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The rather wonderful idea to make Illusions less susceptible to Detect Magic got me thinking. This might be the time to finally get Illusions right, like REALLY right, in PF, because they have always been a little lame and situational. So, if you will indulge me, I’d like to talk a little bit about the most ubiquitous of illusionists in the real world: peppers (as in, jalapeño peppers).
Humans detect heat via a biochemical reaction to infrared radiation. The greater the amount of radiation, the faster the biochemical reaction. It happens in your mouth if you eat hot food and on your skin if you sit near a fire. Peppers trigger the exact same biochemical reaction. Unless you know it is a pepper that is causing it, your brain cannot tell the difference between the triggers. Accordingly, I think the simplest of all illusionary signatures should be the thermal signature, which D&D illusions have traditionally not been able to pull off until 3rd Level. There are a few animals (some snakes and bats) in the natural world that are capable of a form of heat vision, which they accomplish using heat sensitive pits in their noses, but most, including humans, can only detect magnitude. I think an illusionary thermal signature should cover both of those and should work regardless of the INT of the target; if it can feel infrared radiation, you can trick it with illusion.
The easiest signatures to mimic in D&D have always been sound (audible glamour) and vision (silent image). I think they should work just like a thermal signature in that anything with eyes can have a visible signature mapped onto its retina and anything with eardrums can have a sound mapped onto its eardrums (I guess?). The visible signature is a bit tricky because the illusion cannot create its own visible light, so at relatively low levels of control, the mapping onto the retina should only occur if the eyes are directed toward the illusion and are already detecting visible light. Although an illusionist should not be limited to no-light illusions, if you don’t do it that way, then the illusion of a person carrying a torch would not cause you to see the wall behind the illusion, which should have been illuminated by the torch (because there isn’t actually any light). I would include darkvision illusions as just another aspect of a visible illusion, but a reasonable person could also decide a darkvision signature is different than a visible signature.
Illusions with smell are also traditionally higher-level, but a particulate signature should not be much more difficult to pull off than a thermal signature, IMO, because they are both biochemical reactions. I would combine olfaction and gustation into a single signature, but would imprint slightly differently depending whether you sniff or lick the illusion. Almost all animals are capable of smell (absent abnormalities) and all macroscopic animals are capable of taste (not sure about microscopic, but some of microscopic animals can taste, too!). Accordingly, an illusionist should be able to map an illusion onto the olfaction and gustation receptors of any multicellular animal or animal-like creature, regardless of INT.
A first signature we can detect in real life, but that is not mentioned in illusion spells is what I would characterize as “vibration,” including infrasound and tremors. I think they should have their own signature as distinct from audible signatures because they are not mapped onto the ears. Again, any creature that is capable of feeling vibrations should be susceptible to such illusions, regardless of INT, which includes pretty much all macroscopic animals. You would need this to make an illusion of a gargantuan creature stomping towards you to feel real.
Some other senses common to many real animals include balance, time, pain, hunger, thirst, and direction (magnetoreception—not very strong in humans, but there is some indication it exists).
A sense that deserves special mention is the kinesthetic sense, which an illusionist would need to trigger if the illusion changed the target creature (e.g., by growing tentacles or something). This sense, also known as proprioception has even been detected in flowering land plants! As you may be able to guess from what I have said about INT before, yes, I think this illusion should work on certain plant creatures. I would make this include pretty much all of the plant senses, making the plants do a bonsai or grow around a void or the like, all using illusion.
Some signatures for animals that humans do not have are electroception, detection of polarized light, and detection of water pressure and currents. An artificial sense that might be worth mentioning is X-Ray, which a transmuter might use to pierce illusions if the illusionist didn’t include it. An illusionist should be able to manipulate all of these.
