D&D 5E ring of mind shielding

[pukunui]

Hi folks,

A ring of mind shielding grants immunity to "magic that allows other creatures to read your thoughts, determine whether you are lying, know your alignment, or know your creature type." What all does that protect against? I'd like to compile as complete a list as possible.

Here's what I've found so far, although I'm unsure about some of them:

Spells
antipathy/sympathy*
detect evil and good
detect thoughts
glyph of warding*
symbol*

Class Features
Divine Sense (paladin)
Telepathy** (GOO warlock)

Monster Abilities / Racial Traits
Divine Awareness (planetar, solar)
Heart Sight (sprite)
Probing Telepathy (aboleth)
Read Thoughts (doppelganger)
Telepathy** (various)
Weird Insight (nothic)


What else?




*Depending on how the spell's conditions have been worded.
**Unless you allow it.

 

[Lanliss]

Have not checked yet, but aren't there a few items in DMG that allow mind reading? Also, the Sprite has Heart touch or whatever it's called, that allows it to know your alignment.

 

[pukunui]

Have not checked yet, but aren't there a few items in DMG that allow mind reading?

Yes, but I think most of them just do so through the use of the detect thoughts spell. I'll have to double check when I get the chance.

Also, the Sprite has Heart touch or whatever it's called, that allows it to know your alignment.

That's right! Thanks.

 

[Illithidbix]

Lanliss is correct, to my knowledge a Sprite's Heart Sight is the only thing in the game that directly detects alignment.
(Made a list of Alignment based mechanics here: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?474120-5E-The-few-mechanical-implications-of-Alignment)

Detect Good and Evil determines creature type. (Although ironically... not alignment!)

Symbol and Glyph of Warding are kinda a fringe case.

Glyph of Warding "You can further refine the trigger so the spell activates only under certain circumstances or according to physical characteristics (such as height and weight), creature kind (for example, the ward could be set to affect aberrations or drow), or alignment."
Symbol has very similar wording, although oddly doesn't mention alignment.

A similar case could be made for Antipathy/Sympathy.
However I think in all three cases the spells *react* to certain creature types rather than *detect* them.

 

[Lanliss]

Lanliss is correct, to my knowledge a Sprite's Heart Sight is the only thing in the game that directly detects alignment.
(Made a list of Alignment based mechanics here: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?474120-5E-The-few-mechanical-implications-of-Alignment)

Detect Good and Evil determines creature type. (Although ironically... not alignment!)

Symbol and Glyph of Warding are kinda a fringe case.

Glyph of Warding "You can further refine the trigger so the spell activates only under certain circumstances or according to physical characteristics (such as height and weight), creature kind (for example, the ward could be set to affect aberrations or drow), or alignment."
Symbol has very similar wording, although oddly doesn't mention alignment.

A similar case could be made for Antipathy/Sympathy.
However I think in all three cases the spells *react* to certain creature types rather than *detect* them.

I could see some DMs ruling the ring to give you immunity to those spells, as they cannot detect that you are the alignment/ creature type they are set to activate against. At least until another creature of the appropriate alignment/ creature type activates it while you are in range.

 

[pukunui]

Yeah, I can see them going either way. Hmm.

What do you guys think about modify memory and zone of truth? I'm leaning towards yes to the former but no to the latter, but I'm not sure. Being unable to tell that you're lying could potentially mean that you could lie even if you've failed your save against the zone of truth and the caster wouldn't know.

 

[Rhogar_Rarr]

I would say it definitely works against Zone of Truth. There's not really a lot of magic that can determine if you are lying, so I feel like this spell qualifies based on the ring's abilities. So yes, I would rule that a character could lie unimpeded by the Zone of Truth, without the caster's knowledge.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

Symbol and Glyph of Warding are kinda a fringe case.

Glyph of Warding "You can further refine the trigger so the spell activates only under certain circumstances or according to physical characteristics (such as height and weight), creature kind (for example, the ward could be set to affect aberrations or drow), or alignment."
Symbol has very similar wording, although oddly doesn't mention alignment.

A similar case could be made for Antipathy/Sympathy.
However I think in all three cases the spells *react* to certain creature types rather than *detect* them.

I'd say it would depend upon how the spell conditions are worded. The spell can still detect that something is passing it, just not its type or alignment. So if it was set up to react to "creatures of Evil alignment" then an Evil wearer of a Ring of Mind Shielding could walk past just fine. However, if the conditions were worded "let only Good or Neutral creatures past" then the spell would react to the wearer even if they are good or neutral because the spell can't tell that.

Yeah, I can see them going either way. Hmm.

What do you guys think about modify memory and zone of truth? I'm leaning towards yes to the former but no to the latter, but I'm not sure. Being unable to tell that you're lying could potentially mean that you could lie even if you've failed your save against the zone of truth and the caster wouldn't know.

Modify Memory allows you to affect someone's mind, but it doesn't allow you to read it or detect anything about them. Nothing in the spell interacts with anything that the ring does.

Zone of Truth also doesn't detect anything (other than whether or not you made your save). It just compels you to tell the truth. The ring of Mind shielding doesn't protect against that. If Zone of Truth told the caster when you were lying then the ring would work, but it doesn't. Whether a target made a save against one of your spells isn't covered by the ring.

 

[PnPgamer]

possibly the telepathy ability of a old one warlock.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

possibly the telepathy ability of a old one warlock.

I don't think so. You can just send messages to their mind, no reading or detection involved.