I just got to lvl 3 rogue and I chose arcane trickster. I am trying to think of some good tactical support for combat rather than just spray and pray.
1) Is the illusion cast with minor illusion able to be anchored to and object. Ie, big obnoxious flag 'bound' to the back of an enemy to hurt is stealth chance.
2) If i ready minor illusion for when an enemy attack can i call a big dark ball around its head so it cant see anything and give it the blinded condition
3) If yes to question 1 and 2, does the enemy automatically know it an illusion and sees through it on its turn cause its 'touching' the ball, ir does it still need to make some type of save since for all it knows is that darkness descended on it.
It would be best to ask your DM for question 1, but I would rule that it is anchored to a spot and can not be anchored to an object or creature. Every DM can rule this differently because it doesn't say that it is anchored to an object or spot, but does say within range which makes me think spot and not an object or creature.
For question 2 you wouldn't be able to blind the creature with minor illusion because "physical interaction with the image reveals it to be an illusion, because things can pass through it... If a creature discerns the illusion for what it is, the illusion becomes faint to the creature." This means that the creature would be able to see through the illusion. If you want to use to hamper an enemies attack, you could just create a wall in front of them that blocks their view and they have to spend their action to examine it or they would have to move to see around it.
You just have to try to be creative with how you use it, and see what your DM says about how you want to use it. Hope this was helpful.
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In answering this question, I did realize a use for Minor Illusion that would be frequently handy: Given the effect on the illusion once you know it is one, you could use the spell to create virtual pages of whatever text/images/maps that you need, without having to retrieve said items from a container.
Just reread the description, DxJxC is correct (thank you for pointing that out), no INT check is needed upon touch. This means that the illusory darkness would immediately become faint (barely perceptible), meaning you could get not trickery use from it as you describe.
After reading the cantrip more it also states that "the image can't create sound, light, smell, or any other sensory effect." This would mean that it can't blind a target since that would be affecting their sight. You are essentially only able to create an object, that they can see, or a sound. The only way to affect a creatures sight is if you cast the illusion right in front of them and not on them, since casting it on them would mean they know it's an illusion and just go through it.
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Remember this is a game and it's suppose to be fun for everybody. Let's all have fun and kill monsters.
If it was not in contact with them, but was of an opaque form, then it would heavily obscure what was on the other side of it from them, and being heavily obscured produces the blind condition in reference to things on the other side. (think the same effect as from Ranger - Gloom Stalker's Umbral Sight feature).
Not saying it will work, but my image would not create any sensory effect. It would decieve or deny sensory effect. The reason touch proves the illusion false is that they see themselve pass through it. If my example is allowed then they wouldnt see themselfs touching it and thereby no reason to disbelieve.
It's probably better to use minor illusion to hide before combat by curling up and blending in with something like a cave wall. That way you can spring out and get a sneak attack.
If you want to distract someone about to attack, ready minor illusion to trick them into hearing the sounds of a big monster you've heard. I think a lot of DM's would let you roll deception on something like that, especially arcane tricksters, but each one can be different.
During camp time we cook over our fire that I cast minor illusion on to make it look like a rock. Also if you ever come upon my party mates during my watch, beware bolts that are shot from within a 'rock'
During camp time we cook over our fire that I cast minor illusion on to make it look like a rock. Also if you ever come upon my party mates during my watch, beware bolts that are shot from within a 'rock'
It can't affect light, so your rock would still be glowing like a fire. As others have said, neither 1 or 2 will work RAW.
The best use for minor illusion in combat is to create a wall. You can step out from behind the wall, shoot your enemies, then step back and hide. You can see through the wall, but your enemies can't unless they touch it or you shoot through it. Even if you fail your stealth roll, many effects, including most spells can't target you without line of sight.
Outside of combat of course it can be used for distractions, traps, and general mayhem. It's one of my favorite spells.
During camp time we cook over our fire that I cast minor illusion on to make it look like a rock. Also if you ever come upon my party mates during my watch, beware bolts that are shot from within a 'rock'
It can't affect light, so your rock would still be glowing like a fire. As others have said, neither 1 or 2 will work RAW.