Now I get to the signatures that don’t exist in real life, only one of which is magic, the signature that was added to all illusions, in a sense, by making illusions harder to identify with Detect Magic. There should be a signature for every single possible detection spell, including Detect Animals and Plants (e.g., an Animal Signature or a Plant Signature), Detect Evil, Detect Poison (e.g., a Poison Signature), Detect Scrying (makes you think there is scrying when there is not or hides scrying attempts), Detect Secret Doors (makes you think it is secret--and they just got lucky finding it or they cannot find the illusion with the ability to detect secret doors), Detect Thoughts (e.g., a Surface Thoughts Signature and, maybe with some more complexity, a Deep Thoughts Signature), Detect Snares and Pits (e.g., a Trap Signature), and Detect Undead.
With all of these possible signatures for illusions, the illusionist character can impact a wide range of different creatures, including those that are non-intelligent. They can do crazy stuff like make a person think they have been walking for hours, when it has been seconds, and that they are starting to feel pain in their feet from blisters, thirst, hunger, etc. The greatest of illusionists can treat any living thing like a brain in a jar, where the illusionist provides whatever stimulation he wishes and shuts out all other (real world) stimuli. You don’t even need to introduce the semi-real phantasms to make this specialty really powerful.
Sorry to go so long.
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Interesting read!
I like the idea of tremorsense as a specific signature. It makes me think of a lower level spell that includes just audio and tremor creating the illusion of giant stomping around out of sight.
I know that illusions have had some thought given to them in more recent books, so I hope some of that work went into improving the school for PF2.
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I didn't catch the entire post, but isn't some of this already handled by the distinction between glamers and phantasms? Phantasms are mind-affecting and stimulate the target to experience "fake" sensations, so it could affect any sense. While glamers are actually like holograms, actual sound or other manifestations that manifest in the material plane and so will be experienced normally by all within reach, using their respective appropiate senses.
I don't think it is handled. I probably shouldn't have made the title POWERFUL, but rather VERSATILE. If you make illusions attack the senses, you can make them applicable to any creature, regardless of mindlessness. Accordingly, illusionists can have spells impact anyone. Case in point, zombies have darkvision. I would like an illusionist to be able to create an illusion that impacts darkvision, so the zombie goes running after the illusion. I would also like to take illusion out of the mind entirely, and leave that to enchantment; illusion only let's you mess with the sensory pathways, not the mind itself.
I'm imagining a 1st Level Illusion that allows you to choose a single sensory signature, like thermal signature, to make one or more creatures think they are feeling heat. As the level of slot increases, more signatures can be added. So at 2nd Level, you might create a thermal signature and an olfactory signature, then throw a cloak over your zombie and hide its lack of body heat and stench. At 3rd Level, give it a human signature (so it detects as a human instead of undead). At 4th, an alignment signature. You get the idea. Illusions would be exposed if you couldn't cover all of the signatures you need to fool someone or some thing (anything with senses, really).
EDIT: Oh, and enchantment is OK to be mind-effecting because it can also be used to enchant things or provide buffs, so the enchanter isn't SOL when he comes up against a creature that is immune to mind-effecting spells.
This actually reminds me of two things:
1) I like a house rule of mine that allows a character to take the Investigator feat (I know there is an archetype, so the name should have been different), which lets you use INT instead of WIS for perception checks.
2) I want each attribute to have its own save, where an Intelligence Saving Throw is the standard save against Illusions.
Stopped reading at science. Its magic I believe you are overthinking it. I wouldnt mind some better interaction rules with illusions, just not this detailed.
Hey totoro, how do you feel about the illusion spell we saw on the Glass Canon playtest? A presumably low level illusion which made enemies with AC that dealt damage, half of which was healed when the PCs discovered it was an illusion?
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Figments and Glamers already work just fine against zombies (or other mindless creatures). They are in no way, shape, or form mind affecting spells.
If you you use a spell like Minor/Major Image, a zombie (Or any creature with visual/hearing senses) should 100% act as if it were real (until it interacts with it and gets a saving throw, at which point it may or may not continue to think it is real).
Hey totoro, how do you feel about the illusion spell we saw on the Glass Canon playtest? A presumably low level illusion which made enemies with AC that dealt damage, half of which was healed when the PCs discovered it was an illusion?
