Roondar's Resplendent Repository (All Illusion Spells)

[Zom B]

Named for my favorite little gnome illusionist of all time, Roondar's Resplendent Repository adds new illusion spells to your game. I'll be replying regularly with some new additions, and any input you have on them is welcome.

Hallucination
Illusion (Phantasm) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Brd 3, Sor/Wiz 3
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Target: One creature
Duration: Concentration
Saving Throw: Will disbelief (if interacted with)
Spell Resistance: Yes

You create within the mind of your target an ensemble of illusionary sensations. Auditory, visual, olfactory, tactile, and thermal illusions are possible, but are only perceivable to the target. You can change the mental illusion to react to your target's actions as you see fit.

Material Component: A small pinch of Dust of Illusion. Once a portion of the Dust is used as a material component, it can no longer be used for its normal purpose. The standard dose of Dust of Illusion can be used for one hundred castings of this spell.

Hallucination, Mass
Illusion (Phantasm) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Brd 6, Sor/Wiz 6
Target: One creature per level

As Hallucination, except as listed here. Each creature perceives the same illusion, although you can change the illusion's properties as you see fit.

Material Component: One pinch of Dust of Illusion per creature to be affected.

[Zom B]

Deceptive Damage
Illusion (Phantasm) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Sor/Wiz 4
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Target: One creature
Duration: Concentration
Saving Throw: Will negates (see text)
Spell Resistance: Yes

The target of Deceptive Damage believes that wounds they suffer are much more severe or more endurable than they actually are. Whenever the target suffers damage from any source, you dictate how much damage they believe they have taken. When you first cast this spell upon a target, they receive a will save to negate it. If the target believes that they have reached 0 or fewer hit points, they do not fall unconscious nor are they dying and receive another will saving throw at this point to negate the spell.

Material Component: A Black Knight's arm

Skywrite
Illusion (Figment)
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: One round
Range: One mile
Effect: Illusionary message in the sky
Duration: One minute/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

You create a message written with illusionary clouds exactly one mile above the ground consisting of no more than four characters per level. Only letters, numbers, punctuation, and simple symbols such as arrows are possible. Your message is visible for up to five miles, barring hindrances to visibility such as trees or buildings. The illusionary clouds forming your letters are so sparse that they never hinder the visibility of any creature.

Material Component: A drop of oil

[Zom B]

Sensory Block
Illusion (Phantasm) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Brd 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target: One creature/two levels
Duration: One minute/level
Saving Throw: Will negates (see text)
Spell Resistance: Yes

Most of your actions are blocked from the senses of your targets. They do not see, hear, or smell you, so long as they succeed on a Will save whenever they would normally be exposed to any of these sensory stimuli. You may attempt to make Move Silently and Hide checks against your targets' Listen and Spot checks to avoid their otherwise exposure.
If you attempt to manipulate their surroundings, such as by picking up an object or opening a door, they receive another Will save to notice the activity. Failure indicates that the spell blocked the action from their notice. Sensory Block does not block out tactile senses, meaning that touching your target or attempting to manipulating an object on their person (via a failed or unattempted Sleight of Hand check) are still felt. Any objects that you were in possession of at the time of casting are included in the spell's effects, but an item that leaves your possession becomes noticeable.

Focus: A bit of fleece

[Zom B]

Phantasmal Thriller
Illusion (Phantasm) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Sor/Wiz 3
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target: One living creature
Duration: 1 round/level or 1d4 rounds (see text)
Saving Throw: Will negates (if interacted with) and Will partial (see text)
Spell Resistance: Yes

You create flashes of fearsome phantasmal images in your target's mind that seemingly surround them, providing them no method of escape. Only the spell’s subject can see the phantasmal thrilller. You see only vague shapes. The target first gets a Will save to recognize the image as unreal. If that save fails, the phantasm terrifies the subject, and the subject must succeed on a second Will save or cower in fear for one round per level. Even if the second Will save is successful, the subject is shaken for 1d4 rounds.

If the subject of a phantasmal thriller attack succeeds in disbelieving and is wearing a helm of telepathy, the horrific images can be turned upon you. You must then disbelieve it or become subject to its fear attack.

Material Component: A single white glove.

Fearsome Visage
Illusion (Glamer)
Level: Bard 3, Sor/Wiz 3
Components: S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 10 mins./level

You seem to grow taller and more menacing, with red-glowing eyes, a contorted twisting of your features, and a noticeable bass to your voice. You gain a +30 bonus to Intimidate checks to change another's behavior.

[Hyooz]

I'm afraid I'm not a huge fan of these so far. Maybe I'm missing something, but I can step down the line and hopefully you can clear some stuff up for me.

The Hallucination spells strike me as strictly worse than, or at least pretty much the same as, the Image spells that exist. The main difference seems to be the illusion is only to the targets, but that seems... really blah. I just don't know why I wouldn't use an appropriate Image spell instead of either of these and not mess with the Dust material component.

