Recommend some illusion spells to me.

[Abstruse]

I'm putting together an illusionist for a campaign I hope to be entering, and I'm looking for suggestions on one or more good illusion spells from each level to take. Any suggestions are welcome -- though please indicate which book they come from, as well!

[Sornjss Lichdom]

1st lvl Silent image is almost broken good

2nd lvl dark way (SC) great for a good get away
invisabilaty
mirror image

3rd lvl (i think this is a third lvl) theres a spell in SC that lets you be disguised as the viewers race and gender.

4th lvl ???

5th lvl shadow conjuration, even if you dont hav evocation as a banned school you can still use this to get a spell you havent prepared.

an-an-and thats all for now folks.

[FireSpark]

Here are four spells no illusionist should be without:

Greater Invisibility
Permanent Image
Shadow Conjuration (plus the greater version)
Shadow Evocation (plus the greater version)

These aren't the only ones to get, but they should be near the top of your list.

[MrNexx]

I'm putting together an illusionist for a campaign I hope to be entering, and I'm looking for suggestions on one or more good illusion spells from each level to take. Any suggestions are welcome -- though please indicate which book they come from, as well!

What level to start with?

At low levels, grab Color Spray. It gets less useful as time goes on, but at low levels, it's great for self-protection.

2nd level, in addition to Mirror Image and Invisibility, don't neglect Misdirection... write it out as a scroll, use it when you feel yourself being scried upon.

[Sornjss Lichdom]

and also mislead. fifth lvl spell. you become inviasable and a stationary image of you is left behind.

[Svethnika]

What level to start with?

At low levels, grab Color Spray. It gets less useful as time goes on, but at low levels, it's great for self-protection.

2nd level, in addition to Mirror Image and Invisibility, don't neglect Misdirection... write it out as a scroll, use it when you feel yourself being scried upon.

Would you know if you were being scried upon?

[Jasdoif]

Would you know if you were being scried upon?

You know when you make a save. So if you feel yourself making a save, but there's nothing nearby that could have cast a spell on you, it's a safe bet something's trying to scry you.

Also, if your Int is 12 or higher (quite likely if you're a wizard), a DC 20 Intelligence check will let you notice a scrying sensor.

[Kaelaroth]

I like Phantasmal Killer, Phantasmal Strangler, Persistent Image, and Ghost Sound.

[Abstruse]

What level to start with?

Probably 9th. (Depending on whether I go chaos gnome or not, and at this point I'm leaning towards the not.)

[Isomenes]

You know when you make a save. So if you feel yourself making a save, but there's nothing nearby that could have cast a spell on you, it's a safe bet something's trying to scry you.

Not always--DM rolls can be made in secret. That's what detect scrying is for.

[Zherog]

I like ... Phantasmal Strangler...

I just picked that spell up with my enchanter and used it for the first time on Sunday. Hold person seems slightly better, and it's the same level, but it's definitely a good spell - especially because the mental image of your enemy grappling something that isn't there is quite amusing. This spell can be found in Complete Mage, and is 3rd level.

Another 3rd level spell I like is shadow binding, which can be found in Complete Arcane.

[Swooper]

You know when you make a save. So if you feel yourself making a save, but there's nothing nearby that could have cast a spell on you, it's a safe bet something's trying to scry you.

Also, if your Int is 12 or higher (quite likely if you're a wizard), a DC 20 Intelligence check will let you notice a scrying sensor.

Er... that's metagaming. Which is not fun for anyone, most of the time. Your character doesn't know he's making a saving throw. As a DM, I'd make those rolls for you in secret, and make a point of rolling dice randomly so you'd never know when I was rolling a save and when I was just playing with your paranoid little head

I believe the most important illusions have been covered. The Image line, Invisibility, Mirror Image, Greater Invisibility, Shadow Conjuration, Shadow Evocation. Phantasmal Killer looks good on paper, but notice that it gives TWO saves, so it's not as good as it looks like. Still, it's a 4th level Save-or-die, and if you can find a way to pump the saving throw up sky-high it might be worth memorizing.

[Zherog]

Er... that's metagaming. Which is not fun for anyone, most of the time. Your character doesn't know he's making a saving throw.

Yes, actually, your character does know. I'll dig up the rules quote in a moment.

edit: here's the rule...

