I don't want to annoy my (new) DM from the start, so I want some input on my ideas for my shadow sorceress (mostly general spell clarification, so I post here):
Chill Touch: "it can't regain hit points until the start of your next turn"; that is very vague to me. I assume it does include all kinds of regular hit points, gained from regeneration, healing, potions, spell effects that is not a classified as temporary hit points. So, if you hit a target every round, it will not be able to get the benefit of e.g. a Cure Wounds, from sipping a potion, etc.
Phantasmal Force: "The target can use its action to examine the phantasm"; This applies to subsequent rounds, after the first Intelligence Saving Throw, right? I was thinking about summoning a crossbowman in heavy armour, who puts down a large pavise shield in front of him (and between the target of the spell and the sorcerer); Should that phantasm be treated as hard to hit (high AC due to plate armour, half cover behind the pavise (18+2), if the target tries to shoot back at the phantasm) and also provide that half cover bonus to my sorcerer, who stands behind the phantasm? Since the spell can create a fire effect (see spell description & I consider fire to be "moving" to be real), how dynamic can the phantasm be? Can the phantasm reposition itself, if it stays in the 10 foot cube area (e.g. if the target moves to the side a bit?)
Twinned Spell: "To be eligible, a spell must be incapable of targeting more than one creature at the spell's current level."
Chill Touch, Mind Sliver, Message (both should hear the same message, but reply individually), Ray of Sickness, Mage Armor (touch range, but I only touch one target?), Invisibility (tough range too, not limited to self), Hold Person (only works when you use a 2nd lvl spell slot, making it kind of like a 3rd spell slot casting with Twinned Spell), Phantasmal Force (both see the same phantasm)
Yes you're basically correct on most points. Chill Touch is particularly useful against foes that have some form of regeneration (like a Troll).
Phantasmal Force calls for a Saving Throw right when the spell is cast, but when the Target's next turn comes up they can choose to immediately use their action to Investigate the phantasm... so there is a possibility of the Target breaking the illusion as soon as they take their next turn, but it still burns their full action to do so. The Phantasm is impossible to hit by the Target... keep in mind that the spell clarifies that the Target's mind rationalizes any illogical results of their actions... if they slash in the phantasm's space their minds give them some logical reason for why they missed, no matter what they roll to hit. The Phantasm does not provide any additional cover for your character... it's not really there. So if the Target chooses to ignore the Phantasm and just attack you directly, despite the Phantasm obscuring their view, they manage a clear shot and their mind rationalizes how they did that despite having an armored guy in the way.
You understand Twinned Spell pretty accurately. With spells of a range of Touch you can still target multiple creatures as long as they're all within touch range.. think of it like just giving everyone around you a quick series of high-fives in succession, and not that you need to maintain contact with each individual creature throughout the entire casting.
This isn't something that can be answered on this forum as ultimately how the game is adjudicated is up to the DM. That being said I will do my best to give Rules As Written answers to your questions.
1) that's is correct. If you hit a creature with Chill Touch it is unable to recover lost Hit Points by any means until the start of your next turn. As you noted this has no interaction with Temporary Hit Points.
2) Yes, the target makes the Intelligence save when you cast the spell and can use their Action to make Investigation check on their subsequent turns. As for specific effects of illusions, that is pretty much entirely up to the DM. Illusions do not have stat blocks and most are revealed as illusions when a creature tries to interact with it by trying to attack or touch it.
Phantasmal Force is fairly unique in that touching the illusion does not reveal it. Whether the creature rationalize the illusion by thinking they missed or somehow passed through it for other reasons is up to the DM. Cover is a physical obstruction and illusions do not have any physicality to them. A DM might decide a creature can't target you or consider you to be Heavily Obscured but this is all up to the DM.
As for Phantasmal Force being able to create an animated illusion is a clear yes. Fire is an explicit example in the spell's description and as you mention fire would need to move to be convincing. Similarly the spell says you can create the illusion of a creature which would need to move to be convincing. Also as you mentioned the illusion generated by Phantasmal Force is limited to a given 10ft cube of space and the illusion would not be able to move outside of that space.
3) Yes, it seems like you have a good understanding of what would qualify for the Twinned Spell Metamagic. Also it is possible to touch two different creatures at the same time so long as they are both adjacent to you.
