Gnome Illusionist Substitution Levels?

[NeoSeraphi]

The gnome illusionist racial substitution levels from Races of Stone are...unique, to say the least. Basically, you take some of the best 1st-5th level core illusion spells, and learn them one level earlier. (silent image, minor image, major image, persistent image, programmed image, and a few others) and learn them as spells as a spell level lower than everyone else.

This gives you real useful cantrips (silent image and ventriloquism), as well as granting you access to more believable and powerful illusions a whole two levels earlier than the rest of the group. You are, by all accounts, most definitely an illusionist.

The weird thing is, by lowering their spell level, you of course lower the saving throw DC to resist them by -1. So my question to you, Playground, is, is it worth it? Of course, you make up the DC loss with your racial bonus to illusion DCs, but that basically amounts to you trading away your racial bonus to DCs in order to learn the spells faster.

You get illusion spells at lower levels, and can use them with lower level spell slots, but they are effectively 5% less believable. So is it a good trade?

[Cieyrin]

Shadowcraft Mages depend on it to get that extra reality in place via Earth Spell, so there's one good reason that it works well.

Additionally, the saves only matter if the target interacts with the illusion. If you can play your illusions so that they're believable, people may never suspect that they aren't real and have no reason to attempt to disbelieve. If you create an illusion of a wall ahead of a dead end for people that know its a dead end, they may not think twice about it.

So yes, your save DCs may suffer but getting it earlier can make you that much more versatile.

[Baron Malkar]

If you dont like the save dc reduction just take highten spell. It is realy useful for other things as an ilusionist anyway.

[Mystify]

If you dont like the save dc reduction just take highten spell. It is realy useful for other things as an ilusionist anyway.

Exactly this. It is better to have a lower level spell. You can use it earlier than normal, and can always apply heighten to it if you need it to be the original level. The extra level also gives you more slip room for metamagic shenanigans.

[EternalMelon]

The gnome illusionist racial substitution levels from Races of Stone are...unique, to say the least. Basically, you take some of the best 1st-5th level core illusion spells, and learn them one level earlier. (silent image, minor image, major image, persistent image, programmed image, and a few others) and learn them as spells as a spell level lower than everyone else.

This gives you real useful cantrips (silent image and ventriloquism), as well as granting you access to more believable and powerful illusions a whole two levels earlier than the rest of the group. You are, by all accounts, most definitely an illusionist.

The weird thing is, by lowering their spell level, you of course lower the saving throw DC to resist them by -1. So my question to you, Playground, is, is it worth it? Of course, you make up the DC loss with your racial bonus to illusion DCs, but that basically amounts to you trading away your racial bonus to DCs in order to learn the spells faster.

You get illusion spells at lower levels, and can use them with lower level spell slots, but they are effectively 5% less believable. So is it a good trade?
There are two things spell casters want more than faster spell progression; the ability to weave baskets, and better spells.

Yes it is better.