Many illusion spells make you save "if interacted with", what exactly constitutes interaction?
Many illusion spells make you save "if interacted with", what exactly constitutes interaction?
In our group, it varies from spell to spell. Visible illusions need to be physically interacted with but audible illusions need only be heard. Visible trumps audible (meaning an illusion of a hydra that is making sounds needs to be "touched" before the save takes place...simply hearing the roar doesn't constitute a save).
I typically use physical interaction or some other action or condition that could potentially demonstrate that the illusory thing or things are not what they appear. Touching the illusory thing, shooting it with an arrow, etc., could be considered interacting.
For audible-only illusions, I make a judgment call for when the creature might have reason to believe that the sound is false. Merely hearing it is not enough; otherwise, I'd be hard pressed to justify that seeing a visible illusion doesn't automatically allow a saving throw. Listening to it carefully (which I'd judge to be a move action in most cases, per Perception) would be sufficient. So would rounding the corner to view the apparent source of the snarling wolf only to find an empty room.
I agree, it varies from spell to spell. Some spells tell you what can disrupt the illusion, others don't, and "interaction" is not a game term so it's entirely up to the GM to decide.
Here's my "rule of thumb" for illusions:
I adjudicate that the necessary interaction that allows a Saving Throw is always:
1) not the kind of interaction the illusion is designed to deceive and
2) whatever is most favorable for the caster
So, by (1), that means that hearing a sound doesn't automatically count as interacting (it doesn't allow a save), but looking at the empty hallway where the sound is coming from would allow a save (when you hear the noise but can't find the source). Seeing a visible illusion does not allow a save, but touching it and finding out that it's not there certainly does. Etc.
And by (2) I mean that when I'm in doubt, I assume the illusion-caster knows what he's doing, and the illusion magic is well-designed to fool any observer (that's what illusions are SUPPOSED TO DO after all). With those assumptions, when I am in doubt, I find the ruling that makes the most sense for the illusion to succeed rather than fail. I do this for PC illusions as well as NPC illusions so it's consistent across the table.
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What I find helpful when adjudicating illusions is to remember the line stating that merely "encountering" an illusion does NOT grant a save. "What counts as interacting?" can be a difficult question, but in my experience "Where do you cross from encountering to interacting?" will get you much better results.
I would personally say that an interaction is anything which would be expected to produce a response. So if a player tried to talk to an illusion of an NPC, or bellowed a challenge to the illusion of a rampaging monster, or tried to put out the illusion of a fire, etc., I think that would merit a Will save.
I'm not certain that provoking a response would be enough; an illusory creature could simply be ignoring the talking player or waiting for the player to get within striking range. But it depends on the situation. If the illusion of the PC's longtime lover didn't respond to the PC's statements, that'd probably warrant a check.
Walk up and say, "Hey baby, wanna come back to my cave?"
Me know some Trolls so ugly boulders and fallen trees flee that pick-up.
In my games, and according to the v3.5 game designers, it's any deliberate game action taken that would involve interacting with the illusion. i.e. - Taking an attack action against the illusion, using a move action to touch or move through the illusion, expending a move action to closely observe the illusion (even from a distance), etc.
If you don't spend the action, you have not interacted with it.