Coming back to my "phantasmal crossbowman": When the phantasm shoots at the target, it will take the d6 damage only when it is close to the area of effect, right? Therefore a phantasmal spear man with a shield would be more reasonable to summon than a crossbow man, should the DM allow some sort of cover/obscurement to apply to the defense of the sorceress. Or any close combat "foe" I want to put between me and the enemy.
Coming back to my "phantasmal crossbowman": When the phantasm shoots at the target, it will take the d6 damage only when it is close to the area of effect, right? Therefore a phantasmal spear man with a shield would be more reasonable to summon than a crossbow man, should the DM allow some sort of cover/obscurement to apply to the defense of the sorceress. Or any close combat "foe" I want to put between me and the enemy.
That's a good point, I had forgotten entirely that Phantasmal Force only applies if the target is next to the Phantasm. I'm still of the mind that, with how Phantasmal Force is written, it shouldn't provide cover, but the DM should also play it as though the NPC is fully convinced that the Spearman is a real person right in front of them and act accordingly. So they won't move away from it for fear of an opportunity attack, even though that's not something the Phantasm can do. They also probably wouldn't attack a different enemy using a ranged attack, since Ranged Attacks are made at Disadvantage if you have an enemy within 5 feet of yourself... and even though the Phantasm wouldn't actually impose that disadvantage, the NPC should still act as though they believe it would.
That's a good point, I had forgotten entirely that Phantasmal Force only applies if the target is next to the Phantasm. I'm still of the mind that, with how Phantasmal Force is written, it shouldn't provide cover, but the DM should also play it as though the NPC is fully convinced that the Spearman is a real person right in front of them and act accordingly. So they won't move away from it for fear of an opportunity attack, even though that's not something the Phantasm can do. They also probably wouldn't attack a different enemy using a ranged attack, since Ranged Attacks are made at Disadvantage if you have an enemy within 5 feet of yourself... and even though the Phantasm wouldn't actually impose that disadvantage, the NPC should still act as though they believe it would.
From your answers, I think it will all boil down to how much the DM will incorporate the creativity of the phantasm created during the live game play, because RAW kind of offer a lot of room for interpretation.
Oh yeah, Illusion Spells in general rely a ton on DM interpretation. Phantasmal Force is the most unique because it has the detail included that the creature rationalizes any impossibilities that result from their actions, as opposed to like... Major Image, where interacting with it physically reveals it to be an illusion, whether or not you succeed on any kind of investigation check. So Phantasmal Force really depends on how the DM feels it should work.
The creature won't actually suffer from cover penalties, disadvantage, or opportunity attacks, but they should act as though those penalties would apply, according to their intelligence and combat goals. Some NPCs might not concern themselves with opportunity attacks, and some NPCs might be willing to attack a priority target through "disadvantage" or "cover".
And when those penalties don't actually happen, the NPC will justify the outcome (the spearman just missed the opportunity attack, or I just got lucky and managed to shoot my target despite the spearman's interference).
So the DM's interpretation of effects is one factor, but you also have to worry about the NPC's decision-making once those effects are applied.
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I don't want to annoy my (new) DM from the start, so I want some input on my ideas for my shadow sorceress (mostly general spell clarification, so I post here):
Chill Touch, Mind Sliver, Message (both should hear the same message, but reply individually), Ray of Sickness, Mage Armor (touch range, but I only touch one target?), Invisibility (tough range too, not limited to self), Hold Person (only works when you use a 2nd lvl spell slot, making it kind of like a 3rd spell slot casting with Twinned Spell), Phantasmal Force (both see the same phantasm)
Yes you're basically correct on most points. Chill Touch is particularly useful against foes that have some form of regeneration (like a Troll).
Phantasmal Force calls for a Saving Throw right when the spell is cast, but when the Target's next turn comes up they can choose to immediately use their action to Investigate the phantasm... so there is a possibility of the Target breaking the illusion as soon as they take their next turn, but it still burns their full action to do so. The Phantasm is impossible to hit by the Target... keep in mind that the spell clarifies that the Target's mind rationalizes any illogical results of their actions... if they slash in the phantasm's space their minds give them some logical reason for why they missed, no matter what they roll to hit. The Phantasm does not provide any additional cover for your character... it's not really there. So if the Target chooses to ignore the Phantasm and just attack you directly, despite the Phantasm obscuring their view, they manage a clear shot and their mind rationalizes how they did that despite having an armored guy in the way.
