Fun stuff to do with illusions

[Voadam]

I use silent images to provide pictures when I am relating information (such as giving new pcs background information on our quest and the bad guys we've been fighting).

I've also used it to place darkness over a person's head.

Since heat is a component in the higher level ones, I have used programmable illusion to create fire elementals that will appear when I say specified command words. They are intimidating and can distract for a round or so if I need to escape. Permanent illusion create creatures like phase spiders or pixies that can appear from another plane or from invisibility with plausibility. You can have them hidden most of the time but control them and call them out when you need them for a distraction.

 

[Voadam]

I've used a hat of disguise on a solo mission to make myself look like the illithid leader of one bad guy faction when assaulting another bad guy faction and then left them with demands and a threat from the illithid's faction.

It helped get the factions to launch assaults against each other.

 

[Murrdox]

We were attacked by Worg-Riding Goblins last night, and I created an illusion of a large Dwarven fighter to distract them for several rounds.

The amusing thing was that a mounted goblin engaged the illusion, and susequently the Worg realized that the Dwarf was an illusion, but the Goblin did not. The Goblin then failed his ride check to prevent the Worg from riding right past the large dwarf to the REAL targets. The frustrated Goblin then lept off his mount to go back and engage the Dwarf.

 

[Kershek]

Re: illusion trick

hello all, new to the board and this is my first post <wave>

Anyway here is an old illusion that is very effective. Carry a bag with a skull in it. When in combat and over matched. Reach into the bag at the same time yelling to your party members to watch out. Then you pull out a meadusa's(sp) head. It is of coarse an illusion but with good acting it will be very believable.

Illusion spells are all about the acting and making the target of your illusion believe.

Heck, you don't even need a skull. Just pull your hand out of the bag with nothing in it and make it look like the hand is holding the medusa head. Of course, the enemy needs to know what a medusa head can do to be effective

 

[Pielorinho]

One easy fudge I use for illusions:

I do consider effectively hitting an illusory creature to provide incontrovertible proof that it's illusory, but I do not want to have to figure out an armor-class for each illusory critter out there. Instead, if someone swings at an illusory creature, I use that D20 roll as their will save vs. an illusion. I figure the illusionist is doing their best to keep the illusion dodging plausibly; a successful will save represents either a successful hit by the attacker, or a realization on the attacker's part that the illusion isn't moving naturally. It removes one roll from the round (the attack roll) and keeps things moving smoothly.

I'd probably allow illusory pits, but not illusory darkness: if a figment can't illuminate darkness, I don't think it should be able to extinguish light. I can imagine illusory pits offering a trompe l'oeil effect. Similarly, I'd allow an illusion of a window through a solid door: it wouldn't actually create a window, so the viewer couldn't see through the door, but the spellcaster could create an illusion of whatever she thought might be on the other side of the door.

Daniel

 

[Cyan]

Ok, so darkness seems out of the question, but how about some illusion obscuring mist?

 

[Kershek]

I would say yes, because it adds mist to the scene. Darkness removes light. I would suggest telling your allies ahead of time that the mist isn't real so they get a +4 to their will save.

 

[satori01]

One easy fudge I use for illusions:

I do consider effectively hitting an illusory creature to provide incontrovertible proof that it's illusory, but I do not want to have to figure out an armor-class for each illusory critter out there. Instead, if someone swings at an illusory creature, I use that D20 roll as their will save vs. an illusion.

Daniel

That is brillant! I love the fact that it keeps the illusionary nature of the spell secret. All to often great illusions are spoiled at what amounts to DM "tells" to the player. Once players are rather certain they are facing an illusion, they can generally disrupt it quickly.

 

[Pielorinho]

I would say yes, because it adds mist to the scene. Darkness removes light. I would suggest telling your allies ahead of time that the mist isn't real so they get a +4 to their will save.

+4 to will save? Is that a house rule, or is that an official rule? If official, can you point me to it? (We were wondering in our game recently what, if any, bonus to a save you got if you were told something was illusory or if you made your spellcraft check).

Daniel

 

[Kershek]

PHB P154 - "If a viewer successfully disbelieves an illusion and communicates that fact to other viewers, each such viewer gains a saving throw with a +4 bonus."