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A friend who DMs a different game posed the following question to me that I'm not sure how to answer so I thought I would pose the question here for suggestions to offer him. Here was his email to me:
I had an illusion covering a pit trap. The mage had Arcane Sight and thus knew there was illusion magic. All disbelievers failed their will saves.
An unseen servant was cast and walked over the pit trap. I said, “You see the unseen servant disappear (arcane sight) and the spell ends (6 points of damage dismisses unseen servant.”
Then a flask of liquid light was thrown into the area. I said “The vial bursts and it is as bright as sunlight.” Because they had not successfully disbelieved the illusion, I ruled they would see the flask interacting with the illusion as they would normally expect it to.
However, when they finally went into the area and were to fall 50 feet, I allowed the mage to activate his boots of levitation in time to not hit b/c I deemed he would have been wary enough to be ready to activate them.
I received some grumbles about the way I handled the Unseen Servant and Flask of Liquid Light. How would you have handled this situation?
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I don't know if an unseen servant would have fallen into the pit (I'm assuming that's the damage?) as they don't need solid ground to get from point A to point B.
Also, the flask, being an inanimate object would be unaffected by the illusion covering the pit. Since the illusion wasn't programmed to create a light effect if someone threw a flask, the flask would have fallen into the pit normally and I would rule that the light "shot up through the floor" and allow another save against the illusion effect.
As to the activation of the boots, I think the wearer would have time to activate them before hitting the floor of the pit, so I agree with you there.
I'm with Derek re: the unseen servant.
The illusion of the floor is presumably "pre-set" to a specific appearance and blocks vision of anything beyond it; having it back-lit as my distinguished colleague suggests sort of violates that premise, to my mind. I could see it being ruled either way, though. One thing's for sure: the flask goes into the pit, and the party sees it "fall through the floor" (which in itself should give a new Will save).
I'm with you and Derek re: the boots.
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I'm with Derek re: the unseen servant.
The illusion of the floor is presumably "pre-set" to a specific appearance and blocks vision of anything beyond it; having it back-lit as my distinguished colleague suggests sort of violates that premise, to my mind. I could see it being ruled either way, though. One thing's for sure: the flask goes into the pit, and the party sees it "fall through the floor" (which in itself should give a new Will save).
I'm with you and Derek re: the boots.
Re: the light.
I guess my point is, the light isn't any different than the flask itself. Light goes where it goes, the illusion isn't tangible (unless it is some kind of demi-shadow magic type thing) and shouldn't block light from going where it goes, I guess. At least with the 3x assumptions of illusions being "all in the head of the observer" (a la invisibility)...
My assumptions of 3x illusion magic may be wrong, though.
The question becomes what type of illusion magic?
They all act differently, and could even cause the mind into fooling itself into seeing what the illusion says it should see depending on the effect used to create the disguise.
I am curious if you would be able to see the Unseen Servant fall, even through the use of Arcane Sight. Maybe with See Invisibility, but I don't think you would with AS. Afterall, summoned creatures (using Summon Monster I or similar) don't glow with a magic aura. Why should Unseen Servant?
The servant isn't going to fall in the first place. As per the spell, it is a "mindless, shapeless force." It isn't a creature with substance -it is a conjured force, and isn't going to fall into a pit any more than a magic missile succumbs to gravity.
Since it is invisible, it would take a 'see invisibility' spell to see it, and, when witnessed, is appears as an indefinable blob-like presence without definition.
Yap!
Brandon
B, you didn't have an avatar for ages, and now you choose that scary f!&!er. C'mon man, you can find a better one.Yap!
Brandon
Well, it was the least used one! No one else was using it at the time. I wanted to be unique!!!
She looks like the hag from "Legend."
B.
The question becomes what type of illusion magic?
They all act differently, and could even cause the mind into fooling itself into seeing what the illusion says it should see depending on the effect used to create the disguise.
For those still playing the STAP beware, there are spoilers.
I'm the DM for htis. It was the "Permanent Image" in the Rakasta temple in Tides of Dread. This illusion has smell, touch, and taste. If I remember from Olangru, he had similar illusions that were supposed to react to the environment...? My memory isn't that great so I just tried to adjudicate on the fly as best I could.
My bottom line was the players did what they were "supposed" to do so I didn't have them take damage.