Me and a few of my partymates had the message cantrip, and I pointed out that due to the cantrip’s effects, we can virtually “have a telepathic group chat” via those of us who have the cantrip.
At first, I tried to stick to the illusion that I act as an intermediary to those in my range but doesn’t have the cantrip, and that I identify myself before I speak up (“Megane here… blah blah blah”).
The more it went on, the more the facade broke and eventually we were just discussing strategy under the assumption that it’s “message-mediated”.
The DM allowed it, and later gave all party members an artifact that has the following effects:
anyone with the artifact can telepathically send a message to everyone else who has the artifact (within range)
those who have the artifact can hear any and all such messages sent through the artifact (within range)
Later on, even the range stipulation was handwaved off (within limits—basically those who are in the same scene are assumed to be in range of each other).
Near the end of the campaign, the DM reminded us through an NPC that we’re all “staring off into the distance” whenever we use this telepathic “group chat”. We basically forgot to talk to each other normally (in character).
My Aberrant Mind Sorceress had been making frequent use of her telepathy ability to communicate silently and to keep in touch with allies that went scouting away from the party. Then she opened something she was told not to and ended up with a piece of Nyarlathotep living in her mind. When she later used her telepathy on the Monk, the DM ruled that it allowed the outer god to enter his head as well. Now we had a permanent three-way group chat that neither I nor the Monk could leave, whose moderator frequently posted literal nightmare fuel, and the rest of the party was suddenly very insistent that I only communicate with them verbally from now on.
One time I tried using my telepathy on an enemy. His head exploded. Gnarly was very unhappy about me adding people to the chat without permission and suggested that I not do it again.
Me and a few of my partymates had the message cantrip, and I pointed out that due to the cantrip’s effects, we can virtually “have a telepathic group chat” via those of us who have the cantrip.
At first, I tried to stick to the illusion that I act as an intermediary to those in my range but doesn’t have the cantrip, and that I identify myself before I speak up (“Megane here… blah blah blah”).
The more it went on, the more the facade broke and eventually we were just discussing strategy under the assumption that it’s “message-mediated”.
The DM allowed it, and later gave all party members an artifact that has the following effects:
Later on, even the range stipulation was handwaved off (within limits—basically those who are in the same scene are assumed to be in range of each other).
Near the end of the campaign, the DM reminded us through an NPC that we’re all “staring off into the distance” whenever we use this telepathic “group chat”. We basically forgot to talk to each other normally (in character).
My Aberrant Mind Sorceress had been making frequent use of her telepathy ability to communicate silently and to keep in touch with allies that went scouting away from the party. Then she opened something she was told not to and ended up with a piece of Nyarlathotep living in her mind. When she later used her telepathy on the Monk, the DM ruled that it allowed the outer god to enter his head as well. Now we had a permanent three-way group chat that neither I nor the Monk could leave, whose moderator frequently posted literal nightmare fuel, and the rest of the party was suddenly very insistent that I only communicate with them verbally from now on.
One time I tried using my telepathy on an enemy. His head exploded. Gnarly was very unhappy about me adding people to the chat without permission and suggested that I not do it again.
What a great way to handwave that because yeah, mediating with message gets annoying after a while and your DM’s solution is just better. And funnier!
Ended up with a similarly broken “telepathic groupchat” with a soulknife rogue’s psychic whispers ability.
smart DM