It can't create sensory effect. It does not say anything about not beong able to obstruct light. So while the touching rule might RAW option 2 out, RAW does not impede my campfire idea.
It may not impede you campfire idea, but be aware that the spell's duration is only 1 minute so you would have to cast it every minute to maintain the illusion. By doing this you would not be able to gain any benefit of a rest due to casting multiple times during the rest. You can camouflage a crossbow to look like a rock and fire through the illusion without breaking the illusion if they don't see where the shot came from, but again you would have to cast the cantrip every minute to keep it hidden. So, what I'm saying is that even though you can do what you are planning it just wouldn't be practical.
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Remember this is a game and it's suppose to be fun for everybody. Let's all have fun and kill monsters.
According to the spell description, touching it basically renders it useless. It is a cantrip after all.
"Physical interaction with the image reveals it to be an illusion, because things can pass through it."
If they cant see that they touched how would they know they touched it.
Say a blinded gnome is led into an illusory cage before being cured (lets say the party wants to interogate the prisoner and all their rope is gone so they want him to believe he is restrained). Does he automatically know the cage is an illusion even. Yes he touched it, but he didnt see himself touch it.
During camp time we cook over our fire that I cast minor illusion on to make it look like a rock. Also if you ever come upon my party mates during my watch, beware bolts that are shot from within a 'rock'
It can't affect light, so your rock would still be glowing like a fire. As others have said, neither 1 or 2 will work RAW.
It can't create sensory effect. It does not say anything about not beong able to obstruct light. So while the touching rule might RAW option 2 out, RAW does not impede my campfire idea.
"The image can't create sound, light, smell, or any other sensory effect." If it can't create sound, light, or smell, it follows that it also can't create the absence of them.
I guess my thought/logic path just follows a different path. I dont see it as creating darkness. I see it as the dtructure of the illusion obstructing light. When I envision putting a solid box on their head, their vision would be nothing as if they turned incorpreal and were inside a solid boulder. They see nothing for their is neither light to see nor space to see (illusion is solid and not just a shell).
Not saying I'm right and you all are wrong, this is just how the path I thought flowed
I guess my thought/logic path just follows a different path. I dont see it as creating darkness. I see it as the dtructure of the illusion obstructing light. When I envision putting a solid box on their head, their vision would be nothing as if they turned incorpreal and were inside a solid boulder. They see nothing for their is neither light to see nor space to see (illusion is solid and not just a shell).
Not saying I'm right and you all are wrong, this is just how the path I thought flowed
If I follow this line of thought too far, my gut instinct is that I'm going to come to the conclusion that Minor Illusion can't actually do anything, but I'll try anyway. When light hits something, that is a physical interaction. If objects can pass through it, necessarily so can light, so if direct light is shining (from a campfire, for example), the illusion cannot obstruct that light.
But light is constantly bouncing around and physically interacting with everything, so doesn't that mean the illusion just can't do anything? This is where my instinct suggested we'd end up, but I think we can salvage this if we're allowed to not be too literal with our interpretation of the spell's description.
I think that, as an illusion effect, the spell puts an image of a thing in someone's mind. It has absolutely no presence in the real world whatsoever; the spell is mind-affecting, not space-affecting. So imagine something like a sheet of paper. If you hold it up to direct light, the light clearly shines through and you can tell that's it very thin. But if it's not in front of direct light, there's simply not enough light actually penetrating the paper to be visible. This is how I imagine the Minor Illusion working: if direct light isn't shining through it, the brain can sort of make up the difference, and the illusion is preserved. But it can't obstruct direct light; there's simply too much of it, and thus too much physical interaction, for the brain to make sense of in combination with the illusion.
Maybe an easy way to explain minor illusion's effect, so that what it can and can't do make sense, is to describe it as changing the color of light that passes through the spell's area to make an image and it doesn't fill the image.
Can't create or block light, check. Revealed as an illusion if interacted with, check. Doesn't replicate the effect of an equal or higher level spell, check.
