What can a Figment Illusion do?

[bloodtide]

So this came up in the Illusion thread, and just thought i'd see what everyone would say.

Question:What can a Figment Illusion do? What is the 'limit'?


For reference from the SRD: Because figments are unreal, they cannot produce real effects the way that other types of illusions can. They cannot cause damage to objects or creatures, support weight, provide nutrition, or provide protection from the elements. Consequently, these spells are useful for confounding or delaying foes, but useless for attacking them directly.

And as Silent image is the one they are all based on, again from the SRD: This spell creates the visual illusion of an object, creature, or force, as visualized by you. The illusion does not create sound, smell, texture, or temperature. You can move the image within the limits of the size of the effect.

So...

1.Can you make bright light or darkness? Does that count as a 'force'? Can you make the light so bright as to blind a creature? Can you make the darkness so dark as to blind a creature?

I'd say no...you can't make light or darkness at all with any real game effect. If you don't say this, you will have endless 'light and darkness' arguments. You don't want to do the 'I make an illusion of darkness around the dragons head..but not touching it just in the area of it's head and as it does not 'interact' with the illusion it gets no save and is blinded and we kill it' and so on.

2.Can you hide inside of an illusion? Can you make an illusion of a tree and hide yourself in it.

I say, yes. This is a good use for an illusion.

3.Can you make a three dimensional flat image to make it look like it's a something else. In other words could you hide behind an illusion of camouflage? (like all that graffiti/art in London)

I'd say no...you can't do three dimensional 'flat' images

[lorddrake]

I'm not with any book right now and not going by RAW. But I think you could not make light, since it's just an illusion, but you could make an illusion of light.

Example:

It is all dark on the cave. Guy 1 knows an evil human (guy 2) is following him and he uses an illusion to make some light on the tunnel, but the light is part of illusion and cannot shed light and therefore anything that can be seen in that light should be part of the illusion as well...

[Barstro]

1.Can you make bright light or darkness? Does that count as a 'force'? Can you make the light so bright as to blind a creature? Can you make the darkness so dark as to blind a creature?

I'd say no...you can't make light or darkness at all with any real game effect. If you don't say this, you will have endless 'light and darkness' arguments. You don't want to do the 'I make an illusion of darkness around the dragons head..but not touching it just in the area of it's head and as it does not 'interact' with the illusion it gets no save and is blinded and we kill it' and so on.

My first thought on the light/dark argument, mainly at the sphere of darkness around a head, is; that's not what darkness would even do. Whether or not the creature knows it is an illusion, in order to stop light reflecting from objects and entering one's eyes, there needs to be a barrier. This can be either an opaque object, a lot of translucent objects, or some force that sucks up all the light (a darkness spell). Since a figment specifically isn't a force, the best you could do is make some area appear dark, but all light from beyond will still get through. Like looking down an unlit hallway into a well-lit room.

By that same argument, you cannot produce light. A well trained person could create light's effect, though, and make "light and shadow". But it wouldn't be real; it would be more like a 3D painting. If someone were to add another object to this dark room that is light only because of figment, the caster would have to create the new light and shadow to account for it (or not do it, making the object appear to be some bizarre force that is preventing the viewer from seeing the other side).


2.Can you hide inside of an illusion? Can you make an illusion of a tree and hide yourself in it.

I say, yes. This is a good use for an illusion.

Agreed. But if anyone shines a light on that tree, the light actually on the tree will not look right, and the "tree" will cast a shadow that looks just like the person hiding inside.


3.Can you make a three dimensional flat image to make it look like it's a something else. In other words could you hide behind an illusion of camouflage? (like all that graffiti/art in London)

I'd say no...you can't do three dimensional 'flat' images

I have no idea what you mean here. Do you mean, give a wall an illusion of being 3D space?

[Chronos]

You don't need to make an illusion of darkness, just an illusion of something opaque.