Detect Thoughts
Level 2 · Divination
- Concentration
- Save
Detect Thoughts (bard, sorcerer, and wizard) casts from a 2nd-level slot in the divination school. Cast time: Action. Range Self, components V/S/M, duration up to 1 minute. Material: a copper piece. Marked concentration. Effect: You activate one of the effects below.
Stat Block
- Level
- 2
- School
- Divination
- Casting Time
- Action
- Range / Area
- Self
- Components
- V, S, M
- Duration
- up to 1 Minute
- Ritual
- No
- Concentration
- Yes
- Classes
- Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard
- Material
- a copper piece
Description
You activate one of the effects below. Until the spell ends, you can activate either effect as a Magic action on your later turns.
You sense the presence of thoughts within 30 feet of yourself that belong to creatures that know languages or are telepathic. You don't read the thoughts, but you know that a thinking creature is present.
The spell is blocked by 1 foot of stone, dirt, or wood; 1 inch of metal; or a thin sheet of lead.
Target one creature you can see within 30 feet of yourself or one creature within 30 feet of yourself that you detected with the Sense Thoughts option. You learn what is most on the target's mind right now. If the target doesn't know any languages and isn't telepathic, you learn nothing.
As a Magic action on your next turn, you can try to probe deeper into the target's mind. If you probe deeper, the target makes a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, you discern the target's reasoning, emotions, and something that looms large in its mind (such as a worry, love, or hate). On a successful save, the spell ends. Either way, the target knows that you are probing into its mind, and until you shift your attention away from the target's mind, the target can take an action on its turn to make an Intelligence (Arcana) check against your spell save DC, ending the spell on a success.
5e (2014) vs 2024 changes
This spell has both a 5e (2014) and 2024 Player's Handbook version. Doungim shows the current 2024 stat block above. Differences between editions typically affect components, range, or scaling — check both source books for the table.
Doungim Lore
School Fit
Detect Thoughts is Divination — the school of information, here applied directly to another creature's mind. Concentration for 1 minute; the caster picks one creature in 30 feet on each Action use, reading surface thoughts on a failed Wis save (deeper thoughts with subsequent failures).
Class Fit
- Bard: Bards take Detect Thoughts as a tier-2 social-scene tool. The concentration cost is acceptable when the conversation is the entire encounter.
- Sorcerer: Sorcerers rarely take Detect Thoughts — the known-spell budget is too tight, and the Bard or Wizard usually covers this.
- Wizard: Wizards add Detect Thoughts to the spellbook at level 3 and prep it for tier-2 social arcs. Enchantment Wizards specifically benefit from the save-debuff features.
Related Spells
Frequently Asked Questions about Detect Thoughts
- What level spell is Detect Thoughts?
- In D&D 5e, Detect Thoughts is classified as a level 2 spell of the Divination school. Available classes: Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard.
- What is the range of Detect Thoughts?
- As a self-target spell, Detect Thoughts affects only the caster.
- Is Detect Thoughts a concentration spell?
- Detect Thoughts is a concentration spell. Maximum duration is up to 1 minute. The caster can only maintain one concentration spell at a time, and damage forces a Con save to keep it active.
- What components and casting time does Detect Thoughts need?
- the cast needs V, S, M. Material component: a copper piece.