Succeeding on a Saving Throw: A creature that successfully saves against a spell that has no obvious physical effects feels a hostile force or a tingle, but cannot deduce the exact nature of the attack. Likewise, if a creature’s saving throw succeeds against a targeted spell you sense that the spell has failed. You do not sense when creatures succeed on saves against effect and area spells.

In other words, you know you made a save.

[Sornjss Lichdom]

well yes you know you made a save, I think Swoopers saying that the DM rolls the save, so if you fail it you have no idea. Of course if you make the save the DM says in a creepy and mystical voice

" You feel a tingle run up your spine as the effects of a spell wash over you, though you don't realize what has happened, there is no other outward effects though."

[namo]

Also: Greater Mirror Image and a few others from PHB2 (Phantom Battle maybe ? I'm AFB so I don't remember exactly which are best).

[Weredwarf]

Any image spell

Invisiblity and greater invisiblity

Mirror image

Blur and displacement

[Falrin]

Drop Evocation & Enchantment. You might con,cider dropping Necro for Flavor Reasons, but it's a good school.

Spell focus (& Greater) are weak feats, but when you cast a lot of Illusions they come in handy.

For Spells:


LVL1

Color spray: Great spell, but at LvL 9? Nope. Much better of with a silent image.

Disguise Self: Comes in handy but to situational, get a scroll. Also It's range: personal, so 1 drow & 3 elves doesn't make a convincing sight.

Silent Image: Great. Get this in a wand.
1) Ask your DM if you see through illusions when you succeed you willsafe, or if you just 'know' it's an illusion)
Cast a firewall/Spiked pit to seperate enemies.
Cast a fake cave-wall/bush to hide behind/under (and possible see the enemy through) (harder in a well-build, smooth wall dungeon)
Iffy: Get invisible. Study your surrounding and make an illusion that appears just like it. (Before I derail this thread, just ask your DM and be done with it (he'll say no), but the idea is: You can't see a perfect blue ball in a perfect blue room.
Cast a 'monster' and do the Elan (without the lack of concentration).
Cast a wall/floor/door as part of a trap. (Ex. Smash some sports of a ladder and fake them)
Cast an ally: A cleric "healing" the party, a known dragonslayer, ...
Cast a disguise.
Cast a fake treasure/a body/an item as a distraction for traps/ambushes. (Great if you cast a big chest and hide the rogue in it, attack before proper investigation and have let the rogue have a nice backstab (especially when he can see though, darts just pop out of a chest at the "protected" casters)

Ventriloquism: Good distraction for guards, but a cunning silent image can lead them away anyway. Ask your DM: can you cast using ventriloquism? Great in combo with invisibility.


LVL2

Invisibilty: You and the Rogue love this. Remember Summons, buffs & illusions are non-attacking. Get it in a wand.

Blur: 20% Misschance. Much better of with displacement, invisibility or mirror image. Ask how it works with Mirror Image.

Mirror image: Overlaps invisibility, but the best defence buf you have if you still want to attack.

Minor Image: Same goodies as silent, sound & higher DC.


LVL3

Displacement: Great Defensive goodies. 50 % miss is verry nice, ask you DM how it works with mirror image.

Invisibility sphere. Better get a wand of invisibility, but if you and your party need a fast way to hide: here you go.

Major image: blablabla...

Extended Mirror image?


LvL4

Illusory wall: Que? In battle a silent image is just as good. great if you and your fellow have a base of operations. Cheap permanent illusions can be used for traps, ambushes & hidden passages. Remember: A hidden passage should always have a 'fake' (cursed, arcane marked, easy scrying, exploding, stolen from the archmage) treasure & another passage leading to the real hiding place

Invisibilty Greater: Great for you, Better for a rogue.

Phantasmal Killer: Meh. 2 saves makes it only good for Relfex types & gives them a double chance.

Shadow Conjuration: If you need a conjuration, you have it. Get the Greater ones & Evocation ones. Contigency is the way you'll use them.

Scultped Invisibility Sphere would can be verry handy.

LVL5

Persistant Image: Nice to drop the need to concentrate, but all in all not that good. Imbue your Familar with a Illusion is better good. Also there's a (weak) feat that lets you Familiar concentrate on an effect for you. Nice if you use illusions a lot.

Shadow Evocation: bla bla bla

Quickened Silent Image?

Extended Greater Invisibility?


LVL 6

Mislead: Good defense buff. A decent Contigency Spell.

Permanent & Programmed image: Good for your base & the BBeG. In combat a lower illusion will do fine.

