Offensive Invisibility uses


Rules Questions


I was thinking about weaponising the "Invisibility" spell last night.

I first though of invisibility on a trap trigger being impossible to spot, but then I remembered the Reach Spell metamagic:

Benefit: You can alter a spell with a range of touch, close, or medium to increase its range to a higher range category, using the following order: touch, close, medium, and long.

Level Increase: Special. A reach spell uses up a spell slot one level higher than the spell’s actual level for each increase in range category. For example, a spell with a range of touch increased to long range uses up a spell slot three levels higher.

Spells modified by this feat that require melee touch attacks instead require ranged touch attacks.

Suddenly it's a lot more interesting...

  • Someone is talking in front of a crowd. Oh look, their clothes are now invisible. Sad :(
  • A guard will only let you pass if you have the right uniform. Strange, where's your jacket?
  • Hey archer! How are you gonna aim if you can't see your arrows?
  • Can a cleric cast spells that require a divine focus if she can't find her divine focus?

Invisibility does apply to objects, but what about attended objects?


The trap is one thing, not several things so you would actually be making the trap invisible.

Attended objects use the will save of the wearer. The spell was not really intended to be used that way so a GM will have to decide if it applies.

Also if the jacket goes invisible before they get to the guard the person would notice, and if it goes invisible in front of the guard the guard will notice.

Each arrow is also it's own item so you can't make all of them invisible just because they are close together.

The cleric only has to be able to manipulate the focus, so if they can get their hands on it they can use it. Most people can close their eyes and still touch their nose or do similar things, and since the focus is normally in an accessible place I would say it being invisible does not matter, but that is also a GM call.


Attended objects are typically treated as creatures, i.e. they're allowed a saving throw against the spell (using the attending creature's save). The archer's arrows or the guard's jacket would get a Will save as though you were casting it on the archer/guard themselves.

Your use cases definitely sound fun, but would be very GM-dependant. I have a bard who used magic mouth in combat once, as a "psychological warfare" thing, but unfortunately the GM wasn't overly lenient so the spell didn't do much. So be prepared for that.


Nanocephalic wrote:

I was thinking about weaponising the "Invisibility" spell last night.

I first though of invisibility on a trap trigger being impossible to spot, but then I remembered the Reach Spell metamagic:

Benefit: You can alter a spell with a range of touch, close, or medium to increase its range to a higher range category, using the following order: touch, close, medium, and long.

Level Increase: Special. A reach spell uses up a spell slot one level higher than the spell’s actual level for each increase in range category. For example, a spell with a range of touch increased to long range uses up a spell slot three levels higher.

Spells modified by this feat that require melee touch attacks instead require ranged touch attacks.

Suddenly it's a lot more interesting...

  • Someone is talking in front of a crowd. Oh look, their clothes are now invisible. Sad :(
  • A guard will only let you pass if you have the right uniform. Strange, where's your jacket?
  • Hey archer! How are you gonna aim if you can't see your arrows?
  • Can a cleric cast spells that require a divine focus if she can't find her divine focus?

Invisibility does apply to objects, but what about attended objects?

As wraithstrike said (first), an attended object gets a Will save. Whoops, hit submit too soon.

The second half of my post was to remind you that even at long range, there is a chance that you will be noticed casting the spell (since you need line of effect, and thus need to be in sight). You may be able to figure out ways around that, but don't expect it to go perfectly every time.

Also, keep in mind that this tactic would not be unheard of. Seeming or veil, for example, could literally alter a guard to look like an enemy. Soldiers may be ready for this sort of thing.

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