borg286
2021-01-04, 05:04 PM
Minor Illusion: A Creative Guide
Intro
I’ll be building off of the wonderful work Helzod made with his Illusionists Guide to Reality (https://www.enworld.org/threads/the-illusionists-guide-to-reality.652620/). Many of the tips below are copies of his ideas, but I’ll extend them further.
This guide will be primarily focused on Minor Illlusion, with a couple brief mentions of what you can do with Silent Image, but generally focus on just the cantrip.
Minor Illusion is arguably the most powerful cantrip in the game with the most availability than any other cantrip. Yet many players get stuck on its limitations and reliance on creativity. Here you'll find how to help your DM reward your creativity and make a more memorable session.
Spell description
See here (https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/minor-illusion).
Classes and Race options
Wizard, Sorcerer, Bard, and Warlock can pick up this cantrip.
But also the Arcana Cleric, Arcane Trickster, and Eldritch Knight can pick this cantrip up. You don't need to be an illusionist to let your creativity make a very juicy character.
Opening the doors the Eladrin can shift into Spring to get this spell.
High Elves can opt for this, the best of all cantrips.
All Forest Gnomes get Minor Illusion.
Tieflings(Glasya) get Minor Illusion too.
Opening the doors even further the Magic Initiate feat opens this spell to literally anyone. Don't worry about having a good Cha/Int. You'll rarely need a good DC anyways.
Maximum dimensions
Most people see the limitations of 5' and think the size of a medium creature squatting.
The 5’ cube does not need to align with the grid. Tipped on edge you can get a 7’x5’ door, or stretched out tip to tip you can get a 8.5’ pole with 1” diameter. That is a foot taller than a Goliath, which can fit comfortably along the diagonal, just that his feet need to be at attention.
A half orc can stand at ease.
In general if your height is h then you can fit a cylinder along the diagonal which has radius
r=(5√3-h)/(2√2)
Arguments for grid aligned
Cubes
You select a cube's point of origin, which lies anywhere on a face of the cubic effect. The cube's size is expressed as the length of each side.
- PHB, p.204
So a 5ft cube is defined as an area 5ft on each side. It's not "5 cubic feet of volume", it's a 5x5x5 space. The point of origin lies one one of the 5x5 sides of the cube, as shown in the diagram on the same page. This means the maximum height you can cover is 5ft, the maximum width is 5ft, and the maximum depth is 5ft.
Thus a door would need to be short, and the goliath would need to be in an olympic runner position at the gates.
Save vs Investigation
While Martial characters have an easier time finding attack bonuses and advantage, casters work hard for Save DC bonuses and imposing disadvantage and are rewarded for figuring out which save to target.
But Illusion spells break this mold by consistently creating the illusion you want then requiring your targets to waste their action investigating, if they can. This not only affects multiple targets, prevents attacks through wasted investigate actions, but also relies on a skill and stat that no one is proficient at, so even if they do investigate they’ll likely believe it. Int is the main dump stat, and your proficiency bonus only goes up. The only thing you have to do is find illusions that would be illogical/fearful to investigate or pass through. Many status conditions impose disadvantage on ability checks but not attack rolls/saves. If you have Hex consider making them suck at Int ability checks, which synergizes with Misty Visions.
Auditory
While visual illusions are easier to think up, they are also vulnerable to physical investigations. Auditory illusions are hard to justify how one “investigates” it, thus are a more direct way to change behavior. The trick is thinking on your feet.
When you get in town pay a visit to the Head Guard, Inspector, High Priest and Mayor. Using ventriloquism to have their voice command authority among townsfolk may help you bend their will. When you first enter combat, get the opposing leader to say something so you can fake him giving disruptive orders. See Peter Pan throwing Captain Hook's voice causing confusion. Video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SeB5Onj-T8)
Silent Image at-will
While much more of an investment than just Minor Illusion, the feat Eldritch Invocations or a 2 level dip into Warlock gives you huge capabilities if you want to cast illusions for most of your problem solving.