Quickened Mirror Image or Invisibility are gold here.


LvL 7

Invisibility mass: Better use a Sculpted Invisbility Sphere.

Project Image: If you don't ban Necromancy a Spectral Hand owns this. You can even combine it with an illusion to look like you (and get the familiar to concentrate)

Simulacrum: Better use dominate, build a golem, use undead or just hire a creature.


LvL8

Scintillating Pattern: No saving throw makes this an auto-confusion for at least 1d4 rounds. Get this sculpted, but as a nine LvL spells it's not that good.


LvL9

Weird: 2 saves? as a LvL 9? no thx. A stunned enemy is quit nice though.



So all in all: Low LvLs rock, Higher LvLs you have better spells in other schools. ASk you DM if he could make a better Silent Image tree up to LvL 9, I'd like to see those.

[Zherog]

Silent image is not a good candidate for a wand, because the save DC from the wand is going to accomplish the rare scientific feat of sucking and blowing at the same time.

[Falrin]

From the SRD

Saving Throw: Will disbelief (if interacted with)

If interacted with they'll prolly pass the save, but there are many, many ways to use silent image without needing interaction. In the end it depends a lot on your DM.

You get a Will Save

- if you concentrate on the illusion?
- if you see it the first time?
- if you try to touch/fight/climb/... it?
- if you have reason to believe it's an illusion (see Elans celestial Lion)

Ex. In my games placing a fake floor does not provoke a Will Save if nobody saw him casting.

[Zherog]

Ex. In my games placing a fake floor does not provoke a Will Save if nobody saw him casting.

What if the rogue Searches the area for traps?

[Dausuul]

From the SRD


If interacted with they'll prolly pass the save, but there are many, many ways to use silent image without needing interaction. In the end it depends a lot on your DM.

You get a Will Save

- if you concentrate on the illusion?
- if you see it the first time?
- if you try to touch/fight/climb/... it?
- if you have reason to believe it's an illusion (see Elans celestial Lion)

Ex. In my games placing a fake floor does not provoke a Will Save if nobody saw him casting.

Sure, but why not make the Will save tough too? Then, even if they do happen to get a save, they still aren't likely to make it.

[MrNexx]

Color spray: Great spell, but at LvL 9? Nope. Much better of with a silent image.

Yeah, by 9th level, Color Spray isn't so useful. At low levels, though, it rocks. Even so, at higher levels it can be useful as a game-opener.

[Falrin]

Zherog:

What if the caster has true seeing?
What if the monsters walks arounf saying 'I disbelieve the illusion?
What if you DM rules everybody gets a save when they just 'see' an illusion?
What if ...

the point being: 750 Gp for wand. 1st LvL Spell. Don't expect Great Wyrms to fall at your feat in mercy, it's just an all-around handy spell, both in as outside combat.


Dausuul

I was refering to a SIlent Image Wand, sorry if that wasn't clear.
The DC would be 11 if I'm correct.
At 9th LvL even a Low Wis type/ Bad Will Save has a fair chance of making the save.


MrNexx

Indeed. At low LvL color spray tops with grease & enfeeblement. A perfect spell to sculpt by the way (I like sculpt spell)
Blinded & Stunned ? That's an instant kill at low LvL.

[Jacob Orlove]

Stunning is just fine at higher levels, too. Remember that stunned characters drop any weapons or items they may be holding, which can buy you even more time.

Shadow Spray (Spell Compendium, don't know original source) is a level 2 illusion spell, that forces a Fortitude save (always nice to have some options that aren't Will Negates). Depending on how you interpret the duration line, the spell is either good (daze for 1 rd. + 4 points of str damage for 1 rd/lvl) or disgusting (save or "daze + 4 points of str damage" every round for 1 rd/lvl).

[Vasdenjas]

How about Illusory Pit - 6th level - Complete Arcane

This is a great spell for large numbers of evil-types. It affects a 10ft square per caster level, and can be cast from a Medium distance away. Those failing the save do nothing for the duration of the spell except flail about. Those who DO make the save are still stunned for one round, dropping their items and losing their Dex bonus to AC.

The down side, it takes a full round to cast, so plenty of time to be disrupted, best to cast from a flying/invisible post. And also, it's duration is concentration +1 round, so to keep those incapacitated guys there, you need to keep at it, or get the feat that lets you maintain concentration as a move action.