Encode Thoughts
Wizard - Cantrip Level Spell
School: Enchantment
Casting Time: 1 Action
Range: Self
Components: Somatic
Duration: 8 Hours
Attack/Save: None
Reference: GGR 47
You pull a memory, an idea, or a message from your mind and transform it into a tangible string of glowing energy called a thought strand, which persists for the duration or until you cast this spell again. The thought strand appears in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of you as a Tiny, weightless, semisolid object that can be held and carried like a ribbon. It is otherwise stationary.
If you cast this spell while concentrating on a spell or an ability that allows you to read or manipulate the thoughts of others (such as Detect Thoughts or Modify Memory), you can transform the thoughts or memories you read, rather than your own, into a thought strand.
Casting this spell while holding a thought strand allows you to instantly receive whatever memory, idea, or message the thought strand contains. (Casting Detect Thoughts on the strand has the same effect.)
My Comments: I honestly haven’t done anything with the setting this comes from, Ravnica. It looks interesting and I can see some campaign-specific purposes for this spell, like espionage, crime-busting, mystery-solving and other hyphenated phrases. It’s seems very much like a pensieve from the Harry Potter-verse.
I also wonder if you could use it to create entertainment. I’m imagining an extreme sports adventurer going out and doing crazy things and then coming back and creating memories that other people with the spell can read. Makes me want to create a guild run by wizards that hire crazy adventurers to go out and get interesting experiences and brings them back to be “harvested” and then sold. Give each of the adventurers the Magic Adept feat so that they can have this cantrip without taking a dip into wizard and outfit them with great gear and send them off.
All-in-all, seems like great role-playing and setting material, probably wouldn’t actually use it too often as a regular player character. If it was given to my player for some reason I would have a great time figuring out uses for it but I don’t think I would choose it normally.
Often people comment with much better ideas than I have, so feel free to drop a comment below and let me know your great idea.
[pssst… want to draw a card from The Deck of Many Things?]
[P.S. Check out the Wacky Dungeon game just above the footer!]