Warlocks get Invocations, most of which are always active. Misty Visions lets you cast Silent Image at-will. This will require your concentration, thus a caster will likely not use it in combat, and a martial person won't have the defensive layers to avoid the concentration checks. What this does buy you is a poor man's Major Illusion thanks to Minor Illusion not competing for your concentration slot. Thus you get both visuals and sound to your illusions.
For the most part Silent Image lets you make realistic creatures, gives you movement, a larger footprint, and more realism with fooling eyes and ears.
A clever thing to use Misty Visions for in combat w/o using your concentration is to always have a "Rogue" buddy walking with your group before combat. Ambushes waste shots on the phantom. When its your first turn you tell your "rogue" to kill anyone that moves then proceed to cast your other concentration spell as normal. From their perspective, all they see is a rogue going invisible. Would you provoke an opportunity attack from an invisible rogue? If everybody else went but didn't get attacked would you risk it? You now have the ultimate defender deployed everywhere on the battlefield w/o spending a spell slot.
How to get your DM to stop hating Illusion spells
One of the main reasons a DM might deny your illusion spells or cause the guards to instinctively investigate is because the illusion derails his storyline or throws away his hard work on preparing an encounter. He may be having a hard time thinking on his feet like you just did casting a clever illusion. Try to find a way to convince the DM to give you advantage on some roll, which lets him rule an impossible DC if he can’t help but railroad you. You may want to evade the guards, but the DM’s plans involve you in jail. Be sensitive to his corralling and seek to flex your creativity in arenas where the outcome isn't just waved away with a cantrip. Also consider your team-mates. You may have thought of a clever way around this encounter, but they might also want to blow some things up. Tune your illusions so it removes/delays a subset of monsters rather than the whole encounter.
There is also a good chance that you are trying to get a minor Illusion to do things it can't. For example creating creatures, or having the image move with/on a person, or making it bigger than a 5' cube. A common abuse is to make a wax figure/statue of a figure. This is cheesy. See below for example a of non-creative and non-smoking things that may accomplish what you want.
General Tips
Communicate the goal and explain why it should work. For example, “I am trying to scare off the reinforcements. This should work because any sane creature is scared of the sound of a dragon roar.”
See the headers below and when you cast your illusion start with one of these intents then go into details.
Create illusions that you wouldn’t want to touch (acid floor, Maximillian's earthen grasp, covered in spider webs), or are out of reach (ghost, witch on a broom) or untouchable (auditory).
If your DM is a Narativist then embellish the illusion with details. Lean into the Rule of Cool.
If your DM is a Simulationist keep it simple, keep it believable. Let him fill in the details on how others are going to react.
In Combat
Spells to fake
A good illusion is one that is believable. A box popping into existence is less believable than a wizard that used Mold Earth to get full cover. When you or an ally casts a conjuration spell do so by saying “A flaming sphere appears here” or “Grease appears in these squares” and let the DM weigh the option of investigating it. Ever so often cast the real thing to keep him guessing. Note that large areas and creatures can only be faked with Silent Image.
Do note that none of these fakes move, which may be a dead giveaway. Mold Earth and Earthen grape specifically state movement as part of the spell.
Message (ie. from their commander giving a secret communique)
Maximillian's earthen grasp
Grasping Vine
Guardian of faith
Mold Earth
Shape Water
Mirror Image (Requires you to be dressed such that a mannequin/non-creature could be dressed and mistaken as you, also that you don’t move much)
Scrying
Rope Trick
Soul Cage
Summon Elemental (go for a Mud elemental and thread the needle between mud castle and bipedal elemental creature)
Summon Fey making a 5' cube of magical darkness
Note: The following spells require Silent Image
Conjure Bonfire
Flaming Sphere
Summon Aberration/Construct/Elemental/Greater demon
Conjure Celestial/Fey/Woodland being/Elemental
Giant Insect
Entangle
Grease
Web
Evard’s Black Tentacles
Create a Choke Point / Area Denial
Maximillian's earthen grasp is probably the best option as it isn’t a creature, fits in a 5’x5’ square, silent, and threatens a 15’ square.
