Is this spell at an appropriate level?

[Gizmogidget]

I'm in a campaign working for a telepath who I am very suspicious of. However, ordinary telepathy blockers such as mind shielding rings, or lead will not be effective, as it would arouse suspicion. I have created a homebrewed spell for this and would like to know if you think it is too powerful (or weak) for its level. I plan to run it by the DM, and want it to be appropriate.

Excite Emotions
3rd Level Enchantment
Casting time 1 minute (Ritual)
Range: Self or Touch
Components: V, S
Duration: 24 hours

Cast this spell on a willing creature or yourself. The spell only works on creatures with an intelligence of 4 or higher. While affected, you can select 2 emotions of your choosing to enhance, each additional enhanced emotion halves the duration of this spell. While these emotions are enhanced the creature adopts certain personality traits. If the creature does not possess the ability to have the emotion in the first place, is immune to telepathy, or otherwise protected from mind-altering magic, the spell will not work.

Creatures possessing telepathy will see all thoughts in the light of the enhanced emotions. A successful Insight check contested by the spellcaster's save DC will reveal the alteration. Otherwise the telepath will be unable to recognize opposing emotions in the creature, and has a 50% chance assuming (provided the DM believes it to make sense), that the primary motivation for an action is the enhanced emotion. For joy this is sadness or distraught, for anger this is fear, for anticipation this is surprise or shock, and for trust this is disgust or suspicion.

Trust - The affected creature now has a greater sense of trust. The affected creature feels no need to do Insight checks or Deception checks, unless it can be proven to the DM that said creature would be very confident that not making the check could result in harm in the immediate or
near future.

Anger - The affected creature is immediately filled with righteous fury. This is a targeted emotion that greatly amplifies the anger towards an individual or group of individuals. While amplified the creatures base state is hostile in all interactions with that creature, and is thoroughly obsessed. While obsessed the speed at which research, searching, or planning related to the target doubles.

Anticipation - The affected creature immediately becomes excited about an upcoming event in its life. This is a targeted emotion. While amplified, all topics of conversation must eventually converge on the event. The affected creature is more willing to make risky, but not life-threatening decisions, in order to ensure that the event will be as "exciting" as possible. If the event does not live up to stated expectations the creature falls into a short depression lasting 4 hours, where no actions can be taken.

Joy - The affected creature immediately becomes carefree and generally satisfied with its lot in life. The everyday stresses of life are completely suppressed in the creature. For instance, the creature will not care about ongoing money issues, but would still be affected by a sudden event, such as the death of a loved one.

[Tiadoppler]

Off the top of my head, I'd say the penalty for Anticipation makes this spell too powerful, if it's coupled with some other way to make an unsuspecting neutral party Willing to have this spell cast on them. No actions for 4 hours, with no way to save/no escape clause, is too powerful for a 3rd level spell.


I'd consider also doing one or more of the following:
Removing the Ritual tag
Increasing the casting time to 10-30 minutes
Adding a consumed spell component (50-100 gp)

As-is, this spell is essentially free/permanent, because it has negligible cost to activate and a long duration.


How many emotions does this spell modify? It says two, but it also says you can add additional ones at the cost of halving the duration. I like the mechanic, but I'm not sure what the limits are.
Is it
"1 Emotion = 24 hours
2 Emotions = 12 hours
3 Emotions = 6 hours
4 Emotions = 3 hours"?

Can you enhance the same emotion twice with the same spell? Can you have multiple Anger effects targeting different people?


This is a very cool effect, with all of the different emotions causing different things. I don't know your campaign, so I can't give advice on how much or little the game focuses on an individual's emotional state, but if I wanted to make a spell for this purpose, I'd handwave the details a bit more.





Muddled Thoughts
3rd level Enchantment
Casting Time: 10 Minutes
Range: Touch (or Self)
Components: V, S, M (a blurry mirror)
Duration: 24 Hours

The thoughts of the target shift and swirl, making it more difficult to read intent. Telepaths who attempt to read the target's thoughts while the spell is active must make a Wisdom(Insight) check (DC = your Spell Save DC + 5) to gather any concrete detail on your intent or emotional state. This effect seems like a natural effect of the target's indecisiveness or confusion, and not the result of a spell. Telepaths who fail their Wisdom(Insight) checks gain no real detail regarding your thoughts, secrets, or plans, but may gain random bits of information regarding inconsequential details of your life (what you had for breakfast, how much you drank last night, when you sharpened your sword last). Telepaths who succeed are able to realize that your emotions and thoughts are being intentional obscured.