I'll pop in that I love it in theory, hate it in practice because that means having to track damage from this specific source which means that much more bookkeeping, and it has to be on the part of the caster.
Won't stop my illusionist's PF2 equivalent from using the hell out of it though.
Hey totoro, how do you feel about the illusion spell we saw on the Glass Canon playtest? A presumably low level illusion which made enemies with AC that dealt damage, half of which was healed when the PCs discovered it was an illusion?I'll pop in that I love it in theory, hate it in practice because that means having to track damage from this specific source which means that much more bookkeeping, and it has to be on the part of the caster.
Won't stop my illusionist's PF2 equivalent from using the hell out of it though.
Yeah, it does seem unnecessarily fidly at the moment. It also draws some attention to the "what are hit points anyway" dilemma. It just struck me as a pretty exciting way to make illusions more potent, and I'm too lost by all the science posts to guess how the OP would feel about it.
I'm not sure how much I like illusions with damage. I would rather they just be really good at what they do and let the Evokers do the damage. Here's kind of what I'm thinking in the spell format of the blog (though I think the "signatures" would need to be put in an illusions section, rather than relisted for each spell; also note this spell replaces Invisibility and Nondetection when cast from higher level spell slots):
Disguise Self Spell 1
Glamer, Illusion
Casting Somatic Casting, Verbal Casting
Range Personal
Duration Concentration + 10 minutes
You can change one sensory signature of yourself. Sensory signatures include heat, visible, X-ray, darkvisible, audible (effective against blindsight reliant on keen hearing), scent (effective against blindsight reliant on keen sense of smell), vibration (effective against blindsight reliant on tremorsense), tactile (effective against blindsight reliant on echolocation), creature type, alignment, scryable, surface thoughts, etc. While concentration is maintained, you can remove a signature glamer as an action and add a signature glamer as an action.
Creatures that are able to detect a signature that does not conform to a glamer will probably figure out there is a glamer, but this does not entitle them to a saving throw. For example if you make yourself visibly taller, a creature with X-Ray vision may be able to see your skeleton is smaller than your visible shape. Also, if a person touches a glamer without a corresponding tactile signature, the creature's hand will pass through. You must defeat all of a creature's senses if you wish to be undetectable. Some creatures, like zombies, only use darkvision, but if a creature has both darkvision and normal vision, making yourself have a transparent visible signature will simply make your color disappear, and the creature will be able to see you with monochromatic darkvision.
When concentration ends, the last chosen glamer will continue for the duration of the spell.
Heightened (each level above 1st) The number of signatures you can glamer increases by one per level over 1st.
(I'll try another in a bit.)
Aura Spell 1
Glamer, Illusion
Casting Somatic Casting, Verbal Casting
Range Touch
Duration Concentration + up to 10 minutes after you stop touching the target, with concentration
You can change one sensory signature of an object, inanimate creature, or willing creature. Sensory signatures include heat, visible, X-ray, darkvisible, audible (effective against blindsight reliant on keen hearing), scent (effective against blindsight reliant on keen sense of smell), vibration (effective against blindsight reliant on tremorsense), tactile (effective against blindsight reliant on echolocation), alignment, scryable, etc. Willing creatures may allow you to glamer their creature type, surface thoughts, or sense of balance, time, pain, hunger, thirst, or direction. Objects can have secret (hidden), poison, magic, and trap signatures glamered. As long as you do not stop touching the target after the spell is cast, while concentration is maintained, you can remove a signature glamer as an action and add a signature glamer as an action.
Heightened (each level above 1st) The number of signatures you can glamer increases by one per level over 1st.
This last one replaces both Silent Image and Ventriloquism (and makes Minor Image and other spells of that ilk superfluous):
Fool Audience Spell 1
Figment, Illusion
Casting Somatic Casting, Verbal Casting
Range Long
Duration Concentration, maximum of 10 minutes
You can create a figment with one sensory signature. Sensory signatures include heat, visible, X-ray, darkvisible, audible (effective against blindsight reliant on keen hearing), scent (effective against blindsight reliant on keen sense of smell), vibration (effective against blindsight reliant on tremorsense), tactile (effective against blindsight reliant on echolocation), alignment, scryable, creature type, surface thoughts, secret (hidden), poison, magic, and trap.