Grasping Vine, if believed, would cover 65 ft. square, but when it fails to act will quickly be ignored.
Have a cocked ballista pointed down a hall or cutting a line in the battlefield.
Have an exterior corner extend further out to force oncommers to face the tank.
Make a hall’s flooring look rotted with termite husks, or the tiling show the telltale signs of being an obvious trap.
Block a doorway with a wolf spider’s web tunnel and 10 red glowing eyes. Have a few hairy legs visible with vicious claws glinting in the light.
If you have Silent Image you get motion opening up a smaller Lovecraftian Evard’s Black Tentacles or some portal with faces covered in black oil trying to scream but only burbles ooze out.
Crowd Control / Split Larger Groups
Have the sounds of arrows flying in from a flanking position, intending to group the up or seed chaos.
The sound of a Banshee’s wail would cause many weaker foes to flee.
Make the sound of a bomb clinking and its fuse hissing. Laugh when everyone tries to spot it. Using the built up tension the next round have the fuse run out and switch the sound to be an enemy calling out where it “is” and ready your action to take advantage of them running away from it.
Make an enemy commander shout, “Everyone, Retreat!!!” or “The wizard is casting fireball, spread out!!”
Make the sound of the ceiling creaking
Cover
Outdoors area: Fake Mold Earth to take cover
Rocky Underdark: Find a corner and cast “Darkness”
City: If there are nearby large boxes, grow it by 1. If there is a pile of refuse make it bigger. If there are stalls make another.
Ship: Crouch in a Box
Mountain: Fake Shape Water to make an icy cube for cover. Recall Shape Water lets you choose the opacity, reinforcing why they can’t see through it.
Make the church bells ringing loudly to cover for the party sneaking by.
Foes Stay put
Have the Voice of enemy guy saying, "Careful! I just saw their rogue go invisible"
Tell your "imp" to bite anyone/specific person/the guy with the confused look/booger on his face that moves. "Yes, I know your bite is deadly. I promise I won't complain like last time when it took hours for your last victim to finally die. There is nothing we can do, I know." then fail your bluff check then have the "imp" respond in a high pitched hiss, "as you wish my master."
A more believable version of the Imp is If you have Misty Visions and can keep up Silent Image all day have a “Rogue” walking with group. When you stop concentrating to cast your real spell, all the monsters see is a rogue going invisible. Even if you get only a few of them playing chicken you’ve saved a few attacks during the critical first round.
Deter attackers away From You
Blades stained in blood are on an inside-out iron-maden.
Suit of heavy armor with full face covering drawing a bow drawing long-range archers away from you
Sound of a bigger natural predator to scare off the current predator. A dire bear can be found in many climbs.
Ooze Jello with a partially digested <insert enemy monster race>
Trumpet sound followed a cavalry charge
Pull someone to a location
"Cast" Soul Cage on a target and elaborate on what horrific things you will do now that you've trapped their soul. Warn them that they'll never get their soul back so long as you have this cage. Laugh as they'll be forced to admit their most secret desires. Brownie points if you bring a real cage to house a justifiably untouchable soul.
Make the image of a person’s head staring directly at them. Be honest, you’d go and investigate it out of morbid curiosity.
Pile of Gold and treasure to lure in the weak minded and greedy.
If your DM goes with it, have a bunch of poppies appear, which, according to actual ancient lore, vampires will feel an irresistible urge to get distracted counting them.
Brains for zombies.
A bloody carcass to pull beasts away.
The sound of a foe’s youngling crying from some desired direction.
