Improved Minor Illusion Uses

[Fable Wright]

Since this feature is rather notoriously weak compared to, say, Portent, War Wizards initiative boost, and Arcane Ward, I thought it might be nice to put together some ideas on how to make the most of it.

1. A scream of "Medusa!" and the image of a stone statue, followed by ventriloquist sounds of hissing.
2. A chalk drawing of a Beholder appears, ominously threatening or bribing the people. Recast now and again to slowly animate the chalk and update the monologue.
3. Ghost noises as you'd usually use from Minor Illusion while your gnome is hiding in an illusory barrel.

What have you used it for?

[Man_Over_Game]

One of my groups had a constant habit of getting into "heated" discussions with people. So conjuring a gold coin on the floor, complete with a sound effect of a coin dropping, is often enough to distract an enemy or two into dropping prone while we "Surprised" them.

Have an arrow appear to be shot into an ally's armor, complete with a sound effect. Enough to justify self defense.

Make a window appear broken, with a shattering glass sound effect, when the person fleeing (my ally) is under the influence of my Invisibility effect in the same room.

[Moltenbrisingr]

Minor Illusion could be used for the following


Create false pools of blood to lure over a guard
make a window disappear if you wanted to avoid notice while sneaking
Appear to be carrying a weapon when unarmed to intimidate a foe
Tons of other fun uses

[Man_Over_Game]

Minor Illusion could be used for the following


Create false pools of blood to lure over a guard
make a window disappear if you wanted to avoid notice while sneaking
Appear to be carrying a weapon when unarmed to intimidate a foe
Tons of other fun uses


What the OP is specifically looking for are uses for the Improved Minor Illusion ability. The one that's specific to the School of Illusion Wizard subclass, which basically lets you make both an audial and visual illusion at the same time.

[No brains]

If they exist in the game world, a bomb with a hissing/ ticking fuse could make a good distraction.

As a generalization, illusions work best against animals since they have terrible intelligence scores. Making a curled up bear growling could probably end most encounters with animals.

[Moltenbrisingr]

What the OP is specifically looking for are uses for the Improved Minor Illusion ability. The one that's specific to the School of Illusion Wizard subclass, which basically lets you make both an audial and visual illusion at the same time.

Oh my bad I forgot about that. In that case I would be doing things like throwing illusory gunpowder explosives or making it appear as though a screaming person had just fallen out a window so i could push the guards out it when they wet to look. That sort of thing would be boatloads of fun at will!

[Chronos]

Keep in mind the limits of the spell. It can make something appear that isn't really there, but it can't make something vanish that really is there. So you could put illusory broken glass on the floor, but the real glass in the window will still be there and visible. And it can't move, so an illusory arrow embedded in armor or an illusory sword at your side will be left behind as soon as you move.

[Wizard_Lizard]

Cast minor illusion on a door, to make it seem like it isn't there.

[No brains]

Keep in mind the limits of the spell. It can make something appear that isn't really there, but it can't make something vanish that really is there. So you could put illusory broken glass on the floor, but the real glass in the window will still be there and visible. And it can't move, so an illusory arrow embedded in armor or an illusory sword at your side will be left behind as soon as you move.

I feel like the investigation check to determine that something isn't real is supposed to account for how some illusions don't make perfect sense on examination. A 'broken window' can be 'painted' on a whole window, but anyone taking the time to carefully examine it will realize they have been Wile E. Coyote'd. Success on the investigation check reveals the sky outside doesn't move right and the shine on the edges of the glass aren't actual reflections. But at a glance, it could fool someone.

If they try to look down out of the broken window, they would auto-succeed to disbelieve as the ram their head through the window.

[Wizard_Lizard]

Make minor illusion floor over a pit of poisonous spikes.

[Chronos]

I think if I were going to try the broken-window trick, I'd do it on a window that was already open. If the other folks hear the sound of glass breaking and see shards on the floor, will they remember that the window was already open? Well, maybe. It's a zeroth-level spell, after all; its power is pretty sharply limited. But it just might work.

[Dalebert]

A 'broken window' can be 'painted' on a whole window, but anyone taking the time to carefully examine it will realize they have been Wile E. Coyote'd.

The problem with such illusions is they are heavily dependent on perspective. It will look fine from one direction only, and quite possibly from only a specific distance. I'd allow it, but the caster would need to declare "from the position of the doorway" for instance. Artists have done this very convincingly so magic for sure can. The moment they walk into the room, however, it's ruined automatically. To get around the perspective problem, you need a spell that can actually make it invisible so you actually see the outdoors like a real window.

[Segev]

The problem with such illusions is they are heavily dependent on perspective. It will look fine from one direction only, and quite possibly from only a specific distance. I'd allow it, but the caster would need to declare "from the position of the doorway" for instance. Artists have done this very convincingly so magic for sure can. The moment they walk into the room, however, it's ruined automatically. To get around the perspective problem, you need a spell that can actually make it invisible so you actually see the outdoors like a real window.

Such things work best when set far away, thus getting a wide cone that is in the right rough perspective. Windows high up on walls, for example.

Windows into dark areas work, as well, as then you just need the "shine" of glass, and there's no particular direction from which it looks right or wrong (and the Investigation to notice the "shine" doesn't move as you do would be a valid means of recognizing its illusory nature).

[Dalebert]

Yeah. Honestly if it's a high enough window that you're just seeing blue sky, I wouldn't even adjust for location, or if it's very dark out (and the viewer doesn't have dark vision).

[Chronos]

You could also just make an illusion of shards of glass around the frame of the real window. Someone could still see the glint of reflection off of the glass in the middle, but only if they happen to be at the right angle for it. If they're not, and if the glass is clean (admittedly iffy, especially in a pseudo-medieval world), they might not notice that it's still there (after all, even without illusions, people occasionally walk into glass doors without noticing that theyr'e closed).

[Damuri]

Since this feature is rather notoriously weak compared to, say, Portent, War Wizards initiative boost, and Arcane Ward, I thought it might be nice to put together some ideas on how to make the most of it.

1. A scream of "Medusa!" and the image of a stone statue, followed by ventriloquist sounds of hissing.
2. A chalk drawing of a Beholder appears, ominously threatening or bribing the people. Recast now and again to slowly animate the chalk and update the monologue.
3. Ghost noises as you'd usually use from Minor Illusion while your gnome is hiding in an illusory barrel.

What have you used it for?

If my tank is enthralled by the hypnotic gaze of an enchanter, I use minor illusion to create a fog cloud around his head and loud buzing sound so that he can no longer see nor hear the enchatner

A "statue" of an archer and the thwip sound of an arrow right by someone's ear.

duck into a door or an alcove and camoflauge the door while sending the sound of footsteps down the hall

I sometimes steal stuff by creating an exact image over an item on a table, create a sound to divert attention, pilfer the item.

But yeah, improved minor illusion is not "improved' enough to make it worth using an action most of the time.

My homebrew solution is to let illusionists also use minor illusion (unimproved variety) as a bonus action. With the reduced action economy cost (wizards frequently have little to spend their bonus action on), it becomes much more useful.