Spot checks and illusions

[hong]

So there's an illusion of a cave wall covering a passageway.

Should the scout with +20 Spot who walks past, get a roll to notice that it's an illusion? If so, what should the DC be?

 

[CRGreathouse]

Defeat Illusion: The character can automatically detect any illusion with a visual component for what it truly is. No Will save is required, and the character doesn’t have to interact with the illusion (but he or she must be able to see it).

DC 80

 

[hong]

DC 80

Is that from the ELH? That's idiotic.

You can detect an inanimate, invisible object with a DC 40 check. I think I'll use that for this purpose as well.

 

[CRGreathouse]

Is that from the ELH? That's idiotic.

I knew you'd say something of the sort.

I use this, actually, in my game. While no one's yet hit that DC, they've hit a lot of epic DCs, generally well before they're epic.

 

[Brekki]

Its not that insane a DC, invisibility is just a 2nd lvl spell ... an invis, inanimate person gets a +40 on hide DC ... to any illusion would have a much higher DC. Especially because you get a will save once you interact with it, something you don't get with invisibility.

 

[Kershek]

You don't get a spot check to notice if it's an illusion. If you don't interact with it, then you think it's real. If you interact with it, then you roll a will save to notice if it's not real.

 

[James McMurray]

Excpt of course, if you use the ELH, then you do geta spot check to notice its an illusion, and the DC is 80.

 

[Kershek]

Ok, no one said they were using the ELH to come up with that figure.

 

[hong]

It's probably a good rule of thumb to assume that anything from the ELH is idiotic until proven otherwise.

 

[Brekki]

Its easier to accept "It's a DC 80", than "You can't do that"

And the ELH is a pretty good guideline for epic and powerfull non-epic play, if DM and players spend some time balancing the characters.