Out of combat
Dodge Pursuit
Have the guard you killed call out “All quiet”.
Drop a bag of gold while fleeing.
Turn a door into a wall.
Distract pursuers with a fake portable hole appearing on the door face and inside is utter blackness. Even investigating it and passing their hand through the front they’ll believe they are in a portable hole with nowhere to go but back out.
Dead termites cover a section of rotten wooden boards on that rope bridge.
Cries of "He went this way!” from the opposite direction.
Earthen grasping hand blocks the hallway
Rope Trick vanishing into hole just out of reach.
Boulder/Mold Earth blocking a hallway
Muddy footprints leading away from a party or to a player ambush
Get a Better Deal on Prices
When selling your loot at auction create calls of exclamations and gasping at how valuable your item must be, hopefully biasing the sale to its upper limit.
When buying from Ye Olde Magic Shop, make a neighbor’s voice call from outside, “That’s not what you told the guy last week.” Followed by a conversation between this neighbor and the mayor complaining about him cheating his patrons, followed by the mayor calling for the inspector and auditor to investigate. Offer to put in a good word for him, if he’ll give you a good deal.
Be careful painting your target magic item in rust for if the owner pulls it down you’ll be called out and likely get in trouble.
Get an Advantage on Ability Checks / Social Deceptions
Don’t forget to pay a visit to the Mayor, Chief Justice, Inspector, Thief’s guild, and Chief Priest so you can reuse their voices and authority when dealing with town folks.
Have the commander shout out fake orders.
Make a suit of armor standing where the guard once stood.
Make supportive calls/claims from the peanut gallery.
"Cast" Soul Cage on someone and say you'll return it if they play nice. Bring a real tiny cage that houses the justifiably ethereal soul for greater effect.
Cause Mischief
Create a wanted poster of a suspect or someone you owe money to
Create false evidence
Cat call the princess/mayor’s wife
Ghost sounds to get people out of a building
Start fights / Provoke Attacks
Have the sound of swords being drawn signaling an ambush/coup/attack in town.
Intro
I’ll be building off of the wonderful work Helzod made with his Illusionists Guide to Reality (https://www.enworld.org/threads/the-illusionists-guide-to-reality.652620/). Many of the tips below are copies of his ideas, but I’ll extend them further.
This guide will be primarily focused on Minor Illlusion, with a couple brief mentions of what you can do with Silent Image, but generally focus on just the cantrip.
Minor Illusion is arguably the most powerful cantrip in the game with the most availability than any other cantrip. Yet many players get stuck on its limitations and reliance on creativity. Here you'll find how to help your DM reward your creativity and make a more memorable session.
Spell description
See here (https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/minor-illusion).
Classes and Race options
Wizard, Sorcerer, Bard, and Warlock can pick up this cantrip.
But also the Arcana Cleric, Arcane Trickster, and Eldritch Knight can pick this cantrip up. You don't need to be an illusionist to let your creativity make a very juicy character.
Opening the doors the Eladrin can shift into Spring to get this spell.
High Elves can opt for this, the best of all cantrips.
All Forest Gnomes get Minor Illusion.
Tieflings(Glasya) get Minor Illusion too.
Opening the doors even further the Magic Initiate feat opens this spell to literally anyone. Don't worry about having a good Cha/Int. You'll rarely need a good DC anyways.
Maximum dimensions
Most people see the limitations of 5' and think the size of a medium creature squatting.
The 5’ cube does not need to align with the grid. Tipped on edge you can get a 7’x5’ door, or stretched out tip to tip you can get a 8.5’ pole with 1” diameter. That is a foot taller than a Goliath, which can fit comfortably along the diagonal, just that his feet need to be at attention.
A half orc can stand at ease.
In general if your height is h then you can fit a cylinder along the diagonal which has radius
r=(5√3-h)/(2√2)
Arguments for grid aligned
Cubes
You select a cube's point of origin, which lies anywhere on a face of the cubic effect. The cube's size is expressed as the length of each side.