Putting the image if thing in someones mind is exactpy what phantams force and phantasmal killer does. Minor illusion, at least when not a sound, I have always thought to be light manipulated into an image. Now a logic path that would negate my thoughts is the outer surface a two dimensial plane, ie no depth, or can it have actual depth.
Putting the image if thing in someones mind is exactpy what phantams force and phantasmal killer does. Minor illusion, at least when not a sound, I have always thought to be light manipulated into an image. Now a logic path that would negate my thoughts is the outer surface a two dimensial plane, ie no depth, or can it have actual depth.
I imagine the illusion has shape but no substance like videogame graphics. Something can look like a brick wall, but from the inside, you see the bricks are not fully individually modeled and are just an image on a texture.
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I just got to lvl 3 rogue and I chose arcane trickster. I am trying to think of some good tactical support for combat rather than just spray and pray.
1) Is the illusion cast with minor illusion able to be anchored to and object. Ie, big obnoxious flag 'bound' to the back of an enemy to hurt is stealth chance.
2) If i ready minor illusion for when an enemy attack can i call a big dark ball around its head so it cant see anything and give it the blinded condition
3) If yes to question 1 and 2, does the enemy automatically know it an illusion and sees through it on its turn cause its 'touching' the ball, ir does it still need to make some type of save since for all it knows is that darkness descended on it.
It would be best to ask your DM for question 1, but I would rule that it is anchored to a spot and can not be anchored to an object or creature. Every DM can rule this differently because it doesn't say that it is anchored to an object or spot, but does say within range which makes me think spot and not an object or creature.
For question 2 you wouldn't be able to blind the creature with minor illusion because "physical interaction with the image reveals it to be an illusion, because things can pass through it... If a creature discerns the illusion for what it is, the illusion becomes faint to the creature." This means that the creature would be able to see through the illusion. If you want to use to hamper an enemies attack, you could just create a wall in front of them that blocks their view and they have to spend their action to examine it or they would have to move to see around it.
You just have to try to be creative with how you use it, and see what your DM says about how you want to use it. Hope this was helpful.
Remember this is a game and it's suppose to be fun for everybody. Let's all have fun and kill monsters.
In answering this question, I did realize a use for Minor Illusion that would be frequently handy: Given the effect on the illusion once you know it is one, you could use the spell to create virtual pages of whatever text/images/maps that you need, without having to retrieve said items from a container.
According to the spell description, touching it basically renders it useless. It is a cantrip after all.
Just reread the description, DxJxC is correct (thank you for pointing that out), no INT check is needed upon touch. This means that the illusory darkness would immediately become faint (barely perceptible), meaning you could get not trickery use from it as you describe.
After reading the cantrip more it also states that "the image can't create sound, light, smell, or any other sensory effect." This would mean that it can't blind a target since that would be affecting their sight. You are essentially only able to create an object, that they can see, or a sound. The only way to affect a creatures sight is if you cast the illusion right in front of them and not on them, since casting it on them would mean they know it's an illusion and just go through it.
Remember this is a game and it's suppose to be fun for everybody. Let's all have fun and kill monsters.
If it was not in contact with them, but was of an opaque form, then it would heavily obscure what was on the other side of it from them, and being heavily obscured produces the blind condition in reference to things on the other side. (think the same effect as from Ranger - Gloom Stalker's Umbral Sight feature).
Not saying it will work, but my image would not create any sensory effect. It would decieve or deny sensory effect. The reason touch proves the illusion false is that they see themselve pass through it. If my example is allowed then they wouldnt see themselfs touching it and thereby no reason to disbelieve.
It's probably better to use minor illusion to hide before combat by curling up and blending in with something like a cave wall. That way you can spring out and get a sneak attack.
If you want to distract someone about to attack, ready minor illusion to trick them into hearing the sounds of a big monster you've heard. I think a lot of DM's would let you roll deception on something like that, especially arcane tricksters, but each one can be different.
Also known as CrafterB and DankMemer.
Here, have some homebrew classes! Subclasses to? Why not races. Feats, feats as well. I have a lot of magic items. Lastly I got monsters, fun, fun times.