You must be able to perceive both the figment and all audience members. Audience members include all objects and creatures of which you are aware. If you lose track of an audience member, that audience member no longer perceives the figment, but you can add a new audience member as soon as you notice them (though that may be too late to prevent them from figuring out the figment is an illusion). Audience members do not get a saving throw even if they figure out the figment is an illusion.
Heightened (each level above 1st) The number of signatures you can apply to the figment increases by one per level over 1st.
I'd make Blur a cantrip that can't completely eliminate a signature, but can muddy it. E.g., change your voice, push your alignment one step in one direction, etc. Or multiple muddy signatures at higher spell levels.
I'd get rid of Color Spray, at least at 1st Level. You're an ILLUSIONIST, not an enchanter (the one who might put targets to sleep). Do cool stuff with illusions.
The 1st Level spells, as I laid them out, eviscerate a lot of 2nd Level illusions from PF1, like Invisibility, Minor Image, Misdirection, and Phantom Trap. IMO, you don't need Blur (which is lame) or Magic Mouth (which should be one option of a Triggered Figment spell). For 2nd Level, I'd go for something like Mirror Image, but two images. (You would only be in one of the two images if somebody tried to hit you.) No save and the figment remains as long as you concentrate, but if you do anything that shows you are touching the physical world (or if you get hit), everyone knows which of the mirror images is you. You can merge then unmerge the mirror images as an action, which would randomize which of the images is actually you.
I think you could also add something like Programmed Figment at 2nd Level, which requires you pick a figment in great detail when you prepare the spell. For example, you could choose an Orc with all of the smell and sound an orc might have. When you cast the spell, the figment acts like a sentient (not sapient) creature that you don't have to maintain with concentration, but only lasts for 10 minutes.
I'd round out 2nd Level Illusion spells with a Triggered Figment that lasts until a triggering condition, then a magic mouth or some other figment springs into existence and does some preprogrammed thing for a minute or so, but if it isn't triggered in a week, the magic fades. Permanent for even a year seems too strong for a 2nd Level spell, even one that isn't all that impactful. It would have a long cast time, which would justify adding whatever sensory signatures the spellcaster likes.
I do not believe Illusionists benefit by having a lot of spells at each level. It tends to push abilities that should be manipulable with a single spell into multiple different spells.
I think I'll post a little more on this, even though I'm probably the only one who really cares much...
IMO, Illusionists should have a very small number of spells that are extremely customizable and the core rules should own it to stave off the risk of players saying “Illusionist lack of spells make them suck!” In other words, make it a feature, not a bug. Illusionist spells should be easier to manipulate because they aren’t “real” magic, but they should be weaker, too. One way to address this issue is to enable doing cool stuff on the fly. Also, double down on the distinction that has already been suggested regarding using Detect Magic to detect illusions and allow a complete end-run around the usual techniques for detecting magic. I am also leaning in favor of making Figment not an illusion type, but rather a spell that can be adjusted to emulate all of the spells that were capable of producing figments.
Anyone who is capable of casting Figment can create figments of their imagination at will, but as an Illusionist you are more likely to do it routinely. There is no limit to the number of figments you can create and you are free to react to them however you like (e.g., treat them as tools to be used and put away or as pets that follow you around). A figment of your imagination has no perception other than that of yours or your memory, so they cannot act as guards or scouts. A figment of your imagination that is put in an environment with which you are not familiar and you cannot perceive will invariable behave oddly (e.g., it will pass through walls, its feet might not touch the ground, etc.) and cannot report back to you. As an example, a figment may be that of a “housekeeper” (in quotes because a figment cannot actually clean) for your mansion. If the mansion burns to the ground, the figment housekeeper will continue to climb the non-existent stairs and dust the non-existent furniture until you see the mansion has burned down.
