I'm looking for a good way to put together an illusionist. One that only casts spells like silent image where you can decide exactly how it looks and such. I don't really care about shadow type spells. Basically, I want to create illusions that drastically change the battlefield and influence enemy actions in unexpected ways. I want maximum creative potential in my actions.
I like the illusionist specialist, but I feel like I have a lot "left over" after building it that doesn't fit with my idea. I feel like Id wind up playing a wizard like any other more or less. The magician bard is nice, but lacking in spells per day and I don't really care about a huge skillset. So at this point I feel like arcane sorcerer is the best way to go. It gives me a lot of classic utility without being overkill. Thoughts?
edit: bah, nevermind. nothing really can beat the wizards extended illusions thingy...I dont want to stand around concentrating on just one illusion.
Fast track to shadow conjuration and evocation. Since the DC is set as illusion spells, and you are likely to have both spell focus feats for illusion, they do pretty decently for makeshift versatility.
"You are probably going to have to go even more finite with what you want to do illusion wise. For instance, you could change the view of the battlefield for the enemies, or "wall them off" from each other with proper illusions.
You can create monsters, landscapes, there are near limitless possibilites. So Exactly how are you wanting to affect combat?"
That's the general idea, yeah. I just want to do it in a more freeform way than say, a druid actually springing up difficult terrain and fog. Instead, I could make a city with urban ruins which offers the same kind of concealment and movement limitations. It just sounds more fun to get creative, i don't care how powerful it is.
I know other spells offer a lot of creativity and chances to "be clever" like true strike, the enchantment school, mid-level druid environment altering spells, etc but with illusion the parameters are truly open.
And yes, the shadow spells seem amazing for versatility.
If you intend to use illusions, you may want to invest in silent and still spell metamagic.
Having your illusion spell identified by an enemy as it is cast can really ruin a fun idea.
Good point, is there any other way to hide them? If not, that would be another reason to go sorcerer, so I could do that on the fly when necessary.
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Illusion is probably my favorite school of magic.
Invis during battle makes it impossible to see what the spell is, and I'd rule that an illusion of a monster wouldn't necessarily cause the invis to drop. Pool that with the actual MS1-5 line of spells to augment, your foes will never suspect if they are real or not.
The new spell "Vanish" from the APG is very nice to ensure not being seen, and its duration is pretty good for most fights, or at least until you flood the field with 2-5 illusions.
The cheap metamagic rods (lessers are like 5k each) are pretty handy too, if limited.
Also augment the illusions with enough real effects. Take the unseen servant spell, and have it actually move the ground around, or throw rocks when the illusionary hydra you create is stomping around, prestidigitate like a mofo to make odors out of nowhere, ghost sounds to augment those silent images. Or hell, just make bushes small walls and force them to slide around the battlefield and funnel the enemies to your fighters.
FUN FUN!
Good point, is there any other way to hide them? If not, that would be another reason to go sorcerer, so I could do that on the fly when necessary.
Be far away so you can add distance penalties to the DC (most illusions are long range, after all). Be invisible and use ventriloquism. Use roaring lions (ghost sounds) to conceal your verbal incantations. Stuff like that.
Even with silent and still spell, there are people on these boards that will tell you the spell can still be identified with a simple skill check with no increase to the DC. I disagree (you can't identify what you don't see), but you may want to check with your GM.
Power in illusions, let me know if I'm reading this right. The standard illusion, like silent, is not an attack and is only saved against if interacted with, and is not one of the illusions that is mind affecting. So you could use it to make a wall between enemy casters and main fight, cutting off their sight for spell targeting unless they move up and try to move through the wall, putting them closer to the fighters? And it would work to cut off sight for even mindless undead? I mean, I don't see anything about trying to disbelieve, it says interaction, so the visual component is always there?
yes, undead are not immune to figment illusions. putting up a wall like that would stop people from seeing through it without interacting with it.
but note interacting with it just means spending some sort of action dealing with it. in your case the caster could make a perception check as a move action, allowing him a saving throw. if he succeeds he can then use his standard action to cast through it because he knows it isn't real.
also note he would be able to attack anyone on the opposite side of the wall (that had not made the save vs the illusion) flat footed because the caster could see them, but the target could not see the caster.
also go read these 4 links about illusions from an old post of mine
If you intend to use illusions, you may want to invest in silent and still spell metamagic.
Having your illusion spell identified by an enemy as it is cast can really ruin a fun idea.
You could always use Illusion of Calm to appear as if you are just standing there.
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Make sure you talk with your GM about what you want to do with illusions. Some people tend to be more strict on this type of thing.
You will definitely want the feat Effortless Trickery, as I believe it's the only thing in the game that lets you maintain multiple illusions at once. Of course, you have to be a Gnome, but they work pretty darn well with illusions anyway.
I'm looking for a good way to put together an illusionist. One that only casts spells like silent image where you can decide exactly how it looks and such. I don't really care about shadow type spells. Basically, I want to create illusions that drastically change the battlefield and influence enemy actions in unexpected ways. I want maximum creative potential in my actions.
I like the illusionist specialist, but I feel like I have a lot "left over" after building it that doesn't fit with my idea. I feel like Id wind up playing a wizard like any other more or less. The magician bard is nice, but lacking in spells per day and I don't really care about a huge skillset. So at this point I feel like arcane sorcerer is the best way to go. It gives me a lot of classic utility without being overkill. Thoughts?
edit: bah, nevermind. nothing really can beat the wizards extended illusions thingy...I dont want to stand around concentrating on just one illusion.
The entirety of your character is dependent on your GM's interpretation of the illusion rules.
The reason shadow spells are prevalent is that they suffer from less table variation than the image spells.
a gnome Veiled Illusionist is where it's at