Talk:Longtime Hivemind (5e Spell)

Food for thought:

Core Problems

1. Casting Time & Duration (Balance Issue) 8 Hours is a massive casting time, especially for a spell that could effectively last forever. This makes the spell either: A downtime ritual (which removes combat applications entirely). A tool for exploiting infinite duration effects. ✅ Suggested Fix: Change casting time to 1 hour (ritual). Duration: 1 week, with the option to renew the connection with a short ritual.

2. Mental Stat Bonuses (Overpowered)

Permanent scaling stat increases to Wisdom, Intelligence, and Charisma (up to +4!) are extremely out of line for 5e balance — especially without concentration or duration limits. ✅ Suggested Fix: Replace flat bonuses with temporary advantage on mental ability checks and saving throws. Cap mental stat boosts at +1 per 3 members, maxing at +3.

3. Proficiency Sharing (Broken)

Sharing the highest proficiency from the group is borderline game-breaking — especially with tool proficiencies or saving throws. ✅ Suggested Fix: Limit shared proficiencies to Saving Throws and Skills only. Choose one shared proficiency per 3 members.

4. Psychic Damage Distribution (Too Strong)

Bypassing psychic resistance and immunities while letting damage spread across the whole network makes the Hivemind almost invulnerable to mental attacks. ✅ Suggested Fix: Damage distribution should only apply to psychic damage from spells or effects, not general psychic damage. Add: "Creatures cannot distribute psychic damage that originates from their own mistakes or self-inflicted damage."

5. Death Effect (Unnecessarily Punitive)

75% max HP + 3 levels of exhaustion is overkill. That's a guaranteed death spiral for the entire party if one person drops. ✅ Suggested Fix: Reduce psychic backlash to 50% max HP and 1 level of exhaustion. Add a Charisma saving throw to halve the effect.

Suggestion:

Synaptic Concord

8th-level Necromancy (Ritual)

Casting Time: 1 hour

Range: Touch

Components: V, S, M (a red ruby worth 200 GP per creature to be bound, which is consumed)

Duration: 7 days (Renewable with a 1-hour ritual)

You forge a psychic network between up to **10 willing creatures**, binding their minds into a unified **Synaptic Concord**. Those joined in the Concord share thoughts, senses, and instincts — but prolonged connection blurs the line between self and swarm.

Concord Benefits

While connected, all members gain the following benefits:

• **Telepathic Network:** All members can communicate telepathically across any distance on the same plane.
• **Sense Sharing:** Any member can use an action to perceive through another member's senses.
• **Proficiency Sharing:** The Concord shares **one skill proficiency and one saving throw proficiency** among all members, using the highest modifier among them (chosen when the spell is cast).
• **Mental Resilience:** Members are immune to being **charmed, frightened, possessed, or having their memories or personality altered**.

Gestalt Cognition

The collective mind strengthens as more creatures are bound:

Gestalt Cognition

Members	Ability Bonuses	Save Advantage	Max Ability Score Cap
2-3	+1 Wisdom, +1 Intelligence	Wisdom	22
4-5	+2 Wisdom, +2 Intelligence	Wisdom, Charisma	22
6-9	+3 Wisdom, +3 Intelligence	Wisdom, Charisma, Intelligence	24
10	+3 Wisdom, +3 Intelligence, +1 Charisma	All Mental Saves	24

Psychic Buffer

Whenever a member of the Concord takes psychic damage, they may choose to **distribute the damage evenly** among all connected members (rounded down). This shared pain bypasses **psychic resistances and immunities**.

Death Feedback

If a Concord member dies, all remaining members must make a **DC 18 Charisma saving throw** or take psychic damage equal to **50% of their maximum hit points** and gain **1 level of exhaustion**. On a success, they take half damage and no exhaustion.

Loss of Self

Each dawn, creatures linked to the Concord for at least 24 hours must succeed on a **DC 15 Wisdom saving throw** or suffer **Synaptic Drift**, rolling on the table below:

Synaptic Drift

d6	Effect	Duration
1-2	Minor hallucinations (whispers, shadowy figures)	24 hours
3-4	Disadvantage on Insight and Persuasion checks	24 hours
5	Cannot distinguish own thoughts from others	24 hours
6	Automatically fails saving throws against mind-altering effects	Until the Concord ends

Severing the Concord

A creature can leave the Concord voluntarily by meditating for **1 hour**, severing their link. The spell ends when only one creature remains connected.

Request

Can someone Change the Name to Synaptic Concord? I dont know how to do that.