D&D General Illusionists better in 2024


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As an aside, does anyone else think Phantom Steed needs a duration buff? Having to stop every hour to cast a 10 minute ritual is annoying.

I feel it should last at least 4 hours. It’s not like it’s a super powerful spell for 3rd level.
 

Wizards being the school specialists is bad legacy design; the wizard's big thing is spell versatility and being able to learn huge varieties of spells

There's nothing that says a Wizard needs to be versatile. If you dedicate your life to studying one form of magic only, then that's all you know. This is an entirely common thing in the fantasy genre and it makes roleplay sense when you look at each school as a different language. Specialization is great design, if balanced well.
 

So what do your illusionists actually do from round to round other than create Illusionary shrubs to hide in?
Seeing how you asked…

I’ve been looking at the kinds of things we could use illusions for. It’s really important to me that they not be things that break the system or try and make illusions do things that they don’t do. Hyper realistic 2D paintings of empty rooms for instance. I want to be playing the game not arguing with my DM about forced perspective. If I’m doubt I’m being cautious so no using Non-detection to make illusions seem real.

This list is by no means comprehensive, more just a set of broad musings. There may be inconsistencies so please do point out if I make any mistakes

Conceal
The ubiquitous 5’ shrub/crate/barrel/wall. For minor illusion this might just give you enough to take a hide action. Or conceal a small creature. It won’t give you cover but it will make you unseen. Best to assume if you attack through your concealment someone who sees that will realise your crossbow bolt firing crate is an illusion and your concealment will disappear.

With more powerful illusions you could make a wall covering one side of a room set a few feet out - what a great ambush spot. Or you might conceal a door or entrance. Have a fallen comrade on the ground? You can cover them with a disguise until you can get to them. Or want to stop a fallen foe being healed - do the same. Many spells require line of sight and your illusions can break that. Some more powerful spells like hallucinatory terrain or mirage arcana could conceal immense areas even entire armies.

You can also conceal other threats. Hide that pit in the floor. Hide that pressure plate. Hide the spell effect that would otherwise be easy to avoid.

Distract
The classic magician’s trick. Get someone to look in one direction and miss what’s happening in another. These kinds of illusions don’t even need to be that realistic. Minor illusion now will allow you to create an image and a sound as loud as a scream. It’s the equivalent to throwing a pebble in the other direction but probably faster and more impressive. Enough to allow your party to sneak by or to give you time to use sleight of hand to swipe an object or bring into play another illusion.

Confirm
Several enchantment spells require ‘reasonable’ circumstances. Suggestion for instance. Your spells can make otherwise unreasonable suggestions seem reasonable. If the individual won’t have an opportunity to investigate or disbelieve because they are affected by other magic it won’t matter if they could walk through the effect. Bonus points if you can make someone attack their own friends through the seeming spell.

Imitate
Illusions can help you impersonate other people. Either in person using disguise self, shouting through a door with minor illusion or by creating a full moving talking image of the thing you’re imitating. Some perform skill and a sense of the plausible will probably help here. But what about imitating other spells. It might be very useful to make your foes think any of spells and effects are in play. Particularly when not requiring verbal components means you can shout whatever nonsense words you like when casting your illusions.

Attract
A small sack lying on the ground with gold coins glinting through the opening would be tempting to many people. Or a damsel in distress. Similar to distract except it’s more likely if you get it right that creatures will investigate.

Compel
Some illusions will override a persons free will. Fear for instance will cause them to flee. Phantasmal force can cause them to become convinced something is real.

Confuse
Any time you can get the foe to hesitate you’re benefiting. Just caused someone to fall asleep - create an illusory sleeping body on the ground a few feet away. Make them chose - make them question what they are seeing.

Communicate
The PowerPoint of the D&D universe. Maps, helpful illustrations, directional signage and much more. Want to ask if someone has seen your quarry - show them a realistic image of the persons face. Trying to communicate with someone who doesn’t speak your language. Enhance your hand gestures with illusions. Even simple warnings and messages could be left for friends or foes.

Injure
Illusions can hurt - Phantasmal force, Phantasmal killer and Weird can all do damage even if it’s all psychic. That little bit of realism can help to reinforce the truth of the illusions. You didn’t pick the school because of the huge amount of damage it can cause but these spells simultaneously inhibit the target in other ways at the same time.

Illusions can also trick people into other situations that hurt. If the illusionist dispels that mirage arcana that the advancing orc horde is climbing its gravity that does the damage. Same with the illusory ladder that isn’t really there or false floor.

Escape
Between laying false trails and hiding your escape route it should be relatively easy for a skilled illusionist to escape an encounter.

