Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback BG3 Friendly Awakened Mind for GOOlock

tldr 5e „Awakened” Mind should be introduced instead of homebrew „Mortal Remainder” and should grant a 1st level Command-esque bonus action (using Charisma).

My proposed BG3 complacent description:
„Starting at 1st level, your alien knowledge gives you the ability to touch the minds of other creatures. You can command any creature to flee, move closer, freeze, drop to the ground or drop their weapon within 30 feet of you”.

BONUS ACTION
For starters, Awakened Mind would translate as a bonus action akin to lvl 1 Command (range 9m/30ft, targets 1 creature, 1 turn duration) but using Charisma. Thus available options would be the selfsame „Halt”, „Drop” (item), „Grovel” (go prone), „Flee” or „Approach”.
Calculation on Ability Check: roll 1d20+ CHA (score):
Bonus Action: Awakened Mind: Flee
Our Character is a lvl 2 Goolock, 16 CHA(+3). Is hidden (adv.). Rolled 6 and 4, must pick 6. Thus 6 + 3 = 9
Calculation on Saving Throw: roll 1d20 + CHA (score):
Enemy: is a rat, 1 CHA(-5). Is prone (disadv.). Rolled 19 and 10, must pick 10. Thus 10 + -5 = 5
That gives 9 vs 5, rat fails a save and flees from us (on their next turn and does nothing else)

DIALOGUE
AW should be used as handcrafted interesting dialogue option for some NPCs, let’s say [Awakened Mind] [Deception] could allow one to masquarade as the zealot NPC’s Deity or/and e.g. a Devil.
Combining Awakened Mind feat [passive] + Detect Thoughts would also count as a makeshift Telepathy (for all creatures) or Speak with Animals (for beasts).
After all, you are speaking with any creature in their native language. Command eg. in BG3 also works on animals and undead, in defiance of 5e, and is based upon identical principles as AM.

What gives?
-It’s easy to implement and continues the spirit of OG AM.
-Can synergize well with other GOOlock and Goolock adjacent features (like Speak with Animals, Detect Thoughts, Deception and co.)
-Opens new avenues to storytell, allowing further immersion and flavour

I dont like it.

In 5e Awakened Mind allows you to communicate telepathically.

Larian replaced that with Mortal Reminder which allows a small AOE fear effect on a critical(5%chance)

You wish to replace that with an at-will 1st level control spell?
Seems a little overpowered.

Command as a bonus action seems overpowered to me.

I would personally prefer just give GOOlocks the ability to use Detect Thoughts, at will.

My other suggestion would be to to give them the Heightened Spell metamagic ability once per short/long rest.

One way only tho ... no?

Correct.

Thaumaturgy seems like a better replacement that isn't OP but is useful more often.

Our PCs can already use basic Telepathy through meta gaming, so that just leaves using it on NPCs. Thaumaturgy mechanically can be flavored as screwing with people's minds with telepathy.

I like mortal reminder tbh. Cool for crit fishing builds and thematically fitting.

That means there is some Half-Orc Champ-lock build out there waiting to be discovered ...

I was(and still am not) not aware of full mechanicsand calculations, mostly unsure how DC is calculated here. If DC is considered at all, because I suspect DC only is calculated in dialogue and passive perception.

As our character can always "talk" thus bonus action. What prevents it being OP is rolling hard or very hard or impossible checks. I'd tie it's DC with creature's Challenge Rating or if it is absent, with creature's Charisma Score
So a Nautilus Boss Cambion has 16 Charisma so our Ability Check dice roll (assuming we have CHA 16 as well) would be at least 13(+3), provided there are no modifiers, like hidden or freightened and such.
After all it is easier to influence a freightened enemy while hidden. And if a Devil is freightened(somehow) he gonna get spooked easy.

I dislike the homebrew conconctions of Larian(mostly). I don't think that Mortal Remainder is anything but lame, as it rests super heavily on RNG (flat 5% of all attack rolls). I'd say it could be boosted to another 5%, this time on defense, so it should activate not only on CRITICAL HIT vs enemy , but on enemy CRITICAL HIT vs us as well.

Honestly, a better awakened mind is... just to let the player cast Detect Thoughts at will.

The game gives you resources for casting detect thoughts often enough, and its a largely RP ability in this game.

It being at-will (a cantrip more or less) is broken only for tabletop games. Here is the equivelent of talking with animals for druids.

I second the detect thoughts at will suggestion. Seems more thematically and mechanically consistent with 5e ability.

Not being an enemy of detect thoughts at will, but Awakened Mind is not 2-way, but 1-way, in dnd.
Given that goolock could and can get detect thoughts spell at lvl 3 i think it is a wasted feature - because now you are 1 spell choice less at lvl 3.
Unless you think trading the spell for 2 levels of gameplay with detect thoughts unclocked is a-ok.
I (and everyone else) can finish the nautilus with 2 and 3/4 levels *without* cheese, and 3 lvls with barrelmancy and/or cheese.