Mass Fox’s Cunning — Group Intelligence Spell
Transmutation · Group Intelligence · Sixth-level legacy spell
The defenders of an ancient observatory suddenly recognise the same pattern in their scattered charts. A single enchantment lets an entire circle think more clearly before the enemy reaches the doors.
At a Glance
| Spell | Mass Fox’s Cunning (Fox’s Cunning, Mass) |
|---|---|
| School | Transmutation |
| Original level | Bard 6, Sorcerer/Wizard 6 |
| Original targets | One creature per caster level, no two more than 30 feet apart |
| Original effect | +4 enhancement bonus to Intelligence for each target |
| Typical use | Scholars, councils of magicians, coordinated investigations |
When Many Minds Must Work as One
The spell grants no shared thoughts or telepathy; it simply strengthens the reasoning of several people at once. One can translate a coded inscription, another compare figures in an account book and a third prepare a difficult spell. Its true danger in a villain’s hands is a whole circle of enemy spellcasters becoming better at the work they already know.
Rules by Edition
Mass Fox’s Cunning — D&D 2024
Published equivalent: Enhance Ability, using a level 6 spell slot; no separate Mass Fox’s Cunning spell
School: Transmutation
Casting Time: Action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M (fur or a feather)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
Using a sixth-level slot permits five targets total: the base recipient plus four additional creatures. Touch each intended recipient and choose Intelligence for anyone needing this benefit. Each has Advantage on Intelligence ability checks. The spell permits choosing a different listed ability for another recipient.
Example: Five scholars have Advantage on Intelligence checks to compare maps and inscriptions. None gains +4 Intelligence, extra spell slots, or an increase to spell save DCs.
Do not use the older sixth-level spell’s caster-level target count or 30-foot spacing restriction here. Concentration applies to the official modern spell.
Mass Fox’s Cunning — D&D 2014
Published equivalent: Enhance Ability (Fox’s Cunning) cast using a sixth-level slot
School: 2nd-level Transmutation (base spell)
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M (fur or a feather from a beast)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
An upcast sixth-level Enhance Ability affects five creatures total. The Fox’s Cunning option gives Advantage on Intelligence checks to each chosen beneficiary while Concentration continues.
Example: Five investigators work through a set of contradictory witness statements with Advantage on Intelligence checks when appropriate. The spell grants no +4 ability-score increase, automatic knowledge of the truth, or bonus to Intelligence saving throws.
The 2014 rules do not include a separate spell named Mass Fox’s Cunning; they use the available Enhance Ability spell and its upcasting rule.
Fox’s Cunning, Mass — Pathfinder 1e
School: Transmutation
Level: Bard 6, Sorcerer/Wizard 6
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, M/DF (hairs or dung from a fox)
Range: Close (25 feet + 5 feet/2 levels)
Targets: One creature per caster level, no two more than 30 feet apart
Duration: 1 minute/level
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)
Each target receives a +4 enhancement bonus to Intelligence, just as from the single-target Fox’s Cunning spell. Intelligence-based skill checks and spell save DCs may improve; Intelligence-based casters do not gain additional bonus spells or skill ranks. Like enhancement bonuses do not stack.
Example: A level-12 caster can choose up to twelve creatures in range, provided every pair of chosen creatures is within the 30-foot grouping limit. The spell lasts twelve minutes. A recipient’s Intelligence 14 becomes 18 while the spell remains active.
Use Pathfinder’s own saving throw and spell resistance rules, not fifth-edition Concentration.
Fox’s Cunning, Mass — D&D 3.5e
School: Transmutation
Level: Bard 6, Sorcerer/Wizard 6
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, M/DF (fox hairs or dung)
Range: Close (25 feet + 5 feet/2 levels)
Targets: One creature per caster level, no two more than 30 feet apart
Duration: 1 minute/level
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)
Functions as Fox’s Cunning except that it affects several creatures. Each gains a +4 enhancement bonus to Intelligence. Spell DCs based on Intelligence can increase, but spell slots and skill points do not. This effect remains subject to enhancement-bonus stacking rules.
Example: A level-15 wizard enhances up to fifteen eligible creatures in a compact group for fifteen minutes. One creature outside the allowed separation cannot be included merely because it is within the spell’s overall range.
The spell has no fifth-edition Concentration rule or automatic shared knowledge among the targets.
How to Play It
Mass Fox’s Cunning is particularly valuable where several specialists must solve different parts of a problem at once. Spread the challenges across the group so the enhanced scholar is not simply answering all the questions while everybody else watches.
Three Encounters
The Observatory Council
A gathering of astronomers attempts to forecast the path of an unnatural comet. Their enchantment grants clarity but cannot agree on what the omen means; the party must act while the scholars debate.
The Poisoned Treaty
Enemy scribes receive a magical enhancement before drafting a treaty full of traps. The characters can discover the deception through careful legal and linguistic investigation.
Five Masks and a Cipher
Masked conspirators decode separate fragments of a secret order. If the party disrupts the meeting, the conspirators scatter with pieces of the puzzle and their temporary advantage.
Related Spells
See the official single-target Fox’s Cunning, the longer-lasting community spell Improved Fox’s Cunning, and the official modern Enhance Ability.
Rules Sources and Licensing
Original group spell: D&D 3.5e SRD and Pathfinder 1e Core Rulebook. The modern panels use the published 2024 Enhance Ability and 2014 Enhance Ability. Applicable source mechanics retain their relevant open-game licensing; narrative examples are original.
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