Telepathy at a low ECL

[candycorn]

I was looking for races/classes/feats that grant telepathy. I know about Mindbender, but I don't like needing a caster/warlock level or being level 5.

Are there any forms that are available prior to level 5, without early entry?

[HunterOfJello]

The racial substitution levels for a Kalashtar Telepath (psion) give them additional uses of Mindlink per day and count the manifester level as equal to their HD instead of 1/2 their HD. At level 3 you'd be able to use Mindlink as a racial ability 3 times per day.

A popular entry is the replacement feat from The Mind's Eye (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070411a) online content. It replaces the level 5 bonus feat of a Telepath Psion with the ability to speak to others telepathically. It requires Telepath 5, but if you're interested in telepathy stuff, that's not really a big deal.


Telepathic Communication

You gain the supernatural ability to communicate with any creature with your telepathy.
Level: 5th.
Replaces: The bonus feat at 5th level.
Benefit: You gain the supernatural ability telepathy from page 316 of the Monster Manual. You can communicate telepathically with any other creature that has a language within 5 feet per manifester level. You can address multiple creatures at once telepathically, although maintaining telepathic conversation with more than one creature at a time is just as difficult as simultaneously speaking and listening to multiple people at the same time.


If you use the Savage Species book, a Djinni gets Telepathy 100ft at their first racial level. Efreeti also get it at level 1. Hamatulas, Succubi, Mind Flayers and Kytons get it at level 2. Vrocks get it at level 3. Each of these creatures has at least 11 racial levels before they can take levels in a character class though.

[Douglas]

The Shedu Crown soulmeld, and I think one other, from Magic of Incarnum can grant telepathy. These can be acquired through either feats or levels in Incarnum classes, your choice.

[Cuaqchi]

There is also a base race in Dark Sun that gets a limited form of Telepathy from first level. (Saurian I believe) There are also feats to improve said telepathy.

[Runestar]

Isn't there some halfling subrace in forgotten realms with telepathy?

[sreservoir]

The Shedu Crown soulmeld, and I think one other, from Magic of Incarnum can grant telepathy. These can be acquired through either feats or levels in Incarnum classes, your choice.

100' telepathy for two feats: shape soulmeld (shedu crown) and open least chakra (crown). still 6th, though, without being a totemist.

soulspeaker circlet grants 20' telepathy, but is throat bind, which is decidedly harder to get.

also tiefling incarnate 7, 100'; replaces share incarnum radiance, though. requires both tiefling and seven levels, though, so not very practical, and you could have taken totemist 5 instead.

[candycorn]

Sadly, mindlink doesn't work, and Savage Species progressions are out. I could have sworn there was a low LA race or two, but for the life of me, I can't remember where I saw it.

[Thrice Dead Cat]

Isn't there some halfling subrace in forgotten realms with telepathy?

There is a halfling subrace that grants something like telepathy, but is explicitly not telepathy and still requires the halfling to at least be able to whisper.

As for other options, you could always go pseudodragon, (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/pseudodragon.htm) but that's still ECL 5, and, without LA buy-off, not really worth it.

[Sitzkrieg]

The Message spell in core isn't telepathy, but there's no chance of being overheard and a pretty long duration, so it's nearly as good. I'm not sure why this spell always seems to get ignored on these boards, but my group uses it to great effect.

[Akal Saris]

Several of the savage species races-as-classes grant telepathy at ECL 1 or 2.

1st lvl: Djinni, hamatula, vrock

2nd: succubus

[candycorn]

To everyone:

No, savage species doesn't work. DM won't allow it.

No, Mindlink and Message don't work, as they are not the ability "Telepathy". Neither will qualify for mindsight, and I'd like to have that at a low level.

[Douglas]

A level 2 Incarnate with Shape Soulmeld (Shedu Crown) can have 100' telepathy. That's early enough to take Mindsight with your level 3 feat. Shape Soulmeld is required because Shedu Crown isn't on the Incarnate class list, and Totemist doesn't get the crown chakra bind until level 5.

[Person_Man]

I agree with douglas that the earliest would be Incarnate 2, taking the Shape Soulmeld (Shedu Crown) feat at first level, and opening up your Crown chakra at 2nd level. Though doing so would be insane, since you waste a feat and give up binding the uber Necrocarnum Circlet (which lets you animate a Necrocarnum Zombie at will). A more optimal build would be to just go Totemist 5+, or Totemist/Incarnate/Prestige Class.

My favorite source of Telepathy is the Zceryll vestige (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070718), which also grants the Mindsight feat, the Psuedonatural Template (Spell Resistance!), and unlimited Summoning. But you would need to wait until at least Binder 10 in order to bind it.