I have NO idea what Deceptive Damage is supposed to accomplish. I mean, I get the spell, it's just it has no effect. I have to count on the creature's intelligence and the DM's discretion for it not to be a wasted cast. There might be very specific RP situations this would come in handy, but again, the Image spells would suffice for a lot of those.

Skywrite is fine, and kind of cute, actually. Seems like a really, really strict character limit though.

Sensory Block is... weird. You need to clarify the wording a bit. But again, I think existing Illusion spells handle its function better. Invisibility + Silence get you basically the same function (I think) with fewer Will saves that mean instant failure, and you don't have to cast a spell on someone else, which I think means they know they had a spell cast on them, which should make them suspicious.

Phantasmal Thriller is... questionable. It's stuck between Cause Fear (a level 1 spell) and Fear (a level 3 bard/4 wizard spell). The only thing making it better than Cause Fear is the duration, but getting TWO saves against it might just kill that advantage, especially since one of those saves lets you get away unshaken. Fear can cause Panic in a cone, but again, Thriller has a better duration, and Fear still has guaranteed Shaken at least.

Fearsome Visage is the most powerful spell on this list, easily. +30 Intimidate is an auto-win in social situations... the wording might need work though. You can't really use Intimidate to change someone's attitude a la diplomacy. Not a bad idea keeping it from being used to demoralize opponents, though, since that would make this easily one of the best fear spells in the game.

[Zom B]

The Hallucination spells strike me as strictly worse than, or at least pretty much the same as, the Image spells that exist. The main difference seems to be the illusion is only to the targets, but that seems... really blah. I just don't know why I wouldn't use an appropriate Image spell instead of either of these and not mess with the Dust material component.

I can think of plenty of times playing an illusionist that I'd like to make only one target see something that others don't. But I think you're right. The level needs to come way down.


I have NO idea what Deceptive Damage is supposed to accomplish. I mean, I get the spell, it's just it has no effect. I have to count on the creature's intelligence and the DM's discretion for it not to be a wasted cast. There might be very specific RP situations this would come in handy, but again, the Image spells would suffice for a lot of those. You trust your DM's discretion on just about everything else, including how the monsters react to the illusion of the dragon you created. All of these illusion spells are the same in concept as the Image spells: A clever illusionist can make use of them. A monster that doesn't know that it is taking as much damage as it is is not prone to heal itself, for example.


Skywrite is fine, and kind of cute, actually. Seems like a really, really strict character limit though. At first level, you can Skywrite "SOS ↓". I don't see a problem.


Sensory Block is... weird. You need to clarify the wording a bit. But again, I think existing Illusion spells handle its function better. Invisibility + Silence get you basically the same function (I think) with fewer Will saves that mean instant failure, and you don't have to cast a spell on someone else, which I think means they know they had a spell cast on them, which should make them suspicious. I'm not sure where you missed it, but the spell is "Sor/Wiz 1". Saying that two spells that are both 2nd level are better than it is like saying that Fireball sucks because Meteor Swarm is better. That being said, it effectively gives you Silence and Invisibility, but only against a handful of targets that you are aware of and who fail their Will saves. That seems perfectly in line with a 1st level spell. Also, I believe creatures are only aware of being targeted when the spell fails.


Phantasmal Thriller is... questionable. It's stuck between Cause Fear (a level 1 spell) and Fear (a level 3 bard/4 wizard spell). The only thing making it better than Cause Fear is the duration, but getting TWO saves against it might just kill that advantage, especially since one of those saves lets you get away unshaken. Fear can cause Panic in a cone, but again, Thriller has a better duration, and Fear still has guaranteed Shaken at least.

It's Phantasmal Killer, except it effectively removes a combatant from combat rather than killing them, and lasts longer than other fear effects.


Fearsome Visage is the most powerful spell on this list, easily. +30 Intimidate is an auto-win in social situations... the wording might need work though. You can't really use Intimidate to change someone's attitude a la diplomacy.


Intimidate (Cha)

Check
You can change another’s behavior with a successful check. Your Intimidate check is opposed by the target’s modified level check (1d20 + character level or Hit Dice + target’s Wisdom bonus [if any] + target’s modifiers on saves against fear). If you beat your target’s check result, you may treat the target as friendly, but only for the purpose of actions taken while it remains intimidated. (That is, the target retains its normal attitude, but will chat, advise, offer limited help, or advocate on your behalf while intimidated. See the Diplomacy skill, above, for additional details.) The effect lasts as long as the target remains in your presence, and for 1d6×10 minutes afterward. After this time, the target’s default attitude toward you shifts to unfriendly (or, if normally unfriendly, to hostile).


Glibness
Transmutation
Level: Brd 3
Components: S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 10 min./level (D)
Your speech becomes fluent and more believable. You gain a +30 bonus on Bluff checks made to convince another of the truth of your words. (This bonus doesn’t apply to other uses of the Bluff skill, such as feinting in combat, creating a diversion to hide, or communicating a hidden message via innuendo.)