Illusion Adjucation

[nhl_1997]

I have several (related) questions concerning adjucating Illusion spells. Ultimately (in my opinion), there are no "correct" answers seeing as different GMs can adjucate Illusions however thay want. I am asking for opinions on how GMs do/would adjucate these situations. For simplicitly, let's assume that the "opponents" are using the Illusion spells....


1) Spellcaster casts Silent Image and a PC wizard successfully spellcrafts the Silent Image as it's being cast. Fog suddenly appears (or quickly "rolls-in.") Would the PC wizard....

a) Automatically disbelieve the fog figmant?
b) Receive a bonus to disbelieve the fog figmant?
c) As a free action as the spell is cast, can the PC wizard advise the other PCs that the fog is just an illusion (granting either automatic will save success or a bonus on the will save for the other PCs)?


2) Spellcaster casts Phantasmal Killer targeting the PC wizard. The PC wizard successfully spellcrafts the Phantasmal Killer spell as it's being cast. Would the PC wizard.....

a) Automatically succeed on the will save?
b) Receive a bonus for the will save?


3) Spellcaster casts Phantasmal Killer targeting the PC fighter. The PC wizard successfully spellcrafts the Phantasmal Killer as it's being cast. As an immediate free action, can the PC wizard inform the fighter that it's just an illusion? If "yes", then would the PC fighter.....

a) Autmatically succeed on the will save?
b) Receive a bonus on the will save?


4) Spellcaster casts Greater Shadow Evocation and the PC wizard successfully spellcrafts it, and a shadowy Delayed Blast Fireball (with delay = 0) instantaneously comes into effect.

a) Would the PC wizard automatically succeed on the will save?
b) Would the PC wizard receive a bonus on the will save?
c) Can the PC wizard inform the others about the shodowy illusion as an immediate action?
d) If yes on "c", would others either automatically succeed on the save or receive a bonus?


I'm just curious as to how other GMs would handle these situations. Remember, of course, that the same rules would apply if it were the PCs casting the Illusion spells and the opponents were successfully spellcrafting them.

 

[dcollins]

From the SRD:

Saving Throws and Illusions (Disbelief): Creatures encountering an illusion effect usually do not receive saving throws to recognize it as illusory until they study it carefully or interact with it in some fashion.

A successful saving throw against an illusion reveals it to be false, but a figment or phantasm remains as a translucent outline.

A failed saving throw indicates that a character fails to notice something is amiss. A character faced with incontrovertible proof that an illusion isn't real needs no saving throw. If any viewer successfully disbelieves an illusion and communicates this fact to other viewers, each such viewer gains a saving throw with a +4 bonus.

The main question that the DM needs to adjudicate is "does a Spellcraft check count as 'incontrovertible proof'?". Could go yes or no -- personally I think I'd choose "no" for balance reasons, but give a +4 bonus to the save. (Under the thinking that illusionists' powers are designed to trick other wizards as much as anybody else.)

Clearly if someone does save and communicates that to someone else, it gives a +4 bonus on that person's save.

Free actions like speaking must still wait until the character's turn to act -- no shouting out in the middle of someone else's attack for this purpose.

In my game, we also rule that Spellcraft checks must wait until your turn for you to roll them. No effective difference (see above), but it keeps the turn order solid and prevents interruption by all the casters crying for a Spellcraft check when any magic goes off. YMMV on that part.