During camp time we cook over our fire that I cast minor illusion on to make it look like a rock. Also if you ever come upon my party mates during my watch, beware bolts that are shot from within a 'rock'
It can't affect light, so your rock would still be glowing like a fire. As others have said, neither 1 or 2 will work RAW.
The best use for minor illusion in combat is to create a wall. You can step out from behind the wall, shoot your enemies, then step back and hide. You can see through the wall, but your enemies can't unless they touch it or you shoot through it. Even if you fail your stealth roll, many effects, including most spells can't target you without line of sight.
Outside of combat of course it can be used for distractions, traps, and general mayhem. It's one of my favorite spells.
It can't create sensory effect. It does not say anything about not beong able to obstruct light. So while the touching rule might RAW option 2 out, RAW does not impede my campfire idea.
It may not impede you campfire idea, but be aware that the spell's duration is only 1 minute so you would have to cast it every minute to maintain the illusion. By doing this you would not be able to gain any benefit of a rest due to casting multiple times during the rest. You can camouflage a crossbow to look like a rock and fire through the illusion without breaking the illusion if they don't see where the shot came from, but again you would have to cast the cantrip every minute to keep it hidden. So, what I'm saying is that even though you can do what you are planning it just wouldn't be practical.
Remember this is a game and it's suppose to be fun for everybody. Let's all have fun and kill monsters.
"Physical interaction with the image reveals it to be an illusion, because things can pass through it."
If they cant see that they touched how would they know they touched it.
Say a blinded gnome is led into an illusory cage before being cured (lets say the party wants to interogate the prisoner and all their rope is gone so they want him to believe he is restrained). Does he automatically know the cage is an illusion even. Yes he touched it, but he didnt see himself touch it.
"The image can't create sound, light, smell, or any other sensory effect." If it can't create sound, light, or smell, it follows that it also can't create the absence of them.
I guess my thought/logic path just follows a different path. I dont see it as creating darkness. I see it as the dtructure of the illusion obstructing light. When I envision putting a solid box on their head, their vision would be nothing as if they turned incorpreal and were inside a solid boulder. They see nothing for their is neither light to see nor space to see (illusion is solid and not just a shell).
Not saying I'm right and you all are wrong, this is just how the path I thought flowed
If I follow this line of thought too far, my gut instinct is that I'm going to come to the conclusion that Minor Illusion can't actually do anything, but I'll try anyway. When light hits something, that is a physical interaction. If objects can pass through it, necessarily so can light, so if direct light is shining (from a campfire, for example), the illusion cannot obstruct that light.
But light is constantly bouncing around and physically interacting with everything, so doesn't that mean the illusion just can't do anything? This is where my instinct suggested we'd end up, but I think we can salvage this if we're allowed to not be too literal with our interpretation of the spell's description.
I think that, as an illusion effect, the spell puts an image of a thing in someone's mind. It has absolutely no presence in the real world whatsoever; the spell is mind-affecting, not space-affecting. So imagine something like a sheet of paper. If you hold it up to direct light, the light clearly shines through and you can tell that's it very thin. But if it's not in front of direct light, there's simply not enough light actually penetrating the paper to be visible. This is how I imagine the Minor Illusion working: if direct light isn't shining through it, the brain can sort of make up the difference, and the illusion is preserved. But it can't obstruct direct light; there's simply too much of it, and thus too much physical interaction, for the brain to make sense of in combination with the illusion.
Maybe an easy way to explain minor illusion's effect, so that what it can and can't do make sense, is to describe it as changing the color of light that passes through the spell's area to make an image and it doesn't fill the image.
Can't create or block light, check. Revealed as an illusion if interacted with, check. Doesn't replicate the effect of an equal or higher level spell, check.
Any problems with this explanation?
Putting the image if thing in someones mind is exactpy what phantams force and phantasmal killer does. Minor illusion, at least when not a sound, I have always thought to be light manipulated into an image. Now a logic path that would negate my thoughts is the outer surface a two dimensial plane, ie no depth, or can it have actual depth.
I imagine the illusion has shape but no substance like videogame graphics. Something can look like a brick wall, but from the inside, you see the bricks are not fully individually modeled and are just an image on a texture.