Can you use veil spell to look like an inanimate object (for example a statue)? Or, if you for example assume the look of a gargoyle, can you decide to look like gargoyle using its freeze ability? If yes, do you have to stay perfectly sill while doing so, or can you perform some actions, as long as you do not move to a different space?
No. While it says you can make them look like anything, the intent is creatures. This is spotted in the next sentence. This used to be clearer, but the SRD systematically removes examples and this is the case here. You could make a party of 4 humans look like three pixies and a hill giant (they don't have to be the same) but you couldn't make them look like a table or tree (a treant or other tree-like creature, yes).
You could look (and smell and feel) like a gargoyle, but you wouldn't get the benefits of freeze (though it's possible to be mistaken as a statue if you stay still and are far enough away.) Similarly, you could look like nereids but you wouldn't get their water transparency and you could look like invisible stalkers, but you wouldn't have their natural invisibility (and the caster would have to know what one looks like.) So unfortunately, also no trying to look like a mimic pretending to be a table or chest (with big teeth, which some people might assume is their natural form since that always seems to be their favored depiction).
You'll need a different spell for that, then. Veil makes you look like a different creature; it doesn't make you look like you're doing something other than what you're doing.
Admittedly, this gets weird if you use veil to look like a gelatinous cube then start practicing kata.
If you can fit within it, maybe. There's a great deal of argument about whether you can hide inside a figment since "[F]igments cannot make something seem to be something else."
If, given like most campaigns, there are any large number of creatures that look like objects (most constructs), some that can even appear to be an object (for example a mimic) I'd say go for it. That said anything that is not in line with what that object could do ... breath, move, (radiate magic?) etc., then you have an immediate reason for a Will saving throw by the observer(s).
... That said anything that is not in line with what that object could do ... breath, move, (radiate magic?) etc., then you have an immediate reason for a Will saving throw by the observer(s).
that depends (the above is why Illusionists can't have nice pretend things)...
for Will saves that depend on interaction, just looking isn't enough.
If it's a creature outside of common interactions than a knowledge skill check is called for to determine what is typical for that creature.
In a wry twist of fate you could always pretend to be a robot that way people need the Technomancy skill to properly identify you (as not being a robot).
As for Glabrezu:
Whereas the succubus is a demon that works her wiles by exploiting the physical lusts and needs of her prey, the glabrezu is a tempter of a different sort. Ferocious and bestial in form, the glabrezu is in fact a master of trickery and lies. With its ability to cloak its true form in pleasant illusions, the glabrezu uses its magic to grant wishes to mortal humanoids as a method of rewarding those who succumb to its guile and deceit. A wish granted by a glabrezu always fulfills the wisher’s need in the most destructive way possible—although such methods might not be immediately apparent. A struggling weaponsmith might wish for fame and skill at his craft, only to find that his best patron is a cruel and sadistic murderer who uses the weapons to further his destructive desires. A lonely man who wishes for a companion might have his wish granted in the form of a lost love returned to “life” as a vampire, and so on—the glabrezu is nothing if not creative in addressing a mortal’s desires.
A glabrezu stands 18 feet tall and weighs just over 6,000 pounds. These treacherous demons form from the souls of the treasonous, the false, and the subversive—souls of mortals who, in life, bore false witness or used treachery and deceit to ruin the lives of others.
... That said anything that is not in line with what that object could do ... breath, move, (radiate magic?) etc., then you have an immediate reason for a Will saving throw by the observer(s).
that depends (the above is why Illusionists can't have nice pretend things)...
for Will saves that depend on interaction, just looking isn't enough.
If it's a creature outside of common interactions than a knowledge skill check is called for to determine what is typical for that creature.
Agreed.
And to be clear when I say observer I mean in a very general way. For example, a Dragon using Blindsight or some Earth creature using Tremorsense. Basically using whatever combination of senses the creature has along with its knowledge of the universe to get potentially tipped off that something isn't quite kosher, said save determining if it is in fact tipped off. And in a world full of magical creatures, items and effects all bets are off ... who says the world can't have sentient floating purple fireballs of intense cold that use dreadful wail as an attack.
1) an inanimate object (for example a statue)?
2) gargoyle, can you us(e) its freeze ability?
3) If yes, do you have to stay perfectly sill while doing so, or can you perform some actions, as long as you do not move to a different space?
Veil is very powerful and a Glamer. Illusion spells deceive the senses or minds of others. They cause people to see things that are not there, not see things that are there, hear phantom noises, or remember things that never happened. A glamer spell changes a subject’s sensory qualities, making it look, feel, taste, smell, or sound like something else, or even seem to disappear.
It still physically takes up the same space and threatens the same range of squares, doing normal damage (awesome!).
1) is No. Veil says "creatures" so no objects (but animated objects being creatures are okay).
2) Yes to look like a gargoyle, again No to any ability of that creature. Veil does not impart any SP, SU, or EX abilities. Just appearance(looks).
3) is No as 2 is No.
There are statue like creatures and that would be your best shot to look statue like.
And to be clear when I say observer I mean in a very general way. For example, a Dragon using Blindsight or some Earth creature using Tremorsense. Basically using whatever combination of senses the creature has along with its knowledge of the universe to get potentially tipped off that something isn't quite kosher, said save determining if it is in fact tipped off. And in a world full of magical creatures, items and effects all bets are off ... who says the world can't have sentient floating purple fireballs of intense cold that use dreadful wail as an attack.
Sticking to veil: it makes subject "look, feel, and smell just like the creatures the spell makes them resemble". I believe it means it fools even blindsight and tremorsense, you need true seeing to see through it.
And specifically about veiling as an animated statue (just standing still), I would think that if observer originally believed it to be a normal statue, and the statue started moving, the first conclusion (in the world in which magic exists) would be "it's an animated statue" instead of "it's not a statue at all" (which would be a conclusion in a mundane world). So would it trigger the Will save? Basically is you veil as an animated statue and you start moving, you don't do anything that an animated statue couldn't do.
as a side note - a glabrezu is likely to have a humanoid thrall to make wishes for it which it then can grant for itself. It seems deceptive but that's their thing. At some point they tire of their play thing and get another...
while the above is legal in game terms, don't abuse your GM powers. Use it to create drama and move the story forward or force a climax.
Yep it can potentially fool all sorts of senses. A great deal comes down to how a GM and his campaign handle the various spells in the Illusion school. Veil is a very potent spell. Party's who can fight Glabrezu are also very potent. And the Glabrezu is also almost certainly leaving clues to its presence. Why are there humanoid tracks in the area? Why is there a lingering aura of Evil/Chaos around (or worse Overwhelming)? Not going to take much more before the party does start using things like True Seeing or the Glabrezu gets impatient and attacks, leaving the party pondering why this apparent Mimic looking like a Wardrobe is attacking them with ... Unholy Blight and Reverse Gravity?? Veil is good for an ambush/first strike ... mid combat the party really isn't going to care why the wardrobe is attacking though maybe they'll waste some time using chainsaws and fire on it first :D
