Way to block detection of illusions?

[UltimaGabe]

As I've already stated, a wizard with a permanent detect magic doesn't need to worry about burning through spells.

Not only that, but anybody with 900 gp can buy an item that uses Detect Magic on command at will.

Anyway, as others have stated, there's plenty ways to get around this, as well as use it to your advantage. Got an illusory floor over a vat of acid? Cast Nystul's Magic Aura on the vat (or the very, very thin glass lid of the vat) and make it give off a strong Abjuration aura. Don't like that approach? Okay, then rather than putting a wall over the vat of acid, leave it there. Then, put a permanent Silent Image over the vat to make it look blue instead of green. The party will see it, cast Detect Magic (or use those Glasses of Detection they bought in the last town), see that there's a light Illusion spell over the area, and walk right into the (very real) vat of acid.

If you know they're going to be detecting illusions all the time, then use that to your advantage and use your illusions to create other illusions (that is, make them think some illusions are fake, some are real, and use illusions to draw attention away from the important thing- which, really, is the entire point of illusions). The only real danger is if they start using True Seeing- there's no way around it, but it's such a costly spell that you'll never have to worry about it too much unless your party has uber-cheesed-out templates that give it to them at will or something. After all, it only lasts a minute per level, and costs 250 gp every time they want to cast it (in addition to the spell slot limitation). Unless you don't know what you're doing, nobody will have an item that uses it at will.

The only reason that Illusions can be bypassed by Detect Magic is because the DMs often use them in the wrong way. If your entire adventure is based around doors being hidden by illusory walls, then something's wrong with your adventure, not the illusions. It's like basing an adventure around a locked door and then getting pissed off when the 15th-level Barbarian power attacks it and bashes it down in two rounds. Obviously if the players have the resources to get past a certain situation very easily, then that sort of a situation isn't meant to be the only obstacle in their way. Even if you still want it to be the only obstacle in the party's way, then you have to use it in a way that prohibits them from breezing through it, or you'll be doing nothing but getting pissed off when they do so.

Just my two iron filings.

 

[Meeki]

From the SRD:So as far as I can tell, a party can't simply open a door, detect magic, then disbelieve and poof! there go the illusions. More like, they open the door, detect magic, then must either study carefully or interact with the illusion in order to get a saving throw. If they fail, they still believe it's real. Even in the case of one party member making their save and disbelieving, that only garners the others a +4 to their saves. They still don't automatically recognize the illusion without physical proof of its illusory nature.

I'd have the illusionist research a custom version of Nystul's Magical Aura that covers an area and lasts for days, even weeks. It makes everything in the area give off a faint aura of Transmutation, and masks all other auras in the area. Make it 5th-level or so. Now the party can't even use detect magic to learn when they should expect an illusion.[/QU

This is true the illusion still stays however if the illusion can be proven to be fake then everyone can disbelieve it and make the save. This won't stop the illusion from existing and changing reality just allows someone to move through it or what not.

 

[MerakSpielman]

I agree that misdirection is the best course of action. When loads of things are detecting as illusions, it gets harder to figure out what's going on.

And after they get so caught up looking for illusions, hit them with some mundane pit traps or something that they, at that point, won't be expecting.

An interesting concept might be an area where ONLY illusion magic functions - a sort of an antimagic field that is programmed to allow illusions to function. Then those pesky divinations are worthless, and the party spellcasters have to learn to fight illusion with illusion.

 

[Bauglir]

Just a little sidenote: There are only two enchantment spells in the PHB, which are hindered by Protection from Evil.

Bye
Thanee

Really? I've always thought of that as a bit of a grey area - which 2 spells are you thinking of?

 

[Felix]

So those 30 orcs have 30 illusionists controlling them do they?

No. 20 of those orcs have 1 illusionist controlling them. 10 of them are real orcs doing real damage. But does the fighter know which ones? Nope.

My point is that a simple 0-lvl spell makes static illusions nearly useless.

Yeah, because it would be absolutely shocking to think that a wizards lair has all sorts of magical auras around. Have fun wasting time studying each and every bloody one of them.

Illusionary monsters don't interest me.

Why? Because they're useful in confusing the party? It's part of how illusion magic can mess with enemies.

But once a party knows there's illusion magic, they'll just scan each and every room, see if illusions are present, then disbelieve.

Walk into room. The whole room lights up with illusion magic. So you know that there's an illusion in there somewhere. But:

--Do you disbelieve that the carpet is real, and think there's a pit in front of you?

--Do you disbelieve that the cabinet is real, covering a secret passageway?

--Do you disbelieve that the ceiling is real, and you might be walking under a murder hole?

--Do you disbelieve that the creature chained in the corner is real, and will not harm you as you walk past it?

--Do you disbelieve that the door on the other side of the room is real, and walking into this room will trap you?

Shall I keep going, or do you get my point? You have to interact with illusions to disbelieve them, and interacting with them a) takes time and b) might not be the safest thing to do. Giving PCs the ability to disbelieve simply because they know something isn't real is silly; I don't know why you insist on doing it. If there's no interaction, there's no disbelief. If there is interaction, the PCs are taking time that the wizard is taking to deal with them, and the PCs are also chancing interacting with something real mistakenly thinking that it's an illusion.

So much for the illusionist's lair.

Why don't you just have them stand outside of the lair and *poof* disbelieve the whole thing? I mean, they know there's illusion stuff in there, and according to you they don't have to interact with it, so this works.

Feh.

 

[Particle_Man]

I don't think there is an illusion spell in the phb that lets you create and controll 20 fake orcs. At best, you can create a figment of one object or creature, or (at high level) make 20 real creatures look like orcs.

I could be wrong.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

I don't think there is an illusion spell in the phb that lets you create and controll 20 fake orcs. At best, you can create a figment of one object or creature, or (at high level) make 20 real creatures look like orcs.

Exactly.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Thanks UltimaGabe. That's some really useful advice.

 

[Storyteller01]

Sounds cool! What's the source?

Spelltrap is in GR's Witch master class book. The aura switch (I believe) is in an FFG book called spells and spellcraft (not sure on the last. Dman my memory!!)

 

[Someone]

I don't think there is an illusion spell in the phb that lets you create and controll 20 fake orcs. At best, you can create a figment of one object or creature, or (at high level) make 20 real creatures look like orcs.

I could be wrong.

I think that one of the illusion spells, Programed image IIRC, mentions as a example creating the illusion of a bunch or orcs fighting. If they screwed with the example, or the spells allow creating the illusion of several connected or related things is unclear.