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<blockquote data-quote="kigmatzomat" data-source="post: 9666075" data-attributes="member: 9254">I think there is one aspect missing: animated illusions.<ul>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Minor image makes a static illusion.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Silent image and Major Image can be animated, using the caster's action.</li>
</ul>So assume an illusion of a humanoid statue.&nbsp; A sword or arrow attack at a Minor Image passes through and should justify some kind of &quot;heeeyyyy...&quot; reaction from the attacker.&nbsp; A sword or arrow attack against a Major Image statue being actively animated, well, the statue can dodge and counter attack &quot;wildly&quot; so that it &quot;misses&quot;.&nbsp; There's no implausibility here, so no rational for any disbelief.&nbsp; Only after some number of &quot;Wait, neither of us even touched each other?&quot; Sequences, or the &quot;why doesn't the stone statue's footsteps make sound?&quot; does it become implausible.But what about the choice of illusion itself? Replace the statue with the illusion of a shadowy humanoid.&nbsp; The Minor Illusion might hold up for a round or two of combat as swords and arrows passing through it are part of shadow's scary factor.&nbsp; But when it doesn't attack, that's the &quot;hey.....&quot; moment.&nbsp; Though a second Minor Illusion of faint, creepy whispering might extend it the realism for a round or two.The animated Shadow illusion can &quot;fight&quot;, and then swords and arrows missing or passing through while its attacks fail to land are more plausible.&nbsp; Not infinitely more plausible, but more plausible.&nbsp; The animated illusions don't cause damage but they consume caster actions, ostensibly to consume opponent actions and/or inflict penalties, like &quot;flanking&quot; by distracting enemies.More powerful illusion spells, like Major Image, include other sensory effects so an illusory ghost can include a &quot;chilling&quot; aura, an illusory fire elemental radiates &quot;heat&quot;, or a stone statue's footsteps make sound.&nbsp; These should be harder to recognize. Which makes sense, higher level spells should be more effective.I don't think it should be spell level based per se, but there should be increased benefit from a more powerful spell.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="kigmatzomat, post: 9666075, member: 9254"] I think there is one aspect missing: animated illusions. [LIST] [*]Minor image makes a static illusion. [*]Silent image and Major Image can be animated, using the caster's action. [/LIST] So assume an illusion of a humanoid statue. A sword or arrow attack at a Minor Image passes through and should justify some kind of "heeeyyyy..." reaction from the attacker. A sword or arrow attack against a Major Image statue being actively animated, well, the statue can dodge and counter attack "wildly" so that it "misses". There's no implausibility here, so no rational for any disbelief. Only after some number of "Wait, neither of us even touched each other?" Sequences, or the "why doesn't the stone statue's footsteps make sound?" does it become implausible. But what about the choice of illusion itself? Replace the statue with the illusion of a shadowy humanoid. The Minor Illusion might hold up for a round or two of combat as swords and arrows passing through it are part of shadow's scary factor. But when it doesn't attack, that's the "hey....." moment. Though a second Minor Illusion of faint, creepy whispering might extend it the realism for a round or two. The animated Shadow illusion can "fight", and then swords and arrows missing or passing through while its attacks fail to land are more plausible. Not infinitely more plausible, but more plausible. The animated illusions don't cause damage but they consume caster actions, ostensibly to consume opponent actions and/or inflict penalties, like "flanking" by distracting enemies. More powerful illusion spells, like Major Image, include other sensory effects so an illusory ghost can include a "chilling" aura, an illusory fire elemental radiates "heat", or a stone statue's footsteps make sound. These should be harder to recognize. Which makes sense, higher level spells should be more effective. I don't think it should be spell level based per se, but there should be increased benefit from a more powerful spell. [/QUOTE]

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