I'm working on a feat that is intended to give a character the ability to cast the Mind Sliver cantrip as a reaction to mental intrusions. Looking for feedback on balance and wording.
Hostile Mind v.1
You are alert to mental intrusions and can expel intruders with your force of will.
Choose one ability score equal to 13 or higher from Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. You gain the following benefits:
You gain proficiency in saving throws using the chosen ability.
You learn the mind sliver cantrip, which you can cast using the chosen ability as the spellcasting ability for this spell, or the spellcasting ability of your class if you know mind sliver already. It does not count against the number of spells you know.
If a creature attempts to read your thoughts or uses a spell or ability that would cause you to become charmed or frightened, you may cast mind sliver at that creature as a reaction. If the creature fails its saving throw against mind sliver, you resist the effect and the triggering spell or ability ends. This feat does not prevent damage that may accompany the triggering spell or ability.
Comparable 5e feats
Resilient: +1 to an ability score, and proficiency in the saving throw for it.
Magic Initiate: 2 cantrips, and one 1st level spell that can be cast 1/long rest.
Fade Away (gnome): + 1 to DEX or INT, can functionally cast Invisibility as a reaction to being damaged 1/long rest (but does not learn Invisibility as a spell as part of this feat)
War Caster: Advantage on CON saving throws to maintain Concentration, can cast while holding weapons and shields, and can cast spells with a casting time of 1 action as a reaction against creatures provoking an AoO.
Balancing
Casting Mind Sliver as an action: unlimited per day. Magic Initiate would give you this and another cantrip, plus the 1st level spell 1/long rest.
Casting Mind Sliver as a reaction: unlimited per day but relies on specific trigger (mind reading or abilities that charm/frighten). Fade Away is 1/long rest, but that's a 2nd level spell. War Caster is unlimited but relies on a specific trigger (AoO). The reaction of Mind Sliver would take place before the effect of the triggering spell or ability.
An alternative that might be interesting is granting Mind Spike (2nd level) only as a reaction and only 1/long rest. More damage, and means you know where the target is. Probably too powerful though?
Damage: I'm not sure there are any triggers that would do damage in addition to mind reading/charm/frighten, but this feat wouldn't prevent the damage. Should it?
Casting ability: (example) if a character already knows Mind Sliver as an INT spell, then gains this feat and chooses CHA, they can cast Mind Sliver using INT or CHA.
Stunned: at the moment, this feat doesn't prevent being stunned because that's more than a mental intrusion but a full on mental attack.
Verbal: Mind Sliver only has a Verbal component. Might be cool to allow silent casting as a reaction, but rules as written, casting Mind Sliver with this feat still has the Verbal component.
In Practice vs. a Mind Flayer
The Mind Flayer (caster) has access to the Detect Thoughts and Dominate Monster spells, as well as tentacles and a Mind Blast effect that do psychic damage.
The Mind Flayer's target has the Hostile Mind feat.
Detect Thoughts (surface level): allows caster to read surface thoughts, target is normally not aware.
Would alert the target and permit Mind Sliver as a reaction.
If the caster fails their save against Mind Sliver, the caster cannot read the target's thoughts, and Detect Thoughts ends.
If the caster makes their save against Mind Sliver, the caster can read the target's thoughts, and Detect Thoughts continues and the target gets to make their saving throw against it.
Detect Thoughts (deeper thoughts): provokes a Wisdom Save from the target and the target becomes aware.
Would alert the target and permit Mind Sliver as a reaction.
If the caster fails their save against Mind Sliver, the caster cannot read the target's deeper thoughts, and Detect Thoughts ends.
If the caster makes their save against Mind Sliver, the caster can read the target's thoughts, and Detect Thoughts continues and the target gets to make their saving throw against it.
Dominate Monster: provokes a Wisdom Save or the target is charmed.
Would alert the target and permit Mind Sliver as a reaction.
If the caster fails their save against Mind Sliver, the caster is not charmed, and Dominate Monster ends.
If the caster makes their save against Mind Sliver, Dominate Monster continues and the target gets to make their saving throw against it.
Tentacles: does psychic damage on a hit and provokes an INT save or the target is stunned.
Not affected by Hostile Mind
Mind Blast: does psychic damage on a hit and provokes an INT save or the target is stunned.
This seems like it is intended for a very narrow use case: i.e. countering Mindflayers, Aboleths, Elder Brains and their kin which is cool. But to make it not terribly niche, you've thrown in two other broader conditions despite them flavourwise not really making sense.
"Frightening Presence" like what dragon have just from them being big scary monsters - not because they are invading your mind - is the most common origin for the frightened condition among PCs. Having mind sliver as a reaction to this doesn't really make sense.... Likewise, most monster-based charms aren't the monster attacking your mind but having an alluring appearance, scent or magical presence.
