Bizarre Tactics & Combos

[AuraSeer]

Although completely 'rules correct'...surely you'd have trouble saying this with a straight face.

Not at all. A figment is basically just a 3d painting; it does not emit any light or energy of its own.

The Silent Image of a flame would appear, from a distance, to be normal fire. To a character who failed his Will save, it would have the appearance of a glowing object. However, if you took it into a dark room, you would not be able to see it because it doesn't emit light of its own. (This would be a dead giveaway that it wasn't actual fire.)

An illusionary torch doesn't emit heat, either, and you have no trouble believing that. Why is it less plausible to say that it doesn't emit light?

 

[Storminator]

Not at all. A figment is basically just a 3d painting; it does not emit any light or energy of its own.

The Silent Image of a flame would appear, from a distance, to be normal fire. To a character who failed his Will save, it would have the appearance of a glowing object. However, if you took it into a dark room, you would not be able to see it because it doesn't emit light of its own. (This would be a dead giveaway that it wasn't actual fire.)

An illusionary torch doesn't emit heat, either, and you have no trouble believing that. Why is it less plausible to say that it doesn't emit light?

We always ruled that if you use illusionary light, it shows illusionary objects. Thus, you see what you imagine is there, which isn't terribly useful.

And I wouldn't let CF go pyrotechnic.

PS

 

[Negative Zero]

i agree with Storminator. if you fail your save, then you believe the illusion fully. if it's of fire or a torch, then you'd see what you expect to see, not necessarily what's actually there. and yes the fire would feel hot to you, because you mind would tell you that it is.

~NegZ

 

[AuraSeer]

i agree with Storminator. if you fail your save, then you believe the illusion fully. if it's of fire or a torch, then you'd see what you expect to see, not necessarily what's actually there. and yes the fire would feel hot to you, because you mind would tell you that it is.

Those would both be house rules.

Figments cannot shed light, even illusory light. No observer can be "fooled" into seeing in the dark (or thinking he can see in the dark), because that is simply not within the capability of the spell. If you take a figment of a torch into a dark room, you will find yourself in unilluminated darkness, regardless of whether you made your Will save.

To put it another way: a figment is not a mind-affecting spell. Even if you expect the figment torch to light your way, you'll quickly realize that it doesn't. (Say you enter a dark room IRL, carrying a flashlight with dead batteries. You expect it to light up when you flick the switch, but it fails to do so. Do you suddenly hallucinate the appearance of a beam of light? No, you realize that it's still dark, and therefore something is wrong.)

As for heat, read the spell description. Silent Image explicitly cannot simulate temperature or texture. The Silent Image of a bonfire would not shed any heat at all, even for a character who fails his Will save, because that is simply not within the capability of the spell. (If you want to simulate thermal effects, you need Major Image-- a more powerful magic.)

 

[Vaxalon]

Shows how fixated people are on Real World Physics.

Look... if you make an illusion of a light source, that's all that you see. What would happen if you took that light source into a room that was completely dark, and that you didn't know what was there? How could the wizard possibly visualise what was there, for the illusion?

It's correct the way it is.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Although completely 'rules correct'...surely you'd have trouble saying this with a straight face.

Not at all. If someone used a Silent Image to create a torch, then in a well-lit area, the illusion would be perfectly believable.

In gloom or darkness, it would be obvious that it was not a real torch, because although the flames would be a pretty orange colour, they would have no illuminating effect on their surroundings.

It's the principle that makes Faerie Fire vs Mirror Image work. In bright light, all the images are surrounded by flickering blue flames, and you don't get any extra clues. In dim light or darkness, all the images are surrounded by blue flames... but only one of them actually pierces the shadows and casts light on the floor...

-Hyp.

 

[incognito]

Hey Vax,

With regard to being red faced over Anti-magic sheild, I think you were thinking of *Minor Globe of Invunerability:

from the SRD
An immobile, faintly shimmering magical sphere surrounds the character and excludes all spell effects of up to 3rd level. The area or effect of any such spells does not include the area of the minor globe of invulnerability. Such spells fail to affect any target located within the globe. This includes spell-like abilities and spells or spell-like effects from devices. However, any type of spell can be cast through or out of the magical globe. Spells of 4th level and higher are not affected by the globe. The globe can be brought down by a targeted dispel magic spell, but not by an area dispel magic. The character can leave and return to the globe without penalty.

 

[incognito]

the wizard in the party used his toad familiar to scout out a dragon (size MD).

What dragon would take a toad seriously?

the party learned exactly when the dragon was away, and ambushed him in his layer. Blindsight does NOT work through doors and around corners, after all.

 

[Vaxalon]

A dragon which has, by means of its HUGE spellcraft skill, the ability to spot a familiar coming a mile away...

 

[bret]

the wizard in the party used his toad familiar to scout out a dragon (size MD).

What dragon would take a toad seriously?

What normal toad would ever get near a dragon? The dragon would know something was wrong if the toad failed to panic in the area of the dragon's Frightful Presence. I think a dragon would squash any animal that didn't immediately flee, just because he would know there was something strange going on.

True, the dragon may not know exactly what was going on. Could be a polymorphed creature, a special construct disguised or any number of other things. Kill it, then worry about what it was.