- PHB, p.204
So a 5ft cube is defined as an area 5ft on each side. It's not "5 cubic feet of volume", it's a 5x5x5 space. The point of origin lies one one of the 5x5 sides of the cube, as shown in the diagram on the same page. This means the maximum height you can cover is 5ft, the maximum width is 5ft, and the maximum depth is 5ft.
Thus a door would need to be short, and the goliath would need to be in an olympic runner position at the gates.
Save vs Investigation
While Martial characters have an easier time finding attack bonuses and advantage, casters work hard for Save DC bonuses and imposing disadvantage and are rewarded for figuring out which save to target.
But Illusion spells break this mold by consistently creating the illusion you want then requiring your targets to waste their action investigating, if they can. This not only affects multiple targets, prevents attacks through wasted investigate actions, but also relies on a skill and stat that no one is proficient at, so even if they do investigate they’ll likely believe it. Int is the main dump stat, and your proficiency bonus only goes up. The only thing you have to do is find illusions that would be illogical/fearful to investigate or pass through. Many status conditions impose disadvantage on ability checks but not attack rolls/saves. If you have Hex consider making them suck at Int ability checks, which synergizes with Misty Visions.
Auditory
While visual illusions are easier to think up, they are also vulnerable to physical investigations. Auditory illusions are hard to justify how one “investigates” it, thus are a more direct way to change behavior. The trick is thinking on your feet.
When you get in town pay a visit to the Head Guard, Inspector, High Priest and Mayor. Using ventriloquism to have their voice command authority among townsfolk may help you bend their will. When you first enter combat, get the opposing leader to say something so you can fake him giving disruptive orders. See Peter Pan throwing Captain Hook's voice causing confusion. Video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SeB5Onj-T8)
Silent Image at-will
While much more of an investment than just Minor Illusion, the feat Eldritch Invocations or a 2 level dip into Warlock gives you huge capabilities if you want to cast illusions for most of your problem solving.
Warlocks get Invocations, most of which are always active. Misty Visions lets you cast Silent Image at-will. This will require your concentration, thus a caster will likely not use it in combat, and a martial person won't have the defensive layers to avoid the concentration checks. What this does buy you is a poor man's Major Illusion thanks to Minor Illusion not competing for your concentration slot. Thus you get both visuals and sound to your illusions.
For the most part Silent Image lets you make realistic creatures, gives you movement, a larger footprint, and more realism with fooling eyes and ears.
A clever thing to use Misty Visions for in combat w/o using your concentration is to always have a "Rogue" buddy walking with your group before combat. Ambushes waste shots on the phantom. When its your first turn you tell your "rogue" to kill anyone that moves then proceed to cast your other concentration spell as normal. From their perspective, all they see is a rogue going invisible. Would you provoke an opportunity attack from an invisible rogue? If everybody else went but didn't get attacked would you risk it? You now have the ultimate defender deployed everywhere on the battlefield w/o spending a spell slot.
How to get your DM to stop hating Illusion spells
One of the main reasons a DM might deny your illusion spells or cause the guards to instinctively investigate is because the illusion derails his storyline or throws away his hard work on preparing an encounter. He may be having a hard time thinking on his feet like you just did casting a clever illusion. Try to find a way to convince the DM to give you advantage on some roll, which lets him rule an impossible DC if he can’t help but railroad you. You may want to evade the guards, but the DM’s plans involve you in jail. Be sensitive to his corralling and seek to flex your creativity in arenas where the outcome isn't just waved away with a cantrip. Also consider your team-mates. You may have thought of a clever way around this encounter, but they might also want to blow some things up. Tune your illusions so it removes/delays a subset of monsters rather than the whole encounter.
