With most illusions you don't get a disbelieve save unless you interact with it. I always assumed every time someone interacted with an illusion you got a disbelieve will save. But I read on a recent thread that this was a matter for debate. In any case, I'd still agree that with normal illusions (entirely make-believe) every time someone attacks/interacts they should probably get a will save to disbelieve.
However, what about shadow conjuration or shadow evocation spells that demand constant interaction? Do you get a will save every round? I play an illusionist in my current game and I was initially fine with this (it was me who informed our GM how it worked), but upon experiencing it... I find myself wondering is this is truly the intention of quasi-real shadow stuff spells. It seems a little harsh. It makes some spells nearly useless.
For example, you cast Shadow Resilient Sphere on someone. It's already costing you a 5th level spell to get a 4th level spell, throw spell resistance on top of that (though in this case that's already there), and a will save to disbelieve when it's cast on you. But you get great utility out of shadow spells so that fine. But the spell lasts minutes per level and surely you can say you're constantly interacting with it. Do you really get a save every round? That makes the shadow version of this spell and any non-instantaneous duration spell a lot less useful (to put it politely).
Do people think these shadow spells were intended to give only one disbelieve roll and then no further until the duration runs out or someone else tells them it's not fully real to give them one more at a +4?
For normal illusions I don't mind the one save per interaction. But in the case of these quasi-real spells where you already make so many concessions to get that flexibility, will saves every round during the spells duration seems too much and I think I might start nit picking at the exact wording of the RaW to make a case for this with my GM.
Feelings, Thoughts?
Its just the one save unless you are told it is fake. This is true for normal illusions also, but in shadow conjurations case it would be kind of useless if they got multiple saves.
You either think its real or you don't, if you do the face that the illusionary devil hit you three times doesn't give you three more saves.
One save. If presented with incontrovertible truth it's false, you get another at a bonus, iirc.
Not multiple saves as par for the course.
This is for normal illusions. Shadow spells, being actually partly real, just have the one save.
Thanks a lot for the feedback! That sure does make shadow spells far more viable than I was fearing they weren't. Even normal illusions apparently! I'll be sure to bring it up with my GM soon and hopefully he's alright with changing our current stand on it all. I really do love the idea of playing a sneaky, sly shadow sorcerer throwing out illusions half the time but as it stood I found it hard to justify using them much due to the high failure chance they have over a long duration. Obviously you should create illusions that don't encourage interaction to begin with, like walls of fire, pits of acid and so on, but it's not always what's needed.