There are lots of spells and magic items designed for countering mind-reading which are probably better suited than a feat since they can be swapped in / out depending on the adventuring day and whether the players are likely to face mind reading enemies or not.
I'd like to target it to mind-affecting/manipulation effects - so it would interact with a Fear spell (which specifically draws on your worst fears to show you), or a vampire's Charm ability (which is targeted at you), but not a passive ability such as Frightful Presence, but I don't know what wording is most appropriate for 5e. I don't think 'mind-affecting' is a thing, so it would be down to DM interpretation.
I guess in MTG terms, it would activate any time you were targeted - but not for 'all creature' effects.
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Currently homebrewing the Mistveil Rogue, an elusive infiltrator that can vanish into thin air.
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I'm working on a feat that is intended to give a character the ability to cast the Mind Sliver cantrip as a reaction to mental intrusions. Looking for feedback on balance and wording.
Hostile Mind v.1
You are alert to mental intrusions and can expel intruders with your force of will.
Choose one ability score equal to 13 or higher from Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. You gain the following benefits:
Comparable 5e feats
Resilient: +1 to an ability score, and proficiency in the saving throw for it.
Magic Initiate: 2 cantrips, and one 1st level spell that can be cast 1/long rest.
Fade Away (gnome): + 1 to DEX or INT, can functionally cast Invisibility as a reaction to being damaged 1/long rest (but does not learn Invisibility as a spell as part of this feat)
War Caster: Advantage on CON saving throws to maintain Concentration, can cast while holding weapons and shields, and can cast spells with a casting time of 1 action as a reaction against creatures provoking an AoO.
Balancing
Casting Mind Sliver as an action: unlimited per day. Magic Initiate would give you this and another cantrip, plus the 1st level spell 1/long rest.
Casting Mind Sliver as a reaction: unlimited per day but relies on specific trigger (mind reading or abilities that charm/frighten). Fade Away is 1/long rest, but that's a 2nd level spell. War Caster is unlimited but relies on a specific trigger (AoO). The reaction of Mind Sliver would take place before the effect of the triggering spell or ability.
An alternative that might be interesting is granting Mind Spike (2nd level) only as a reaction and only 1/long rest. More damage, and means you know where the target is. Probably too powerful though?
Damage: I'm not sure there are any triggers that would do damage in addition to mind reading/charm/frighten, but this feat wouldn't prevent the damage. Should it?
Casting ability: (example) if a character already knows Mind Sliver as an INT spell, then gains this feat and chooses CHA, they can cast Mind Sliver using INT or CHA.
Stunned: at the moment, this feat doesn't prevent being stunned because that's more than a mental intrusion but a full on mental attack.
Verbal: Mind Sliver only has a Verbal component. Might be cool to allow silent casting as a reaction, but rules as written, casting Mind Sliver with this feat still has the Verbal component.
In Practice vs. a Mind Flayer
The Mind Flayer (caster) has access to the Detect Thoughts and Dominate Monster spells, as well as tentacles and a Mind Blast effect that do psychic damage.
The Mind Flayer's target has the Hostile Mind feat.
Detect Thoughts (surface level): allows caster to read surface thoughts, target is normally not aware.
Detect Thoughts (deeper thoughts): provokes a Wisdom Save from the target and the target becomes aware.
Dominate Monster: provokes a Wisdom Save or the target is charmed.
Tentacles: does psychic damage on a hit and provokes an INT save or the target is stunned.
Mind Blast: does psychic damage on a hit and provokes an INT save or the target is stunned.
Currently homebrewing the Mistveil Rogue, an elusive infiltrator that can vanish into thin air.
This seems like it is intended for a very narrow use case: i.e. countering Mindflayers, Aboleths, Elder Brains and their kin which is cool. But to make it not terribly niche, you've thrown in two other broader conditions despite them flavourwise not really making sense.
"Frightening Presence" like what dragon have just from them being big scary monsters - not because they are invading your mind - is the most common origin for the frightened condition among PCs. Having mind sliver as a reaction to this doesn't really make sense.... Likewise, most monster-based charms aren't the monster attacking your mind but having an alluring appearance, scent or magical presence.
There are lots of spells and magic items designed for countering mind-reading which are probably better suited than a feat since they can be swapped in / out depending on the adventuring day and whether the players are likely to face mind reading enemies or not.
I'd like to target it to mind-affecting/manipulation effects - so it would interact with a Fear spell (which specifically draws on your worst fears to show you), or a vampire's Charm ability (which is targeted at you), but not a passive ability such as Frightful Presence, but I don't know what wording is most appropriate for 5e. I don't think 'mind-affecting' is a thing, so it would be down to DM interpretation.
I guess in MTG terms, it would activate any time you were targeted - but not for 'all creature' effects.
Currently homebrewing the Mistveil Rogue, an elusive infiltrator that can vanish into thin air.