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*Dungeons & Dragons
Illusions, lighting, and reflectance
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<blockquote data-quote="Ovinomancer" data-source="post: 7547752" data-attributes="member: 16814"><p>I see, there's been some misunderstanding. The illusion does it's best at the <em>time of casting</em>, or when an action is used to modify it. Illusions don't modify themselves on their own. But, that's a benefit -- a minor illusion covering a doorway will fail if a light source is ignited behind it if it was cast when the doorway was dark. I have no problem with a change to the environment rendering an illusion easier to detect -- it should be. We're discussing a cantrip or first level spell, here after all, not a super magical undetectable veil. If there's a light source already present when the illusion is cast, and the caster intends to cover it, the illusion will have an obvious source for that light -- in the case of a wall, it will have a torch or candles to mimic the source of light. If the caster doesn't intent that, because the light source will be moving away, it doesn't. The illusion will meet the caster's intent in the best way possible because I'm not out to screw over players for not describing their illusions sufficiently.</p><p></p><p>I suppose the difference here is that you believe an illusion should be able to not reveal itself if changes to environment occur. You don't want self-aware illusions, so you imagine them with physical properties like blocking and reflecting light as a real object would. Okay, but I disagree with the premise that a change in environment should never reveal an illusion. If you have a illusory wall with a torch behind it, that light comes through. If the torch goes out, it goes out. If a creature notices that change, it's a clue something is odd and may need to be investigated -- otherwise how would you ever find illusions absent touching everything (which is foolproof, but dangerous). A well purposed illusion is powerful even if it can be detected with sufficient change to the environment. What I dislike are illusion spells that double as tactical blinds -- hobbling enemies with arbitrary states of lighting that don't apply to the ambushing side, or being able to hide behind an illusion of a wall that you can see through. The latter is still part of the normal spell description, but that's why I have my one houserule illusions -- they don't fade on detection. But, I freely admit that's my preference. How illusions work, though, are right there in the spell descriptions.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ovinomancer, post: 7547752, member: 16814"] I see, there's been some misunderstanding. The illusion does it's best at the [I]time of casting[/I], or when an action is used to modify it. Illusions don't modify themselves on their own. But, that's a benefit -- a minor illusion covering a doorway will fail if a light source is ignited behind it if it was cast when the doorway was dark. I have no problem with a change to the environment rendering an illusion easier to detect -- it should be. We're discussing a cantrip or first level spell, here after all, not a super magical undetectable veil. If there's a light source already present when the illusion is cast, and the caster intends to cover it, the illusion will have an obvious source for that light -- in the case of a wall, it will have a torch or candles to mimic the source of light. If the caster doesn't intent that, because the light source will be moving away, it doesn't. The illusion will meet the caster's intent in the best way possible because I'm not out to screw over players for not describing their illusions sufficiently. I suppose the difference here is that you believe an illusion should be able to not reveal itself if changes to environment occur. You don't want self-aware illusions, so you imagine them with physical properties like blocking and reflecting light as a real object would. Okay, but I disagree with the premise that a change in environment should never reveal an illusion. If you have a illusory wall with a torch behind it, that light comes through. If the torch goes out, it goes out. If a creature notices that change, it's a clue something is odd and may need to be investigated -- otherwise how would you ever find illusions absent touching everything (which is foolproof, but dangerous). A well purposed illusion is powerful even if it can be detected with sufficient change to the environment. What I dislike are illusion spells that double as tactical blinds -- hobbling enemies with arbitrary states of lighting that don't apply to the ambushing side, or being able to hide behind an illusion of a wall that you can see through. The latter is still part of the normal spell description, but that's why I have my one houserule illusions -- they don't fade on detection. But, I freely admit that's my preference. How illusions work, though, are right there in the spell descriptions. [/QUOTE]
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