In the Advance Race Guide, the Gnome has access to two phantom object spells. They are identical to the creation spells, with the benefit(?) that they aren't real. If anyone fails their will save, the object ceases to be.
How would you go about using this?
The only thing I could think of off-hand would be to conjure up a ladder to climb only to tell the next person up, "Incidentally, the ladder you're climbing isn't real."
Something to that effect, and I'm not entirely sure that would work. Any other ideas?
The only thing I could think of off-hand would be to conjure up a ladder to climb only to tell the next person up, "Incidentally, the ladder you're climbing isn't real."
Actually, the text of the spell says a person "may" make a saving throw after interacting with the object. A strict GM could say they don't attempt a save because they don't want to fall. That makes it even more useless. Minor Creation is already very limited and seldom worth a spell slot. Add on much shorter duration and the ability for a person to disbelieve it and it becomes really speculative. I really cannot see much use for this spell.
I suppose if for some self-hating reason Conjuration is your opposed school this gives you access to a significantly weaker, same-level variant of Minor Creation. I suppose the value is supposed to come in making a Spellcraft check instead of a Craft check. Wow. I would never prepare this spell or waste a sorcerer known spell on it. That is just my two copper.
Well it DOES say anyone can disbelieve for it to unexist. Create a plank to cross a chasm, dash across, uncreate it by touching it and saying, "It isn't really here" and some gobbos fall to their death. Even then the casting time makes it inefficient for an escape.
Still, very, very narrow. It doesn't have a material component, but still has a large casting time. If it could make a bigger structure I would see a better use. If it was a level lower I could see the possibility for taking it. As it is, I see this as taking up space in the Gnome section of the ARG that could have been used on their fourth class archetype. >_<
Actually, I'm not sure these spells can ever work. Per James Jacobs' explanation, casters do not get any will save and automatically disbelief their won illusions. Which for these spells mean they make it, disbelieve it and watch it vanish straight away...
Also: how is a illusion (figment) spell creating phantasms?
Anyway: create a stick and put a tin can or bell on top of it. If anyone gets near enough, they'll "study" the obvious trap, hopefully causing the stick to vanish and the tin can to fall and make enough noise to wake the party.
Create the emperor's new clothes.
Form the material into a message, telling the other party members beforehand not to make their save. Those who do, destroy the message before having had a chance to read it.
Create a plank to cross a chasm, dash across, uncreate it by touching it and saying, "It isn't really here" and some gobbos fall to their death.
That seems to be the purpose of the spells, but neither figments nor phantasms can do that. Only shadow illusions could.
Actually, I'm not sure these spells can ever work. Per James Jacobs' explanation, casters do not get any will save and automatically disbelief their won illusions. Which for these spells mean they make it, disbelieve it and watch it vanish straight away...
Also: how is a illusion (figment) spell creating phantasms?
Regretfully, some spells in ARG seem to have schools/subschools applied inconsistently or outrightly erroneously. E.g. minor dream - which acts like dream but does not allow for the messenger to wait until recipient wakes up and can be only cast upon gnome if used on anyone other than the caster - belong to Illusion (figment) while the base spell is Illusion (phantasm). There is no reason for minor dream to be figment any other than sloppy design.
Description of phantom object would most likely fit Illusion (shadow), actually, for the shadow spells are the ones which create semi-real effects. Phantasms exist in the viewers mind - no matter how badly one is affected by phantasm effect, one won't be able to climb phantasmal ladder (aside of Toon d20 or unless he possess some abilities that would allow him to defy gravity on his own that could be used unwittingly in such circumstances).
So this spell is just one big mass of error and uselessness then. I would love to get a ruling on how this was intended to read. I feel like it is poorly worded and - as VRMH points out - mislabeled. House rule it or never touch it. Those are your options. If you need to cross a chasm, prep Dimension Door instead. When I am running from goblins, I don't want to spend a full minute (ridiculous!) on my escape route.
Actually, I'm not sure these spells can ever work. Per James Jacobs' explanation, casters do not get any will save and automatically disbelief their won illusions. Which for these spells mean they make it, disbelieve it and watch it vanish straight away...
I was thinking exactly this, but then this led to, "No, it couldn't be. That would make the spell ABSOLUTELY useless, which must be a mistake." I had thought I was wrong in thinking that the caster would automagically disbelieve. >_<
This is very frustrating. The shadow/phantasm problem too.
Although I do like the Emperor's new clothes idea. I had a Gnome Sorcerer illusionist with profession Tailor ages ago. He would have loved to use that. Create some Egyptian(equivalent) cotton robes, sell them off to someone with a low will save and walk away. Then again, that could be done JUST AS EASILY as with the creation spell as it would unexist eventually anyway.
If the spell created an illusion of a much greater volume and as a standard action or a full round I could see this as being of some use, providing the caster doesn't cause it to cease to be instantly. Illusion spells are complex enough without having typos/errors. >_< ;_;
Well, James Jacobs has shed his light on the subject. That doesn't really help us though.
That sounds like sloppy game design to me. Illusions that create semi-real effects should be shadow illusions. I'd post that question on the Advanced Race Guide board and flag it with a FAQ.
You can always voluntarily choose to fail a saving throw. That's what casters of those spells can do.
I can't find any "Advanced Race Guide board" - perhaps because I don't actually own the book. So someone else will have to do the honours there.
The part about voluntarily failing a save has me confused though - the problem is that illusion-casters don't get a save in the first place. Or am I misunderstanding his response?
Thank you for the update.
Incedentally, on the same page is a spell (Death from Below) that grants dodge bonuses to AC. it seems to have a cap, but I think you'd be able to cast the spell more than once and have it stack. Dodge bonuses always stack, right? Against a Huge creature, a Gnome could stack its +3 dodge bonuses for a few rounds. Two castings would get a +6 bonus, given sufficiently high level of caster. It's not broken exactly, but I don't think it does what was intended.
Dodge bonuses always stack, right?
Dodge bonuses always stack, but bonuses from the same source never stack. For the sake of sanity, I suggest letting the latter rule prevail here.