Creative Phantasmal Force uses?

[zeek0]

I've heard tha Illusion spells can be highly versatile. But what exactly can I expect to be able to do with Phantasmal Force?

Can I make it appear that they are trapped in a cage?
Underwater and drowning?

I suppose that my real question is this: what else can the spell do besides cause 1d6 damage? Can it convince them that they are trapped and therefore they will stay still? Can it convince them that they are attacked by a swarm of bees, and therefore must run around frantically?

[Shadow]

The beauty of illusions is that they are only as limited as your imagination. The higher level illusion you cast, the better they get.
Bees? Sure. But stirges would be better. :smallwink:
Underwater and drowning? Ok, but only if you're in a place where the water wouldn't simply flow away on its own (or the DM will probably require another save give the target an Investigation check every round).
As for trapping someone, you better make sure your party doesn't simply walk through the cage, because that will force another saving throw an Investigation check (the target didn't interact, but someone else physically did and the target saw it).

Illusions are amazing, but they have to be believable to work. DM fiat rules the day where illusions are concerned.

[zeek0]

The beauty of illusions is that they are only as limited as your imagination. The higher level illusion you cast, the better they get.
Bees? Sure. But stirges would be better. :smallwink:
Underwater and drowning? Ok, but only if you're in a place where the water wouldn't simply flow away on its own (or the DM will probably require another save give the target an Investigation check every round).
As for trapping someone, you better make sure your party doesn't simply walk through the cage, because that will force another saving throw an Investigation check (the target didn't interact, but someone else physically did and the target saw it).

Illusions are amazing, but they have to be believable to work. DM fiat rules the day where illusions are concerned.

Sounds great, thanks for the clarification!

So is this spell mechanically just better than Tasha's Hideous Laughter? Am I missing something?

And can I make a creature blind with this illusion?

[Morukai]

Sounds great, thanks for the clarification!

So is this spell mechanically just better than Tasha's Hideous Laughter? Am I missing something?

It's better if you have the imagination to back it up ;) One of its biggest strengths is that it requires an Intelligence save - and most monsters with low Int are easy to spot. Big ogre ahead? Unbreakable tentacles sprout from the ground and hold it fast, unable to move. One tentacle also wraps around it's head/smothers its face, covering its eyes. Now it's incapacitated/restrained (depending on DM generosity) AND blind at the same time. Beat that, Tasha!!!



And can I make a creature blind with this illusion?

You can't make them blind in the sense that they can't see anything, but - as I hinted above - you could create an illusory object that covers their eyes that would effectively make them blind.