Detect Thoughts
- Level: 2
- School: Divination
- Class: Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard
- Casting Time: Action
- Range: Self
- Components: V, S, M (1 Copper Piece)
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
You activate one of the effects below. Until the spell ends, you can activate either effect as a Magic action on your later turns.
Sense Thoughts. You sense the presence of thoughts within 30 feet of yourself that belong to creatures that know languages or are telepathic. You don't read the thoughts, but you know that a thinking creature is present.
The spell is blocked by 1 foot of stone, dirt, or wood; 1 inch of metal; or a thin sheet of lead.
Read Thoughts. Target one creature you can see within 30 feet of yourself or one creature within 30 feet of yourself that you detected with the Sense Thoughts option. You learn what is most on the target's mind right now. If the target doesn't know any languages and isn't telepathic, you learn nothing.
As a Magic action on your next turn, you can try to probe deeper into the target's mind. If you probe deeper, the target makes a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, you discern the target's reasoning, emotions, and something that looms large in its mind (such as a worry, love, or hate). On a successful save, the spell ends. Either way, the target knows that you are probing into its mind, and until you shift your attention away from the target's mind, the target can take an action on its turn to make an Intelligence (Arcana) check against your spell save DC, ending the spell on a success.
Tactical Usage
Mental Surveillance: Detect Thoughts provides powerful information gathering through telepathic awareness. This 2nd-level divination spell excels at intelligence gathering and detecting hidden enemies.
Optimal Timing: Most effective during social encounters, investigation scenarios, or when searching for concealed intelligent threats.
Resource Management: Uses a 2nd-level spell slot - available from character level 3+. 1-minute duration with concentration provides substantial investigation time.
Target Selection: Use Sense Thoughts for general detection, then focus Read Thoughts on specific targets for detailed information.
Spell Combinations
Synergistic Spells:
- Social Magic: Combine with charm spells for enhanced social manipulation
- Illusion Magic: Layer with disguise or invisibility for covert information gathering
- Investigation Spells: Pair with other divination magic for comprehensive intelligence collection
Class Feature Interactions:
- Telepathic Features: Natural telepaths gain enhanced understanding of detected thoughts
- Social Skills: Charisma-based classes benefit from thought insight during social encounters
- Arcane Knowledge: Wizards gain deeper interpretation of magical thought patterns
Multi-Caster Coordination: Multiple thought readers can monitor different targets or verify information through cross-reference.
Material Component Details
Component Acquisition: 1 copper piece - universally available currency with minimal cost.
Component Handling: Component not consumed during casting. Single coin can be reused repeatedly.
Roleplay Opportunities: Different coins or mental focus objects might reflect personal traditions or regional customs.
Economic Considerations: Extremely minimal cost makes this viable for frequent information gathering activities.
Creator Notes
Encounter Balancing: Mind reading significantly affects social encounters and investigation scenarios.
NPC Usage: Spies, investigators, or mentalists might use this for intelligence gathering or interrogation.
Environmental Considerations: Blocked by substantial barriers but otherwise works in most social and exploration contexts.
Campaign Integration: Powerful investigation magic that can dramatically alter information gathering and social dynamics.
Environmental Interactions
Terrain Effects: 30-foot radius detection and targeting. Blocked by substantial physical barriers.
Weather Influence: Unaffected by weather conditions, providing reliable mental detection regardless of external factors.
Structural Interactions: Blocked by barriers - 1 foot stone/dirt/wood, 1 inch metal, or thin lead sheet.
Elemental Interactions: Detects thoughts from intelligent creatures regardless of their elemental or supernatural nature.
Common Rulings & Clarifications
Timing Questions: Action to cast, magic action to activate effects. Concentration up to 1 minute.
Target Limitations: 30-foot range for both detection and reading. Requires intelligent, language-knowing creatures.
Duration Interactions: Targets become aware of deeper probing. Can be countered through Intelligence (Arcana) checks.
Mechanical Interactions: Two-stage effect: sense presence, then read specific thoughts. Wisdom save for deeper probing.
Alternative Applications
Non-Combat Uses: Social investigation, negotiation insight, detecting lies, or gathering intelligence about plans and motivations.
Social Encounters: Enhanced diplomacy through understanding motivations, identifying deception, or gaining social advantages.
Exploration Applications: Detecting hidden intelligent threats, understanding local attitudes, or gathering area intelligence.
Utility Functions: Crime investigation, spy work, diplomatic intelligence, or psychological counseling assistance.
Related Spells
Same School: Other divination spells like detect magic (1st level magical detection), clairvoyance (3rd level remote sensing), scrying (5th level distant observation).
Similar Effects: zone of truth (2nd level honesty compulsion), suggestion (2nd level mind influence), dominate person (5th level mind control).
Progression Options: detect thoughts (2nd level mind reading), suggestion (2nd level mind influence), dominate person (5th level mind control).
Complementary Magic: charm person (social influence), suggestion (mental manipulation), modify memory (thought alteration).
Scaling Analysis
Level Progression: Remains valuable throughout campaigns for information gathering and social intelligence.
Upcast Benefits: No improvement from higher spell slots, making this a pure 2nd-level utility investment.
Campaign Phases: Peak effectiveness in social-heavy campaigns or investigation-focused adventures.
Comparative Value: Excellent information magic that provides crucial intelligence gathering capabilities for minimal resource investment.
Narrative Flavor
Casting Description: Mental energy expands as your consciousness reaches out to touch the thoughts and emotions of nearby minds.
Effect Manifestation: Surface thoughts become accessible to your enhanced perception, revealing the mental landscape of conscious creatures.
Personal Style: Wizards use analytical mental frameworks, bards employ empathetic emotional resonance, while sorcerers manifest intuitive thought connection.
World Integration: Represents advanced mental magic available to scholarly and artistic casters, often associated with spy craft, investigation, or psychological study.