There is also a good chance that you are trying to get a minor Illusion to do things it can't. For example creating creatures, or having the image move with/on a person, or making it bigger than a 5' cube. A common abuse is to make a wax figure/statue of a figure. This is cheesy. See below for example a of non-creative and non-smoking things that may accomplish what you want.
General Tips
Communicate the goal and explain why it should work. For example, “I am trying to scare off the reinforcements. This should work because any sane creature is scared of the sound of a dragon roar.”
See the headers below and when you cast your illusion start with one of these intents then go into details.
Create illusions that you wouldn’t want to touch (acid floor, Maximillian's earthen grasp, covered in spider webs), or are out of reach (ghost, witch on a broom) or untouchable (auditory).
If your DM is a Narativist then embellish the illusion with details. Lean into the Rule of Cool.
If your DM is a Simulationist keep it simple, keep it believable. Let him fill in the details on how others are going to react.
In Combat
Spells to fake
A good illusion is one that is believable. A box popping into existence is less believable than a wizard that used Mold Earth to get full cover. When you or an ally casts a conjuration spell do so by saying “A flaming sphere appears here” or “Grease appears in these squares” and let the DM weigh the option of investigating it. Ever so often cast the real thing to keep him guessing. Note that large areas and creatures can only be faked with Silent Image.
Do note that none of these fakes move, which may be a dead giveaway. Mold Earth and Earthen grape specifically state movement as part of the spell.
Message (ie. from their commander giving a secret communique)
Maximillian's earthen grasp
Grasping Vine
Guardian of faith
Mold Earth
Shape Water
Mirror Image (Requires you to be dressed such that a mannequin/non-creature could be dressed and mistaken as you, also that you don’t move much)
Scrying
Rope Trick
Soul Cage
Summon Elemental (go for a Mud elemental and thread the needle between mud castle and bipedal elemental creature)
Summon Fey making a 5' cube of magical darkness
Note: The following spells require Silent Image
Conjure Bonfire
Flaming Sphere
Summon Aberration/Construct/Elemental/Greater demon
Conjure Celestial/Fey/Woodland being/Elemental
Giant Insect
Entangle
Grease
Web
Evard’s Black Tentacles
Create a Choke Point / Area Denial
Maximillian's earthen grasp is probably the best option as it isn’t a creature, fits in a 5’x5’ square, silent, and threatens a 15’ square.
Grasping Vine, if believed, would cover 65 ft. square, but when it fails to act will quickly be ignored.
Have a cocked ballista pointed down a hall or cutting a line in the battlefield.
Have an exterior corner extend further out to force oncommers to face the tank.
Make a hall’s flooring look rotted with termite husks, or the tiling show the telltale signs of being an obvious trap.
Block a doorway with a wolf spider’s web tunnel and 10 red glowing eyes. Have a few hairy legs visible with vicious claws glinting in the light.
If you have Silent Image you get motion opening up a smaller Lovecraftian Evard’s Black Tentacles or some portal with faces covered in black oil trying to scream but only burbles ooze out.
Crowd Control / Split Larger Groups
Have the sounds of arrows flying in from a flanking position, intending to group the up or seed chaos.
The sound of a Banshee’s wail would cause many weaker foes to flee.
Make the sound of a bomb clinking and its fuse hissing. Laugh when everyone tries to spot it. Using the built up tension the next round have the fuse run out and switch the sound to be an enemy calling out where it “is” and ready your action to take advantage of them running away from it.
Make an enemy commander shout, “Everyone, Retreat!!!” or “The wizard is casting fireball, spread out!!”
Make the sound of the ceiling creaking
Cover
Outdoors area: Fake Mold Earth to take cover
Rocky Underdark: Find a corner and cast “Darkness”
City: If there are nearby large boxes, grow it by 1. If there is a pile of refuse make it bigger. If there are stalls make another.
Ship: Crouch in a Box
Mountain: Fake Shape Water to make an icy cube for cover. Recall Shape Water lets you choose the opacity, reinforcing why they can’t see through it.
