I've read through the minor illusion spell several times and maybe Im missing it but I was hoping someone could answer my questions.
Firstly, the image is required to be static, as you travel through different realms, planets, or dimensions, this gets vague, static in reference to what, the largest object of mass making a significant difference in the objects around it? Obviously the planet is spinning and that shouldnt affect the spell.
Secondly, what person is actually making the illusion? Must I have seen/heard the illusion to make it? Must I be able to imagine it to make it? Or can I be vague and say "Whoever looks at this minor illusion will see their favorite toy," meaning whoever sees the illusion must be able to imagine it.
To imitate others voices/sounds reliably and accurately, the actor feat is required, but am I able to circumvent that by just moving my lips to the minor illusion sound I cast of another's voice? Or is that allowed with the downside being anyone who practices magic will notice + anyone who passes an investigation check will also notice?
So first, when it says "static", what is meant is that the illusion is a still object. It does not and cannot move (such as Silent Image which can be made to look like a person walking). With Minor Illusion, if making an image, can be a chair or a book or a playing card. It cannot be made to appear to move; it's just enough to create something that sits there. This does not mean you need to dive into the matters of astrophysics and question if the object will gradually shift across the plane as the planet rotates on its axis and along its orbit.
When you create the illusion, it would theoretically need to be something you have seen. You are crafting the illusion, not the observer to it. If you have not seen something, you would be unable to craft an illusion of it or at least not a convincing one.
While you may not have heard someone's voice, you can certainly attempt to mimic it with the sound component of Minor Illusion (your DM might give someone advantage when contesting the illusion with an investigation check if you're attempting to mimic a voice you've not heard before).
Overall, this is why someone would need to make an investigation check against your spell DC to see through the illusion. If they succeed, your illusion was just not convincing or otherwise they are too aware to have been fulled; either by their skill or your failure to craft a convincing illusion. If they fail, even if your illusion was questionable or inaccurate, the individual may just have been fulled by the uncertainty of what they were seeing or hearing.
Hopefully this helps some; and, remember that this is a cantrip. It's effectiveness is limited in comparison to more powerful illusion spells like Silent Image or other such spells.
One of the most reliable uses of Minor Illusion is hiding something (or yourself) by creating an image to obscure it (like a rock), since a lot of features/spells require the enemy to see their target, and until they use an action to make the check to see through the Illusion, they can't see you. Alternatively, Minor Illusion can be used to make something recently taken look like it's still in its original place for a short while.
Minor Illusion is a cantrip for a reason. As such, it does not move relative to yourself/other creatures.
Sounds made via the illusion or images created by it originate from your character's imagination. It's up to the DM to determine, based on your description of the illusion, how realistic it seems to the observers. A vague duck-like sound is very different from imitating the voice of someone reasonably well known to an NPC, like the NPC's boss, spouse, etc. As such, the DM would probably make the INT check or saving throw of the observers lower in the latter case.
As @Fayette stated, the best uses for Minor Illusion are gnerally for temporary cover or temporary distraction. Or possibly to cover up a hole in the ground that contains acid or scorpions. If you want an illusion that can psychologically harm someone directly, then you are looking at, minimum, a 2nd level spell slot. See Phantasmal Force.
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I've read through the minor illusion spell several times and maybe Im missing it but I was hoping someone could answer my questions.
Firstly, the image is required to be static, as you travel through different realms, planets, or dimensions, this gets vague, static in reference to what, the largest object of mass making a significant difference in the objects around it? Obviously the planet is spinning and that shouldnt affect the spell.
Secondly, what person is actually making the illusion? Must I have seen/heard the illusion to make it? Must I be able to imagine it to make it? Or can I be vague and say "Whoever looks at this minor illusion will see their favorite toy," meaning whoever sees the illusion must be able to imagine it.
To imitate others voices/sounds reliably and accurately, the actor feat is required, but am I able to circumvent that by just moving my lips to the minor illusion sound I cast of another's voice? Or is that allowed with the downside being anyone who practices magic will notice + anyone who passes an investigation check will also notice?
Some of this I believe you are overthinking.
So first, when it says "static", what is meant is that the illusion is a still object. It does not and cannot move (such as Silent Image which can be made to look like a person walking). With Minor Illusion, if making an image, can be a chair or a book or a playing card. It cannot be made to appear to move; it's just enough to create something that sits there. This does not mean you need to dive into the matters of astrophysics and question if the object will gradually shift across the plane as the planet rotates on its axis and along its orbit.
When you create the illusion, it would theoretically need to be something you have seen. You are crafting the illusion, not the observer to it. If you have not seen something, you would be unable to craft an illusion of it or at least not a convincing one.
While you may not have heard someone's voice, you can certainly attempt to mimic it with the sound component of Minor Illusion (your DM might give someone advantage when contesting the illusion with an investigation check if you're attempting to mimic a voice you've not heard before).
Overall, this is why someone would need to make an investigation check against your spell DC to see through the illusion. If they succeed, your illusion was just not convincing or otherwise they are too aware to have been fulled; either by their skill or your failure to craft a convincing illusion. If they fail, even if your illusion was questionable or inaccurate, the individual may just have been fulled by the uncertainty of what they were seeing or hearing.
Hopefully this helps some; and, remember that this is a cantrip. It's effectiveness is limited in comparison to more powerful illusion spells like Silent Image or other such spells.
One of the most reliable uses of Minor Illusion is hiding something (or yourself) by creating an image to obscure it (like a rock), since a lot of features/spells require the enemy to see their target, and until they use an action to make the check to see through the Illusion, they can't see you. Alternatively, Minor Illusion can be used to make something recently taken look like it's still in its original place for a short while.
Minor Illusion is a cantrip for a reason. As such, it does not move relative to yourself/other creatures.
Sounds made via the illusion or images created by it originate from your character's imagination. It's up to the DM to determine, based on your description of the illusion, how realistic it seems to the observers. A vague duck-like sound is very different from imitating the voice of someone reasonably well known to an NPC, like the NPC's boss, spouse, etc. As such, the DM would probably make the INT check or saving throw of the observers lower in the latter case.
As @Fayette stated, the best uses for Minor Illusion are gnerally for temporary cover or temporary distraction. Or possibly to cover up a hole in the ground that contains acid or scorpions. If you want an illusion that can psychologically harm someone directly, then you are looking at, minimum, a 2nd level spell slot. See Phantasmal Force.