Detect Thoughts (One)
Detect Thoughts [SRD5 OGL/CC-BY] [1] [2] (Spell)
Level: 2nd-level
Class List: Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard
School: Divination
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: V, S, M (a copper piece)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Scales: False
For the duration, you can read the thoughts of certain creatures. When you cast the spell and as your action on each turn until the spell ends, you can focus your mind on any one creature that you can see within 30 feet of you. If the creature you choose has an Intelligence of 3 or lower or doesn’t speak any language, the creature is unaffected.
You initially learn the surface thoughts of the creature — what is most on its mind in that moment. As an action, you can either shift your attention to another creature’s thoughts or attempt to probe deeper into the same creature’s mind. If you probe deeper, the target must make a Wisdom saving throw. If it fails, you gain insight into its reasoning (if any), its emotional state, and something that looms large in its mind (such as something it worries over, loves, or hates). If it succeeds, the spell ends. Either way, the target knows that you are probing into its mind, and unless you shift your attention to another creature’s thoughts, the creature can use its action on its turn to make an Intelligence check contested by your Intelligence check; if it succeeds, the spell ends.
Questions verbally directed at the target creature naturally shape the course of its thoughts, so this spell is particularly effective as part of an interrogation.
You can also use this spell to detect the presence of thinking creatures you can’t see. When you cast the spell or as your action during the duration, you can search for thoughts within 30 feet of you. The spell can penetrate barriers, but 2 feet of rock, 2 inches of any metal other than lead, or a thin sheet of lead blocks you. You can’t detect a creature with an Intelligence of 3 or lower or one that doesn’t speak any language.
Once you detect the presence of a creature in this way, you can read its thoughts for the rest of the duration as described above, even if you can’t see it, but it must still be within range.
Sources and Notes[edit]
- ↑ SRD5:
- Wizards RPG Team (6 May 2015). SRD-OGL v5.1. (5e 2014) Wizards of the Coast. Licensed: OGL.
- Wizards RPG Team (9 May 2024). SRD-CC v5.1. (5e 2014) Wizards of the Coast. Licensed: CC-BY.
- ↑ class tags — WotC RPG Team (5 October 2023). UA 2023 Bastions and Cantrips. (Dungeons and Dragons One D&D) Wizards of the Coast.
| One D&D is Playtest Material Only These game mechanics are in draft form, usable in your D&D campaign but not refined by full game development and editing. They aren’t officially part of the game and aren’t permitted in D&D Adventurers League events, nor are they available for use on D&D Beyond. |
| — D&D Beyond One D&D Playtest material |
| Unearthed Arcana The material in Unearthed Arcana is not Official Material. It is presented for playtesting and to spark your imagination. These game mechanics are in draft form, usable in your campaign but not refined by final game development and editing. They are not officially part of the game. For these reasons, material in this column is not legal in D&D Adventurers League events. |
| —Notice on most 5e Unearthed Arcana PDFs |
Main Page → One D&D → Spell
Main Page → One D&D → Unearthed Arcana
| Author | "Varied" + |
| Cast Time | 1 action + |
| Component | V +, S + and M + |
| Concentration | true + |
| Level | 2 + |
| Name | Detect Thoughts + |
| OneDnD Playtest | true + |
| Publication | "Varied" + |
| Range | Self + |
| School | Divination + |
| SortText | Detect Thoughts (One) One + |
| Spell List | Bard +, Sorcerer + and Wizard + |
| Unearthed Arcana | true + |
