Telepathy and Invisible Creatures

[Laurellien]

Here's an interesting question:

Can a creature with telepathy (like a demon), communicate with a creature within range, which it knows is present, but it cannot see and does not know where it is?

Answers appreciated.

[Segev]

Absolutely. The power doesn't require you to know where the creature you're talking to is.

[HorizonWalker]

As a DM, I would say yes, on the grounds that you can talk to someone without knowing where they are, and therefore telepathy would be generally the same way. No reason to make it more complicated/inconvenient, after all.

This is fantasy. Realism has no place here, only entertainment.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Telepathy works similarily to actually speaking, in that anyone within 'speaking' range can hear. The one difference seems that Telepathy is selective, the Telepath can choose who hears (including everybody in range, presumably).

[Jeff the Green]

Telepathy works similarily to actually speaking, in that anyone within 'speaking' range can hear. The one difference seems that Telepathy is selective, the Telepath can choose who hears (including everybody in range, presumably).

Though it's honestly ambiguous, this is how I've always ruled it. (Barring explicit exceptions like the whisper halfling.)

[Curmudgeon]

Sure. The question is what counts as "in range" for telepathy, because the game authors didn't say. It could be line of effect only. It could be über-powerful: a straight sphere, blocked by nothing. Or it could be blocked by anything that typically blocks Divinations (like a thin sheet of lead) and telepathy will work if you can concatenate enough line segments around those obstructions and they still add up to less than the maximum range.

Better ask your DM what the constraints are in their game.

[Rainshine]

Yes. How, telepathically speaking, is a little more interesting to me. Short of a few features/abilities here and there, telepathy is a pretty secure channel, or can be. As a GM, I would say the demon could broadcast to the room at large, essentially telepathically yelling to every creature inside. If he knew his friend Charles the Imp was in the room, he could talk to Charles, even if Charles was invisible. If he walked in and saw an imp turn invisible and 'called' to Charles, and it was not, in fact, Charles, AND Charles wasn't within range, he would get a number not found signal.
If he were to walk into a room though, and maybe saw something disappear just as he entered, I would say he could not specifically target 'the creature that just disappeared'. He could call out to the room at large, but anyone else could 'hear' and answer as well.

[Laurellien]

Thank you all for the advice. As far as asking the GM goes: well, that's me and I've already been asked, hence coming here for advice.

I like the ideas here and will fully utilise them.