If the answer to 1 is yes, there are other questions that arise: can it do damage? does the attack work with disadvantage? etc.
Make your own choices, and have fun at your table.
D&D (2024) Illusion Magic in 2024
- Thread starter Kobold Stew
- Start date
Make your own choices, and have fun at your table.
TheSword
Legend
It makes the illusion fade for everyone who witness the illusion have a weapon pass through it unscathed.
Seeing is believing. Being told something is an illusion when it appears real requires a study check. Seeing something pass through it proves it to you.
Illusions can indeed be tricky. At my table I've expanded upon the ambiguous points and rough edges of the illusion rules as follows:
- "physical interaction" means personally touching the illusion (either with a body part or with an object one is wearing or holding) and automatically makes the illusion transparent for the interacting character
- tossing a rock through an illusion, making a ranged attack against an illusion (or something inside or behind the illusion), and similar remote interaction provides an Intelligence (Investigation) check as if the character (also) took the Study action
- Example 1: a character who declares a ranged Attack action against what happens to be an illusory creature is treated as if they instead took the Study action
- Example 2: a character who declares a ranged Attack action against an opponent taking shelter within or behind an illusion is treated as if they also took the Study action, in addition to the standard resolution of their attack
- characters can otherwise choose to take the Study action deliberately, which I resolve like any other ability check (including granting advantage or imposing disadvantage depending on circumstances and method of study)
- Intelligence (Investigation) checks are made by the DM in secret and not announced
- characters are free to use logic to make inferences about what is and is not an illusion--the Study action only resolves whether the illusion becomes transparent for that character
- illusions of insubstantial phenomena or creatures don't directly change any of the above, but may provide indirect benefits by making it less likely for an observer to notice a logical discrepancy or by affecting the DM's determination of whether Advantage/Disadvantage is appropriate for the Intelligence (Investigation) check
evilbob
Adventurer
While this thread is getting a little heated, I LOVE the ideas presented here.
One of my takeaways: a lot of illusions don't have to move to work. Yes, it's pretty awesome when the gnome mage shows up with two huge orc bodyguards that look really scary, talk, and move around normally, but are just a Major Image spell - but this thread shows that when those orcs get into combat, it starts getting really complex. Can they "react" when attacked? What happens if they shoot an arrow outside of range? You start getting a lot of tricky questions.
But what about TheSword's example from the other thread: a sack of gold coins sitting on the ground? That's a cantrip! And how incredibly useful would that be in pulling guards away from a post? Another great one: cast an illusion of a door over top of a closed door (that opens toward you) and then silently open the door! Now you and your party can see through the illusion and no one on the other side would have any reason to suspect it's not a shut door. If you're waiting on someone to enter a room, cast a Silent Image of the existing wall but just a little forward; then hide in the wall. Or of a tree in the forest, and hide in the tree. Or shrubs. Make a huge bunch of shrubs and when you jump out of some, run and hide behind others. You have "cover" but the enemy does not have cover from you.
And of course: the classic "cast an image of the floor over a pit" thing, which makes a near-undetectable trap. Or create an image of a door in a tunnel when you're being chased, and then make a "slam, click" sound. Most creatures aren't in the habit of checking every door to see if it is real (they might if they live there).
Looking at the Illusionist wizard subclass, I feel like it's not unreasonable to have Silent Images* moving around and making noise with Minor Illusion being cast as a bonus action while you're using your action to move it around. (Or a sorcerer with Quicken Spell for the cantrip, but that would get expensive quickly.) That makes a level 1 spell into nearly a level 3 spell.
Where it starts to get crazy is stuff like making a Silent Image illusion of the spell Darkness. It's actually a BETTER spell because your allies can see through it but enemies cannot. There's also zero reason for them to "disbelieve" that it's not just the Darkness spell. Make an illusion of a ghost: of course their attacks go through it! It makes sense! But it can still be scary. When you're fighting kobolds and suddenly three more allies show up - are they going to stick around and make sure they are real, or just bolt?!
Now I want to play an Illusionist too!
*Why are the spell names not consistent? Some are "illusion" and others are "image."
One of my takeaways: a lot of illusions don't have to move to work. Yes, it's pretty awesome when the gnome mage shows up with two huge orc bodyguards that look really scary, talk, and move around normally, but are just a Major Image spell - but this thread shows that when those orcs get into combat, it starts getting really complex. Can they "react" when attacked? What happens if they shoot an arrow outside of range? You start getting a lot of tricky questions.
But what about TheSword's example from the other thread: a sack of gold coins sitting on the ground? That's a cantrip! And how incredibly useful would that be in pulling guards away from a post? Another great one: cast an illusion of a door over top of a closed door (that opens toward you) and then silently open the door! Now you and your party can see through the illusion and no one on the other side would have any reason to suspect it's not a shut door. If you're waiting on someone to enter a room, cast a Silent Image of the existing wall but just a little forward; then hide in the wall. Or of a tree in the forest, and hide in the tree. Or shrubs. Make a huge bunch of shrubs and when you jump out of some, run and hide behind others. You have "cover" but the enemy does not have cover from you.
And of course: the classic "cast an image of the floor over a pit" thing, which makes a near-undetectable trap. Or create an image of a door in a tunnel when you're being chased, and then make a "slam, click" sound. Most creatures aren't in the habit of checking every door to see if it is real (they might if they live there).
Looking at the Illusionist wizard subclass, I feel like it's not unreasonable to have Silent Images* moving around and making noise with Minor Illusion being cast as a bonus action while you're using your action to move it around. (Or a sorcerer with Quicken Spell for the cantrip, but that would get expensive quickly.) That makes a level 1 spell into nearly a level 3 spell.
Where it starts to get crazy is stuff like making a Silent Image illusion of the spell Darkness. It's actually a BETTER spell because your allies can see through it but enemies cannot. There's also zero reason for them to "disbelieve" that it's not just the Darkness spell. Make an illusion of a ghost: of course their attacks go through it! It makes sense! But it can still be scary. When you're fighting kobolds and suddenly three more allies show up - are they going to stick around and make sure they are real, or just bolt?!
Now I want to play an Illusionist too!
*Why are the spell names not consistent? Some are "illusion" and others are "image."
Theory of Games
Storied Gamist
Just a slight note here: illusions can provide concealment, not cover
