Bunktavious's page

There's been lots of threads on how figments work and what you can and can't do with them. One thing I haven't seen discussed is how figments interact with light.

Take this as an example - outside, sun low in a clear sky. Everything is brightly lit on the sunny side and casting a long shadow on the opposite side. I create an illusion of a ten foot high pillar with silent image. If that pillar isn't casting a shadow, its going to immediately be obvious to anyone that its not real. So does it? Or do I create the shadow as part of my illusion?

Technically, the rules don't allow me to "create the shadow" as a shadow is not a creature, object, or force - rather, from a visual perspective, it is a darkening of the surface of whatever the shadow is cast on. Since you can't use an figment to change the appearance of something (darkening it), technically, you can't create a shadow.

Since the rules don't say that figments are useless in well lit situations, that suggests to me that illusions must interact with light as if they were real objects. If that interpretation is correct however, that would mean that if I put a silent image of a 20' cube around someone, it would be pitch black inside unless they had their own light source.

This has some fairly significant game implications. Can I create an illusion of a big umbrella above me to block out light and give myself partial concealment? If an illusion can block light, is that effect different based on whether or not a given creature disbelieves it, as illusions become transparent to those that make the save?

I'm leaning towards the opinion that illusions do block light, and that overall it's not that unbalancing. I just want other people's opinions on it before I take it to my current GM. I don't want it to seem like I'm trying to munchkin out a low level spell, just because it would have a big benefit for the character I'm playing (a Fetchling - 50% miss chance in low light).