Make the church bells ringing loudly to cover for the party sneaking by.
Foes Stay put
Have the Voice of enemy guy saying, "Careful! I just saw their rogue go invisible"
Tell your "imp" to bite anyone/specific person/the guy with the confused look/booger on his face that moves. "Yes, I know your bite is deadly. I promise I won't complain like last time when it took hours for your last victim to finally die. There is nothing we can do, I know." then fail your bluff check then have the "imp" respond in a high pitched hiss, "as you wish my master."
A more believable version of the Imp is If you have Misty Visions and can keep up Silent Image all day have a “Rogue” walking with group. When you stop concentrating to cast your real spell, all the monsters see is a rogue going invisible. Even if you get only a few of them playing chicken you’ve saved a few attacks during the critical first round.
Deter attackers away From You
Blades stained in blood are on an inside-out iron-maden.
Suit of heavy armor with full face covering drawing a bow drawing long-range archers away from you
Sound of a bigger natural predator to scare off the current predator. A dire bear can be found in many climbs.
Ooze Jello with a partially digested <insert enemy monster race>
Trumpet sound followed a cavalry charge
Pull someone to a location
"Cast" Soul Cage on a target and elaborate on what horrific things you will do now that you've trapped their soul. Warn them that they'll never get their soul back so long as you have this cage. Laugh as they'll be forced to admit their most secret desires. Brownie points if you bring a real cage to house a justifiably untouchable soul.
Make the image of a person’s head staring directly at them. Be honest, you’d go and investigate it out of morbid curiosity.
Pile of Gold and treasure to lure in the weak minded and greedy.
If your DM goes with it, have a bunch of poppies appear, which, according to actual ancient lore, vampires will feel an irresistible urge to get distracted counting them.
Brains for zombies.
A bloody carcass to pull beasts away.
The sound of a foe’s youngling crying from some desired direction.
Out of combat
Dodge Pursuit
Have the guard you killed call out “All quiet”.
Drop a bag of gold while fleeing.
Turn a door into a wall.
Distract pursuers with a fake portable hole appearing on the door face and inside is utter blackness. Even investigating it and passing their hand through the front they’ll believe they are in a portable hole with nowhere to go but back out.
Dead termites cover a section of rotten wooden boards on that rope bridge.
Cries of "He went this way!” from the opposite direction.
Earthen grasping hand blocks the hallway
Rope Trick vanishing into hole just out of reach.
Boulder/Mold Earth blocking a hallway
Muddy footprints leading away from a party or to a player ambush
Get a Better Deal on Prices
When selling your loot at auction create calls of exclamations and gasping at how valuable your item must be, hopefully biasing the sale to its upper limit.
When buying from Ye Olde Magic Shop, make a neighbor’s voice call from outside, “That’s not what you told the guy last week.” Followed by a conversation between this neighbor and the mayor complaining about him cheating his patrons, followed by the mayor calling for the inspector and auditor to investigate. Offer to put in a good word for him, if he’ll give you a good deal.
Be careful painting your target magic item in rust for if the owner pulls it down you’ll be called out and likely get in trouble.
Get an Advantage on Ability Checks / Social Deceptions
Don’t forget to pay a visit to the Mayor, Chief Justice, Inspector, Thief’s guild, and Chief Priest so you can reuse their voices and authority when dealing with town folks.
Have the commander shout out fake orders.
Make a suit of armor standing where the guard once stood.
Make supportive calls/claims from the peanut gallery.
"Cast" Soul Cage on someone and say you'll return it if they play nice. Bring a real tiny cage that houses the justifiably ethereal soul for greater effect.
Cause Mischief
Create a wanted poster of a suspect or someone you owe money to
Create false evidence
Cat call the princess/mayor’s wife
Ghost sounds to get people out of a building
Start fights / Provoke Attacks
Have the sound of swords being drawn signaling an ambush/coup/attack in town.