You understand Twinned Spell pretty accurately. With spells of a range of Touch you can still target multiple creatures as long as they're all within touch range.. think of it like just giving everyone around you a quick series of high-fives in succession, and not that you need to maintain contact with each individual creature throughout the entire casting.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
This isn't something that can be answered on this forum as ultimately how the game is adjudicated is up to the DM. That being said I will do my best to give Rules As Written answers to your questions.
1) that's is correct. If you hit a creature with Chill Touch it is unable to recover lost Hit Points by any means until the start of your next turn. As you noted this has no interaction with Temporary Hit Points.
2) Yes, the target makes the Intelligence save when you cast the spell and can use their Action to make Investigation check on their subsequent turns. As for specific effects of illusions, that is pretty much entirely up to the DM. Illusions do not have stat blocks and most are revealed as illusions when a creature tries to interact with it by trying to attack or touch it.
Phantasmal Force is fairly unique in that touching the illusion does not reveal it. Whether the creature rationalize the illusion by thinking they missed or somehow passed through it for other reasons is up to the DM. Cover is a physical obstruction and illusions do not have any physicality to them. A DM might decide a creature can't target you or consider you to be Heavily Obscured but this is all up to the DM.
As for Phantasmal Force being able to create an animated illusion is a clear yes. Fire is an explicit example in the spell's description and as you mention fire would need to move to be convincing. Similarly the spell says you can create the illusion of a creature which would need to move to be convincing. Also as you mentioned the illusion generated by Phantasmal Force is limited to a given 10ft cube of space and the illusion would not be able to move outside of that space.
3) Yes, it seems like you have a good understanding of what would qualify for the Twinned Spell Metamagic. Also it is possible to touch two different creatures at the same time so long as they are both adjacent to you.
Thanks for the answers so far.
Coming back to my "phantasmal crossbowman": When the phantasm shoots at the target, it will take the d6 damage only when it is close to the area of effect, right? Therefore a phantasmal spear man with a shield would be more reasonable to summon than a crossbow man, should the DM allow some sort of cover/obscurement to apply to the defense of the sorceress. Or any close combat "foe" I want to put between me and the enemy.
That's a good point, I had forgotten entirely that Phantasmal Force only applies if the target is next to the Phantasm. I'm still of the mind that, with how Phantasmal Force is written, it shouldn't provide cover, but the DM should also play it as though the NPC is fully convinced that the Spearman is a real person right in front of them and act accordingly. So they won't move away from it for fear of an opportunity attack, even though that's not something the Phantasm can do. They also probably wouldn't attack a different enemy using a ranged attack, since Ranged Attacks are made at Disadvantage if you have an enemy within 5 feet of yourself... and even though the Phantasm wouldn't actually impose that disadvantage, the NPC should still act as though they believe it would.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
From your answers, I think it will all boil down to how much the DM will incorporate the creativity of the phantasm created during the live game play, because RAW kind of offer a lot of room for interpretation.
Oh yeah, Illusion Spells in general rely a ton on DM interpretation. Phantasmal Force is the most unique because it has the detail included that the creature rationalizes any impossibilities that result from their actions, as opposed to like... Major Image, where interacting with it physically reveals it to be an illusion, whether or not you succeed on any kind of investigation check. So Phantasmal Force really depends on how the DM feels it should work.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
The creature won't actually suffer from cover penalties, disadvantage, or opportunity attacks, but they should act as though those penalties would apply, according to their intelligence and combat goals. Some NPCs might not concern themselves with opportunity attacks, and some NPCs might be willing to attack a priority target through "disadvantage" or "cover".
And when those penalties don't actually happen, the NPC will justify the outcome (the spearman just missed the opportunity attack, or I just got lucky and managed to shoot my target despite the spearman's interference).
So the DM's interpretation of effects is one factor, but you also have to worry about the NPC's decision-making once those effects are applied.