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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Yaarel" data-source="post: 9678401" data-attributes="member: 58172">TelepathThe Telepath is a mind mage, projecting ones own mind to engage, influence, and wrestle other minds.The Psion base class is already mainly a Telepath. Most Psion spells have telepathic flavor. How a Telepath subclass stands out requires thought.Psionic telepathy and arcane Enchantment are mostly the same thing. Concepts like subjectively perceived "phantasmal" spells that are telepathic, should probably reclassify as Enchantment too.Level 3 (Slot 1)Bane, Command°.Command is good, and note it is in the main Psion spell list as well. The Bane spell is "not bad". The Telepaths mind overwhelms the minds of targets, causing them to suffer a 1d4 penalty on each attack roll. I might want to see Sanctuary here, as an impressively effective defensive spell, even tho it ends if the defender makes an attack.Both Bane and Sanctuary remind me of the "helmet of awe" (ægis-hjálmr). This isnt a literal helmet (nor the "key of Solomon" sigil that came to be referred by this name). The awe-helmet is a defensive use of telepathic seiðr. The mind intimidates the mind of the target in a way that makes it difficult to attack the telepath. The telepathic awe-helmet technique is notable because using seiðr to attack from a distance was considered unsuitably cowardly for a warrior. But this technique that allowed combat upclose and personal was considered manly enough. The dvergr Fáfnir uses this "psionic" awe-helmet against Sigurðr during the final combat encounter. This dvergr is a "Metamorph" taking the form of a draconic serpent.(Slot 2)Detect Thoughts°, Mind Spike°.Both spells are also on the Psion list, but I am ok if every Telepath must have these. Detects Thoughts is the right flavor, obviously. Happily, 2024 updated this spell. It went form useless (little more than an Insight skill check), to decent. Now one can detect the presence of nearby minds, even if hidden. The minds must know a language, or be telepathic themselves. When seen, one knows what the mind is currently thinking. And versus a Wisdom save, one can inquire deeper. Nice! An other quality of life improvement for psionic flavor spells.Mind Spike is a combat spell, dealing ok Psychic damage, 3d8. Versus a Wisdom save, the Telepath locks onto the mind and always knows where the mind is.Level 5 (Slot 3)Counterspell, [Hypnotic Pattern]°, {Speak with Plants}.Assigning Counterspell to here makes sense. I like Speak with Plants as a psionic "ritual" with animistic implications. I am unsure this should be a "spell" and that every Telepath must prepare it. So the "Gray Curlies" mean keep it somewhere for the Psion but not here. Given the slot 3 selection, perhaps Fear. Or Hypnotic Pattern where the "pattern of colors" would be phantasmal, seen only in the minds of those within the area of effect. I lean toward Hypnotic Pattern.Level 7 (Slot 4)Compulsion°, Confusion°.Compulsion is like a Mass Charm spell, except afterward the targets might not realize they were Charmed. Note, Charmed Monster only charms one creature, and specifies it does know afterward. Compulsion seems the better spell? I suppose the compulsioned isnt necessarily Friendly, but Charisma checks toward Friendly are at Advantage. Glad to see Compulsion be the one for every Telepath.Confusion is a "not bad" "tactical control" spell that helps to "fire focus".Level 9 (Slot 5)[Dominate Person]°, {Awaken}°, Modify Memory°.Modify Memory isnt for combat challenges, but for social challenges. Even if cast during combat, it is to end the combat, and prepare a social circumstance.Awaken imbues a Plant or Beast with a sapient mind. It is situational and works better as a "Ritual".  LOL! It takes 8 hours to cast! At this point, the need to spend a slot is pointless. And it is one of those non-psionic spells, done by the power of ones own "GP Cost Material". The spell needs rethinking. Maybe if it took an Action to cast as a kind of "pet" usable for combat, but after the first hour or so, having the choice to initiate personal autonomy. In any case, rewrite the spell to delete the assumption of GP functioning as a balancing mechanism. It is best to delete every Components entry from every spell. But if the unnecessary sacred cow remains, make sure the Psion class can always safely ignore it. Despite how much I love the storytelling opportunities of the Awaken ritual, especially for plants, it is probably best to not force every Telepath to take this. In this case, Dominate Person is a good spell that makes sense for a Telepath subclass.</blockquote>

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