The messenger can also shape the environment of the dream, creating landscapes, objects, and other images
You can make the messenger appear monstrous and terrifying to the target.
Can you change the appearance of the messenger so that the recipient would not recognize them? If you change the messenger to be terrifying, couldn’t you also change what they look like without doing so? Would that fall under the second bullet point?
So the dream spell states:
Can you change the appearance of the messenger so that the recipient would not recognize them? If you change the messenger to be terrifying, couldn’t you also change what they look like without doing so? Would that fall under the second bullet point?
Only spilt the party if you see something shiny.
Ariendela Sneakerson, Half-elf Rogue (8); Harmony Wolfsbane, Tiefling Bard (10); Agnomally, Gnomish Sorcerer (3); Breeze, Tabaxi Monk (8); Grace, Dragonborn Barbarian (7); DM, Homebrew- The Sequestered Lands/Underwater Explorers; Candlekeep
Seems reasonable to me.
A similar question has been asked before:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/dungeons-dragons-discussion/rules-game-mechanics/133977-dream-spell-interpretation
The answers were mostly along the line of: "maybe? Ask your DM."