While the spell is active, the target can use the Conceal Intent action.
Conceal Intent: Action. Concentration (up to 10 minutes). You begin concentrating on denying information to any nearby telepaths. Telepaths who attempt to read your mind have Disadvantage on any Wisdom(Insight) checks they make to determine your thoughts. This effect is not visible, and involves no verbal, somatic, or material components.

[Gizmogidget]

Off the top of my head, I'd say the penalty for Anticipation makes this spell too powerful, if it's coupled with some other way to make an unsuspecting neutral party Willing to have this spell cast on them. No actions for 4 hours, with no way to save/no escape clause, is too powerful for a 3rd level spell.


I'd consider also doing one or more of the following:
Removing the Ritual tag
Increasing the casting time to 10-30 minutes
Adding a consumed spell component (50-100 gp)

As-is, this spell is essentially free/permanent, because it has negligible cost to activate and a long duration.


How many emotions does this spell modify? It says two, but it also says you can add additional ones at the cost of halving the duration. I like the mechanic, but I'm not sure what the limits are.
Is it
"1 Emotion = 24 hours
2 Emotions = 12 hours
3 Emotions = 6 hours
4 Emotions = 3 hours"?

Can you enhance the same emotion twice with the same spell? Can you have multiple Anger effects targeting different people?


This is a very cool effect, with all of the different emotions causing different things. I don't know your campaign, so I can't give advice on how much or little the game focuses on an individual's emotional state, but if I wanted to make a spell for this purpose, I'd handwave the details a bit more.





Muddled Thoughts
3rd level Enchantment
Casting Time: 10 Minutes
Range: Touch (or Self)
Components: V, S, M (a blurry mirror)
Duration: 24 Hours

The thoughts of the target shift and swirl, making it more difficult to read intent. Telepaths who attempt to read the target's thoughts while the spell is active must make a Wisdom(Insight) check (DC = your Spell Save DC + 5) to gather any concrete detail on your intent or emotional state. This effect seems like a natural effect of the target's indecisiveness or confusion, and not the result of a spell. Telepaths who fail their Wisdom(Insight) checks gain no real detail regarding your thoughts, secrets, or plans, but may gain random bits of information regarding inconsequential details of your life (what you had for breakfast, how much you drank last night, when you sharpened your sword last). Telepaths who succeed are able to realize that your emotions and thoughts are being intentional obscured.

While the spell is active, the target can use the Conceal Intent action.
Conceal Intent: Action. Concentration (up to 10 minutes). You begin concentrating on denying information to any nearby telepaths. Telepaths who attempt to read your mind have Disadvantage on any Wisdom(Insight) checks they make to determine your thoughts. This effect is not visible, and involves no verbal, somatic, or material components.

Okay, I really like your Muddled Thoughts, it is totally appropriate for my character. To provide additional details the telepath in question can see
all memories including but not limited to, sensory memories, the way you think about things, etc. My plan for the spell wasn't to outright block telepaths from gaining info, but to instead automatically make wrong assumptions. Basically motivation disguise. So if the telepath could tell you were about to talk to say, an old enemy of theirs that could potentially ruin them, they would come to the assumption instead that you were just going there to buy there potions.

Here is a revised version of the spell with text taken directly from the original in quotation marks, Credit to Tiadoppler

Muddled Thoughts (Revised)
Third Level Enchantment
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: Touch or Self
Components: V, S, M (a false compass)
Duration: 24 hours

The motivations of the target are disguised, with telepaths rationalizing motivations behind your thoughts or actions. "Telepaths who attempt to read the target's thoughts while the spell is active must make a Wisdom(Insight) check (DC = your Spell Save DC + 5) to gather any concrete detail on your intent or emotional state." If this telepath fails this check, then while they are looking at the targets thoughts, they are unable to identify the true motivations, and instead come up with excuses for the behavior. "Telepaths who succeed are able to realize that your emotions and thoughts are being intentionally obscured."

"While the spell is active, the target can use the Conceal Intent action.
Conceal Intent: Action. Concentration (up to 10 minutes). You begin concentrating on denying information to any nearby telepaths. Telepaths who attempt to read your mind have Disadvantage on any Wisdom(Insight) checks they make to determine your thoughts. This effect is not visible, and involves no verbal, somatic, or material components."

Thanks again

EDIT: A good way to think about this is like a telepathic phantasmal force, with characters making false assumptions. Oh why is he going off the designated path, he must just be getting lost, etc.