Level
1st
Casting Time
1 Minute
Ritual
Range/Area
Touch
Components
S, M *
Duration
10 Days
School
Illusion
Attack/Save
None
Damage/Effect
Communication
You write on parchment, paper, or some other suitable writing material and imbue it with a potent illusion that lasts for the duration.
To you and any creatures you designate when you cast the spell, the writing appears normal, written in your hand, and conveys whatever meaning you intended when you wrote the text. To all others, the writing appears as if it were written in an unknown or magical script that is unintelligible. Alternatively, you can cause the writing to appear to be an entirely different message, written in a different hand and language, though the language must be one you know.
Should the spell be dispelled, the original script and the illusion both disappear.
A creature with truesight can read the hidden message.
* - (a lead-based ink worth at least 10 gp, which the spell consumes)
So this mean that regardless of what language it's written in, it would be "understood" by the intended reader?
I'd say so.
It takes at least a minute to cast so they seem pretty likely to notice you casting it.
Also, given they they could have said "any surface" but went with ""suitable writing material", I'd say that the spell wouldn't work on someone's back.
Honestly, for 10 gold I don't think its really worth it to use it for those other uses you mentioned. Forgery (including making changes to existing documents) is by far the best use of the spell.
With an emerald pen (uncommon), we can now cast this at will without the 10gp cost :D
By those rules, no one would ever sign anything ever, because it could be one page of a multi-page contract that sells their soul. Or have microscopic or invisible writing to the same effect. Or the fiend could erase everything except the signature, and write in a soul contract on the page. Everyone's soul would already be owned by some extra-planar entity. Which is fine if you're playing a dark humor campaign, but wouldn't work in other games. That's why understanding & intent are part of contract law in the real world.
use this to trick devils when writing up contracts
Ignoring the debate above over whether such a contract would actually be binding, most devils making a contract of that sort of significance have Truesight.
"Should the spell be dispelled, the original script and the illusion both disappear." Feels like there should be something similar out there that DOESN'T cause the original script to disappear too. The idea of a note being passed along that says one thing, but then you check it later and it's something else... that could have its uses for DMs and players alike. Or one that COULD be dispelled as a way around it. But with this being a 1st level spell, there isn't much wiggle room for something technically "weaker" (but better for plot devices IMO lol)
If u want, do that! You’re the Dungeon Master