information gathering, no thought reading, etc.

A reasonable idea except:

"Divination spells enable you to learn secrets long forgotten, to predict the future, to find hidden things, and to foil deceptive spells."

Basically, the definition and purpose of all divination spells is to gather information (i.e. you gain information that you did not previously have without casting the spell).

Mind Blank disallows divination spells targeted at the protected creature. Not just mental divination spells, ALL divination spells. It states so in the spell (since all divination spells gather information). Telepathic Bond is a divination spell that gathers information (even if you do not know the creatures language).

The voluntarily aspect of it is basically irrelevant. You cannot voluntarily give up your Protections From Elements Fire for one spell and still have it up for another. Ditto for giving up your Mind Blank for one spell and not for another.


Note: A divination spell could still find out information about your character if it went to a different source (i.e. a deity, your buddy at the inn, etc.), it just cannot get the information from the Mind Blank protected character while he is protected.

 

[Thanee]

Nah, if Mind Blank would foil all divinations, it would say so.

It specifically restricts the foiled spells to those that gather information.
It's clear enough from the context, that it does mean a part of the school only.

Unfortunately it lacks a description of what that means exactly...

Bye
Thanee

 

[KarinsDad]

Nah, if Mind Blank would foil all divinations, it would say so.

It specifically restricts the foiled spells to those that gather information.
It's clear enough from the context, that it does mean a part of the school only.

Unfortunately it lacks a description of what that means exactly...

Which divination spells do not gather information?

In other words, if you did not have the divination spell up, you would not know the information that the spell provides.

 

[Thanee]

I'm quite aware, that you can call every divination spell information-gathering. Heck, a Fireball is information-gathering, if you put it like that. Does it burn or not?

But I just do not think, that this is what they meant. Why stress the information gathering part?

I think it's just spells like those they list in the examples... detect spells and such. Spells, which actually give you information (directly) without any further help. Not spells, which enhance your senses or provide you with better means of communication, but those that you cast and then receive knowledge.

Bye
Thanee