I have a few bottles of the Marvelous Pigments (Magic Item). I've done the typical hole/door in the wall and such but my DM seems to cringe at the thought of anything more creative than that. It's to the point where I don't even care to use them anymore. We have disagreements on how the paint actually flows to the intent behind it. I once tried to paint a drain on the floor of a basement and we eventually got so nitty gritty as to how and where the pipes would go and what material they were made out of. Regardless, I listen to his ruling in the end and we move on, but after so many no's it starts to feel like a portable hole with more steps.
There are a few things I get hung up on that I would love any insight on if possible.
1) How does one paint? I get the door on a wall, but how would you paint a tree or terrain feature like in the example? Do I paint in the air or on the grass? How close do I have to be? Is it like a 3D printing pen? Nothing says it has to be painted on a surface in the magic item itself.
2) "The paint flows from the brush to form the desired object as you concentrate on its image." and "When you complete the painting, the object or terrain feature depicted becomes a real, nonmagical object."
If I concentrate on something, then paint it, it becomes real (within the confines of the magic item description obviously) so if I paint a door to the other side of the wall, I don't have to paint what's on the other side, just that I imagine it does go there. But what if I painted a hole or window in the same wall? Do I have to know what's on the other side of the wall to be able to do that?
3) Do I need to paint the full image or only the thing that modifies it? Example, a boulder, if I painted a balloon tie on the side of a boulder, does it become a balloon? Do I need to paint the whole boulder? Do I need to paint a completely new boulder that is balloon themed (or vice versa)?
4) Can I use this under water? Maybe I paint a plank of wood or something else buoyant to bring me or an ally to the surface.
--
The first question is the most contentious one. If I have to paint on a surface, how would I paint a hill or tree? If I can just paint in the air, it would solve most of the issues here until you take into account how you could manipulate perspective. Yes it still takes the volume of paint for the whole tree you painted, but the time to paint reduces the further away you get from the subject. If it's like a 3D printing pen, then it's in the air or from the ground up, and you paint the whole tree like a 3D printer would, possibly needing scaffolding? lol IDK
1. I’d say you paint it in the ground, but not like a 3d printer in layers, you’d just paint a picture of a tree, and it would then pop up in place. I’m saying this because it says you make a 2d image 3d, so you won’t need to make layers. I could also see just painting it in the air (it’s magic, it doesn’t need a surface). Again, just a picture of a tree in 2d, and then it becomes 3d. And I wouldn’t worry about perspective, that’s getting too deep into the weeds. It’s magic, it just works.
2. You do not need to know what’s on the other side. You are making a hole/window. You are not trying to create the reality on the other side of it.
3. This one gets interesting. I’m assuming you are trying to turn a boulder into a balloon. The balloon tie would certainly not work, it would just make a balloon tie on the end of a boulder. I think painting over the whole thing would work. And just making one from thin air would work.
4. I’d say yes you can use underwater. It’s magic, it just works.
I--as a dm I get to make my own rulings on this--had a character that could use illusion magic to act like a base to paint something off of(basically painting on air with extra steps) and I also ruled that you can create basic shapes or slabs of stone by doing a wide slash of gray on something or across a wall. I also allowed it so that if it had a base(solid object or illusion/magic output) then it could continue off of that object.
I'd say with water you'd need to make a dex throw to see how fast you could paint the object before the underwater currents scatter the paint to the point that you lose the image.
Also the window/hole one i'd just say that that makes a hole plain and simple.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"I have advantage on dex saving throws what could go wrong?"
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
I have a few bottles of the Marvelous Pigments (Magic Item). I've done the typical hole/door in the wall and such but my DM seems to cringe at the thought of anything more creative than that. It's to the point where I don't even care to use them anymore. We have disagreements on how the paint actually flows to the intent behind it. I once tried to paint a drain on the floor of a basement and we eventually got so nitty gritty as to how and where the pipes would go and what material they were made out of. Regardless, I listen to his ruling in the end and we move on, but after so many no's it starts to feel like a portable hole with more steps.
There are a few things I get hung up on that I would love any insight on if possible.
1) How does one paint? I get the door on a wall, but how would you paint a tree or terrain feature like in the example? Do I paint in the air or on the grass? How close do I have to be? Is it like a 3D printing pen? Nothing says it has to be painted on a surface in the magic item itself.
2) "The paint flows from the brush to form the desired object as you concentrate on its image." and "When you complete the painting, the object or terrain feature depicted becomes a real, nonmagical object."
If I concentrate on something, then paint it, it becomes real (within the confines of the magic item description obviously) so if I paint a door to the other side of the wall, I don't have to paint what's on the other side, just that I imagine it does go there. But what if I painted a hole or window in the same wall? Do I have to know what's on the other side of the wall to be able to do that?
3) Do I need to paint the full image or only the thing that modifies it? Example, a boulder, if I painted a balloon tie on the side of a boulder, does it become a balloon? Do I need to paint the whole boulder? Do I need to paint a completely new boulder that is balloon themed (or vice versa)?
4) Can I use this under water? Maybe I paint a plank of wood or something else buoyant to bring me or an ally to the surface.
--
The first question is the most contentious one. If I have to paint on a surface, how would I paint a hill or tree? If I can just paint in the air, it would solve most of the issues here until you take into account how you could manipulate perspective. Yes it still takes the volume of paint for the whole tree you painted, but the time to paint reduces the further away you get from the subject. If it's like a 3D printing pen, then it's in the air or from the ground up, and you paint the whole tree like a 3D printer would, possibly needing scaffolding? lol IDK
Any help would be appreciated.
1. I’d say you paint it in the ground, but not like a 3d printer in layers, you’d just paint a picture of a tree, and it would then pop up in place. I’m saying this because it says you make a 2d image 3d, so you won’t need to make layers. I could also see just painting it in the air (it’s magic, it doesn’t need a surface). Again, just a picture of a tree in 2d, and then it becomes 3d. And I wouldn’t worry about perspective, that’s getting too deep into the weeds. It’s magic, it just works.
2. You do not need to know what’s on the other side. You are making a hole/window. You are not trying to create the reality on the other side of it.
3. This one gets interesting. I’m assuming you are trying to turn a boulder into a balloon. The balloon tie would certainly not work, it would just make a balloon tie on the end of a boulder. I think painting over the whole thing would work. And just making one from thin air would work.
4. I’d say yes you can use underwater. It’s magic, it just works.
I--as a dm I get to make my own rulings on this--had a character that could use illusion magic to act like a base to paint something off of(basically painting on air with extra steps) and I also ruled that you can create basic shapes or slabs of stone by doing a wide slash of gray on something or across a wall. I also allowed it so that if it had a base(solid object or illusion/magic output) then it could continue off of that object.
I'd say with water you'd need to make a dex throw to see how fast you could paint the object before the underwater currents scatter the paint to the point that you lose the image.
Also the window/hole one i'd just say that that makes a hole plain and simple.
"I have advantage on dex saving throws what could go wrong?"