On the topic of Telepathy

[Alpha-21]

So, I recently made up a new character for a campaign that a friend is running. I chose to take the feat "Elan Heritage", which is in the Psionic Power book. One of the things it grants is "Telepathy 5".


I looked all through the books and couldn't find any real info on telepathy. All I could find was on the D&D Wiki, which was

A creature with this ability can communicate telepathically with any other creature within a certain range (specified in the creature’s entry, usually 100 feet) that has a language. It is possible to address multiple creatures at once telepathically, although maintaining a 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.

Based on this description, my understanding is that it's basically like the broadcast spell in Shadowrun, which allows the caster to send out a message to anyone in the range of the spell, which nobody who's not being sent the message can hear. Meaning that, just like if you were to say hello to someone, they don't have to be a voluntary target. Obviously, you'd have to speak their language, but still.


However, I was wondering, what are the actual rules, (if any), on Telepathy in 4e? I wanted to actually know how to do what my character can do prior to the game.

I haven't played a whole lot of D&D, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

[Surrealistik]

It's important to note that you don't have to speak the language of the creature you're attempting to communicate with; they just need to have one.

Also those are pretty much the telepathy rules in their entirety so far as its default, communication only form goes. Other especial forms of telepathy that can be utilized offensively and such are detailed piecemeal in powers and the like.

[Alpha-21]

Any idea where in the books this is can be found? All I was able to find in the actual books was that some psions believe that there is a universal mental language.

My GM will want an actual book reference, and won't accept anything aside from RAW.

[Tegu8788]

Monster Manual 2 pg 219, Monster Manual pg 283, Rules Compendium pg 316. Good bet your DM has at least one of those.

[Alpha-21]

Thank you very much. He ended up being fine with it.

[Alpha-21]

I guess this brings up a second question, more of for my own curiosity. What are the Elan? I couldn't find much of any info on them. Just basics of lifespan, but that's it. I was wanting to work some subtle Elan mannerisms into how I play the character, but I'm not sure what they actually are.

[Adoendithas]

I guess this brings up a second question, more of for my own curiosity. What are the Elan? I couldn't find much of any info on them. Just basics of lifespan, but that's it. I was wanting to work some subtle Elan mannerisms into how I play the character, but I'm not sure what they actually are.

Second image. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/ootscast.html)
Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[Sol]

I guess this brings up a second question, more of for my own curiosity. What are the Elan? I couldn't find much of any info on them. Just basics of lifespan, but that's it. I was wanting to work some subtle Elan mannerisms into how I play the character, but I'm not sure what they actually are.

From the Elan article on D&D Wiki:
Elan are a race of aberrations with psionic powers. Originally human, they are changed into a new form by other elan. While still humanoid looking, they are immortal and able to sustain their bodies with psionic power instead of food and drink.

For more flavor text, obtain a copy of the 2004 Extended Psionics Handbook for 3.5e.

Elans are made, not born, and their opinion is that they are a superior race, created without flaw. Their personalities tend to be somewhat cold and calculating, and their physical appearance is that of a very attractive human.

[Alpha-21]

Well, the only prerequisite listed for the feat is that the character be humanoid, and it changes the characters origin to being Elan. The race I chose is Genasi, so I was just going to assume that she was half and half. Would that work?

[Sol]

Well, the only prerequisite listed for the feat is that the character be humanoid, and it changes the characters origin to being Elan. The race I chose is Genasi, so I was just going to assume that she was half and half. Would that work?

4e is much more fluff-flexible than previous editions of d&d, which often strove (pointlessly, in my opinion) to create separate-but-equal mechanics to match any possible thing you want to roleplay. 4e pretty much just gives you mechanics and lets you describe them any damn way you please.

While 3.5e Elan were all built from humans, there's no reason yours has to be. While the 3.5 Elan were described as sterile post-transformation, there's no reason you can't say your mother was Genasi and your father an Elan. This could create a possible plot-hook for your DM, or just an interesting bit of your backstory explaining how/why the conception was possible.

There's no reason you can't ignore the fact that your character sheet says Genasi entirely, call yourself an Elan, not look like a Genasi at all, and describe your Genasi powers as psionic in origin. If you've already been playing your character and have already developed his backstory, ret-conning it is not the right way to go, but if it's a new character, it can be anything you want.

And there's no reason you can't ignore the Elan Heritage fluff entirely and create some other reason for why you might have Telepathy as a Genasi. It may or may not have anything at all to do with Elans. Perhaps you rescued some Elan being held as slaves and they bestowed the gift of telepathy upon you. Or perhaps a mind-flayer attack left you more sensitive in its wake - something to do with the hole in your brain seeking to be filled? You could have found an artifact or device of some sort that allows you to hear ambient thoughts, or a mad scientist/artificer could have developed an implant of some sort.

And possibly most boring of all - but no less useful on occasion - you don't have to come up with an explanation for everything at all! There doesn't have to be a reason you're aware of that your character is/became telepathic - it could have just happened randomly. And don't be afraid it will lead to a boring character! If you came up with a logical, flowing reason for every character choice you made, your backstory would eventually be pretty insufferable, and/or the character mediocre-at-best.

Remember that the options are limitless, really. Reading the fluff of what-came-before is useful for knowing that the conventions are, but there's no compelling reason to always stick to them.

[Alpha-21]

Well, the background I came up wish was that she was the bastard child of a Elan nobleman, which is how I worked that in, and the telepathy, she just always had, at some level. But the thing is, she's a swordmage, which isn't psionic. With the character builder from wizards, it only shows what the character can actually take, and it gave me the option to take the feat that granted all these.

So, since she's not psionic, then the part about being able to sustain themselves using psionic power instead of food and water wouldn't ring true for her, right? Which is fine, even though it isn't actually something in game. But could that be changed to her sustaining herself using Arcane power?

[ArcturusV]

In my random DMing experience, and being flexible in general if I was approached with those questions there Alpha, here's what my answers would be:

Psionic Sustenance: It still applies if and when the situation comes up. If for example you were in a situation where you were constantly exposed to Psionic Powers (Visiting a community of psychics who had almost a constant telepathic communications buzz going around the town? Spending hours and hours under Mind Flayer psychic mercies on a day, etc), then you could effectively live off the psychic energy. Otherwise you'd need to supplement, actually eating/drinking about half as much as a normal person and using a trickle of your own innate Arcane power to feed it (Since Arcane Magic CAN mimick some "psychic" powers, or create Psychic effects, it seems logical that you'd get some nourishment from it, but not enough to fit your needs by itself).

[Sol]

Well, the background I came up wish was that she was the bastard child of a Elan nobleman, which is how I worked that in, and the telepathy, she just always had, at some level. But the thing is, she's a swordmage, which isn't psionic. With the character builder from wizards, it only shows what the character can actually take, and it gave me the option to take the feat that granted all these.

So, since she's not psionic, then the part about being able to sustain themselves using psionic power instead of food and water wouldn't ring true for her, right? Which is fine, even though it isn't actually something in game. But could that be changed to her sustaining herself using Arcane power?

psionic sustenance isn't a thing in 4e, it's one of the attributes of the 3.5 race. The 4e heritage feat does exactly what it says it does - it gives you telepathy 5 and the damage reducing encounter power. Nothing more and nothing less, and every aspect of how you describe those abilities and where they come from is entirely up to you.