Programmed figments are treated like sentient pets or cohorts (not like monsters or NPCs), but they are incapable of acting like sapient creatures unless you concentrate to “feed them their lines.” A figment will automatically react to changes in the environment, as long as you perceive the changes, but cannot react to an environment you cannot perceive, regardless of programming. No action is required to cause a figment to react to an environment you perceive. For example, if your figment is following you when you jump over a puddle, the figment will jump over, step around, splash through, or otherwise react to the puddle in a manner that is appropriate for its programming, which, in play, will be how you, the player, direct it. You do not have to be able to reproduce images or sounds skillfully to create an illusion, but knowledge is still required for specific things. For example, if you have never seen a person for whom you are creating a figment, your figment will not be an accurate representation of them. Similarly, although you may not be able to play an instrument, you can create the music if you know what it sounds like; if you are not a musician, a musician will probably be able to detect errors, though.
Figments of your imagination do not have any sensory signatures that can be detected by anyone other than you. To you, the figment has every sensory signature at a setting of your choice (e.g., a figment could be invisible to you, but it would still have a visible sensory signature that is set to invisible). If the figment is of yourself, it has every sensory signature you do, but if the figment is a copy of someone or something other than yourself, you do not automatically get the signatures right; you may have to guess. A spell such as True Seeing will ignore the figment (though because a figment of your imagination could not be perceived anyway, the spell effect is obviated with respect to figments of your imagination) and Detect Magic will have no effect, but a spell that enables someone to look through your eyes enables them to see the figments of your imagination with the sensory signatures you chose. (Hopefully it doesn’t give them nightmares.)
Another sensory signature (in addition to the ones I mentioned above): Radiance (light emitted by the figment)
To cast Figment at 1st Level, you must first pick a figment of your imagination, then expose one sensory signature of the figment to the world. For example, if the figment of your imagination is an exact copy of yourself, you could expose only the audible signature (your voice) and use the figment as a ventriloquism spell. A sentient or sapient creature that interacts with a figment it can perceive is entitled to an INT saving throw to determine the figment is an illusion, but making the saving throw does not make the figment go away. If the interaction makes it apparent the figment is an illusion (or at least does not have the physics you would expect for the thing being perceived), the saving throw is at +10. For example, if a tactile signature slams into a target hard enough to do damage, the saving throw is at +10 (because the target does not actually suffer the expected damage), but if the creature only feels a tap on the shoulder without pain or damage, they would not get the +10 bonus. A saving throw is allowed every round if the Figment should be leaving traces in the environment (e.g., if the Figment is walking through the snow without disturbing the snow). To be absolutely sure a figment is an illusion, the saving throw must be a critical success, but sapient creatures can treat the figment as an illusion even if they are not absolutely sure it is one. Non-sentient creatures are not entitled to saving throws to determine a figment is an illusion. The way a sentient creature behaves when it detects an illusion depends upon personality and training.
You can maintain a 1st Level Figment with concentration. If you maintain the figment for 8 hours, the figment becomes permanent as long as you do not fill the 1st Level spell slot used to cast the spell, but you can no longer change its sensory signature. If you fill the 1st Level spell slot, the figment reverts to a figment of your imagination. For example, as long as you keep a 1st Level spell slot open after exposing an audible signature of a figment (e.g., a copy of yourself), you can have the figment teleport wherever you can perceive or can remember and either deliver a canned line or, if you concentrate, say something you would like it to say. It can also walk around babbling all the time, if that is its program (and can even say “how do you do?” when you meet a new person without any requirement that you take an action, if appropriate), but the figment generally only seems sapient if you are concentrating.
A Figment must fit in a 5’ cube.
For every spell level over 1st at which you cast Figment, you can expose an additional sensory signature. Alternatively, you can double the Figment’s size with each increase in spell level.
Glamer 1st Level Spell
Like Figment, but you change the sensory signatures of an existing object, creature (including yourself), or 5’ cube. However, if the Glamer has been made permanent on yourself, you can change the sensory signatures whenever you would have recovered the spell slot (e.g., after sleeping), and need not spend 8 hours to make the new configuration permanent.