Mock
Not to be underestimated the power of pricking someone’s ego. Use it sparingly lest your DM decide to prick yours!

Glam Up
The reverse of pricking ego. First impressions count. Remember the first scene we meet Stregobor in the Witcher - all illusion. Not only can you make your surroundings more fitting you could also hide your own deformities with your magic. Mirage arcana has tactile effects and it’s confirmed it can bear weight. Sleep by the side of the road or create yourself an elaborate palace. A fanfare of trumpets when you enter a room?
 

There's nothing that says a Wizard needs to be versatile. If you dedicate your life to studying one form of magic only, then that's all you know. This is an entirely common thing in the fantasy genre and it makes roleplay sense when you look at each school as a different language. Specialization is great design, if balanced well.
There are a few non illusion spells that I think work really well alongside illusions. They’re natural pairings - like red wine and cheese. Particularly when it comes to one of the restrictions of illusions that they generally just appear so if your targets are already present they can be naturally suspicious.

Prestidigitation: Simple enhancements that can add smell or tactile senses to your simple illusions. I’m combination you can create an image with sound and another sense as often as you like. Also useful to add puffs of smoke or sparks to your illusions appearing.

Fog cloud: The magical of equivalent of lights down on a stage performance. With a wide area it lets you reset the room with your illusions. Remember that concentration is broken as soon as you start to cast another spell so harder to mask a concentration illusion. Lots of illusions don’t require concentration though. Don’t forget it only requires a 4th level slot now to make a major image last until dispelled without needing concentration.

Suggestion: Don’t wait for folks to question your illusions - make them take action in response to them with this spell.

Banishment: Either make a creature disappear then bring back an illusion of them which you are in control of. Play on the fact that the subject pops back into sight. Or reset the scene while the target is banished. Also useful to get rid of those pesky creatures with blindsight or even worse truesight that can really mess up your plans.

Dispel Magic: There are spells like see invisibility and true sight that are not your friend. Deal with them.

Various Summon spells: Used judiciously your foes won’t know which creatures are real and which illusory.

Mage hand: Illusions can’t interact with objects so give them a helping hand. The illusion of you fleeing down a corridor is greatly improved when you open a physical door to do so.

Light: Illusions won’t generate light so if your illusion sheds light then you’ll need to assist. Luckily this spell lasts a long time.
 

As an aside, does anyone else think Phantom Steed needs a duration buff? Having to stop every hour to cast a 10 minute ritual is annoying.

I feel it should last at least 4 hours. It’s not like it’s a super powerful spell for 3rd level.
It used to have cool scaling effects. Sure, it's a free mount but if it drops in battle it's a pain to get it back. I would say make it scale like Hunter's Mark for 8 hour duration. Or bring back the upscaling when cast as a spell:

4th Ignore difficult terrain
5th Water Walk
6th Cross ravines like solid ground

Still a questionable use of a high slot but situational useful.
 

Major image exists. This is minor stuff done in a hurry. To add special effects layer on the cantrips. Yes I've used Thaumaturgy as rhythmic pounding of the earth shaking before casting the illusion.

Don't forget Upcast Major Image at L4 (an excellent change). And to me that's where illusions get serious.
I think both are viable now. You’re trading silent image at will and several other nifty powers for much improved lesser illusion and more spells overall. 🤷🏻‍♂️ Ultimately it will come down to style of play and what else you want to do. Those that like the warlock chassis can use that. Those that don’t have a great wizard subclass now.
 

As an aside, does anyone else think Phantom Steed needs a duration buff? Having to stop every hour to cast a 10 minute ritual is annoying.

I feel it should last at least 4 hours. It’s not like it’s a super powerful spell for 3rd level.
A phantom horse that gallops continuously and can travel 13 miles in a single hour. That’s more than twice as fast as a typical riding horse.

I would have liked upcasting for multiple steeds.

As the spell doesn’t require concentration I don’t see why you couldn’t start recasting the spell before the duration ends while you travel. Might need to slow down a bit, but no requirement to be standing still when casting rituals.
 
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There's nothing that says a Wizard needs to be versatile. If you dedicate your life to studying one form of magic only, then that's all you know. This is an entirely common thing in the fantasy genre and it makes roleplay sense when you look at each school as a different language. Specialization is great design, if balanced well.
I'm not saying that specialization is inherently a bad thing. Just that it is the opposite of D&D 5e wizard design with their spellbooks and their ability to change their spells from day to day and their biggest spell list in the game.

Wizards are designed to be generalist casters. That's a bad start for specialists. Instead use a class that casts as specialists.
 


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