* - (a copper piece) 

"A penny for your thoughts."  
I love these hold over material components from the original D&D and AD&D and any newer ones that follow in the same vein. :-)

Enables two way communication for GOOlocks and Ghostwise halflings.

I want to know about superficial thinking. Can you identify the parole when we read superficial thoughts? If the opponent asks the question "potato," can I know what he thinks of "watermelon"?

dont GOOlocks get awaken mind?

By RAW and Sage Advice, Awaken Mind is one-way, send from the GOOlock (or Ghostwise Halfling) only.  Your DM and local group may play it otherwise.

If you only read the surface thoughts, do they still know their mind is being read?

Do you loose concentration if the target makes the wisdom save? 

"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 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.

D&D Beyond Issue:  This spell, Detect Thoughts, is missing from the "Mark of Detection Half-Elf" template as part of their "Spells of the Mark" at second level if they have Spellcasting, however, "detect thoughts doesn't appear on their character sheets under "Manage Spells"-> "Known Spells" list of spells to choose from.  A fix to this issue would be great!

Spells of the Mark

If you have the Spellcasting or the Pact Magic class feature, the spells on the Mark of Detection Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class.

Two Questions

1. Can you attack while focusing on the mind of another creature. I know it says you use your action to focus on their mind, but how long does that last? Are you still focusing on their mind on your next turn, assuming they haven't thrown you off? And if so, can you attack while reading their thoughts, and would it affact your attack?

2. If you are reading a creatures mind on your turn, and they attack on their next turn, would you gain any advantage against their attack?

I'd like to know the same thing. How does this spell works in combat? I'd say, the attack paterns are on the surface of thoughts. So would a creature you used the spell on has disadvantage on attack rolls against you? Would you have advantage on attack rolls against the creature because you know how your enemy would react? 

Quote from Farangos84 >>

I'd like to know the same thing. How does this spell works in combat? I'd say, the attack paterns are on the surface of thoughts. So would a creature you used the spell on has disadvantage on attack rolls against you? Would you have advantage on attack rolls against the creature because you know how your enemy would react? 

 The spell does specify that reading thoughts requires your action, not your bonus action. So unless you have something to give you an extra action on your turn, like a fighter's Action Surge, or a bonus action that lets you attack without attacking with your action (I don't know any such bonus actions off the top of my head), then you can't attack someone while using this spell. 

Regarding the target of detect thoughts attacking you, obviously there's nothing RAW indicating anything like that, but a very good argument can be made that the target should have disadvantage if he is attacking the caster. Up to your DM's discretion.

Spiritual weapon, not much damage though.  Chronurgist lvl 14 could arcane abeyance this to their familiar...sounds like a major waste of that feature, though...this spell reads as more RP fun to me than anything.

In the paragraph below, I am fairly sure that the sentence beginning "Either way, the target knows ..." only relates to the 'probing deeper' (i.e. if only reading surface thoughts then the target doesn't get to know). But the way it is written is a bit ambiguous.

Can the paragraph be rephrased or split before the sentence beginning "If you probe deeper" to make it a bit clearer?

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.

Quote from Cynnewulf >>

* - (a copper piece) 

"A penny for your thoughts."  
I love these hold over material components from the original D&D and AD&D and any newer ones that follow in the same vein. :-)

 Another one of my favourite's is a legume seed with "Gust Of Wind". (A legume seed is a fancy word for bean, implying that the gust is actually a big fart, would've worked with stinking cloud too actually)

Every illusionist should have this prepared, in my not-so-humble opinion :D

For example, Illusory Script is a spell you can get a lot of mileage out of as an illusionist, especially combined with Malleable Illusions. One moment, that piece of paper in your hands is an in official invitation to the ball written in the host's own hand. The next, that same paper says you have a warrant for the arrest of the Countess on the authority of the crown. Not sure what exactly you need for the situation? A quick Detect Thoughts can let you know exactly what that castle guard is expecting to see and then you can make it so. Endless uses for someone inclined towards espionage!

Here is my reasoning:

The most important part of illusions is plausibility. If you conjure the image of a T-rex in a forest where T-rexs are known to live, you will scare the unprepared group of would-be caravan looters to find another Target. If you conjure the same image in the middle of a city, people might be scared, but most of them will question it, and spend their actions investigating or throwing things at it.

It leads to a lot of strategic play, where I'm always trying to figure out what the NPCs are expecting to happen, hoping to happen, or fearing might go wrong, and trying to coax those to the surface. It leads to great effect when I get it right, and hilarity when I read everything wrong and try to scare the spider worshipping cultists with bigger spiders.

GET OUT OF MY HEAD CHARLES!

What are our thoughts on Detecting Thoughts on ghosts? My character is a rogue-phantom subclass and can summon a spirit to ask one question. The spirit isn’t required to tell the truth however. With the Detect Thoughts spell my character could better discern the truth. What do we think?

On a strict reading of the rules, it wouldn't work, just because Detect Thoughts specifies that you need to target a creature, while Tokens of the Departed never says that the spirit it summons is a creature. However, I think that's a really neat idea, so I'd probably allow it to some extent if I were DM'ing! I might say that someone who's cast Detect Thoughts and uses Tokens of the Departed can make a Wisdom (Insight) check with advantage to see how truthful the spirit is being, maybe getting some additional information on a particularly high roll? Up to DM's discretion I suppose!

Thanks so much! This sounds balanced to me :)

Does the caster have to speak the same language as the target of this spell in order to understand surface thoughts? Or does it work more like telepathy?