In a certain adventure path we have come to an area that is dimension locked and surrounded by an illusion of such a high level that it would be near impossible to find the place again if we left. I am wondering if I had a length of rope long enough to start inside the illusion and end outside the illusion could I use that rope to bypass the illusion and find my way back into this hidden area?
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Saving Throws and Illusions (Disbelief ): ...
A successful saving throw against an illusion reveals it to be false, but a figment or phantasm remains as a translucent outline.
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A character faced with proof that an illusion isn’t real needs no saving throw.
I don't see a duration on the Disbelief, and once you have discovered that the illusion isn't real it doesn't affect you anymore.
As Diego has pointed out, once you successfully disbelieve an illusion it holds no effect on your perception of reality. You may still see the illusion, but you see it for what it really is, an illusion and as such you can also see through it.
If an illusion causes you to wander aimlessly in a maze for days on end just to reach a room only 5 feet from the start of the illusion, then if you make your save you would see the illusory structure of the maze and the obvious straight path through the middle to the door way only 5ft away… as well as all the poor fools trapped in the “maze” who are clambering into each other on either side of the doorway… who may very well have no clue of the presence of anyone else near them… depending on the illusion…
In your case, even if you were for any reason subject to the effects of the illusion again (or if you never successfully disbelieved in the first place)… then yes… a simple rope could allow you to navigate the illusion a second time… however, it again depends on the illusion in question. If the illusion is mind-affecting then it not only creates a visual illusion but it may also warp your perception of real things. Your rope could appear to you as if it was severed and it would even feel as such. You could turn around and find your rope has been replaced with a vine and the part you were holding onto is a venomous snake resulting in you dropping the rope only for both to vanish from your perception leaving you with no trace of your rope.
So… before any call is made, always be sure on the wording of the illusion and it’s descriptors.
I believe the issue is that the save has not been made (I recognize the description, and it's very high).
As for the rope idea - I don't think a rope would be visible simply hanging outside. Pulled taut yes. But you'd have to rely on it remaining there untouched.
Overall, it sounds like your GM prefers you to not have the opportunity to retreat/teleport/sell/purchase. With an area like that, it's a lot simpler that way. Allowing departure invites response from the inhabitants, which can get very complicated. I'd suggest either respecting the GM's choice, or approaching them with the topic out of game, instead of as an in-game puzzle to solve.
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I believe the issue is that the save has not been made (I recognize the description, and it's very high).
As for the rope idea - I don't think a rope would be visible simply hanging outside. Pulled taut yes. But you'd have to rely on it remaining there untouched.
Overall, it sounds like your GM prefers you to not have the opportunity to retreat/teleport/sell/purchase. With an area like that, it's a lot simpler that way. Allowing departure invites response from the inhabitants, which can get very complicated. I'd suggest either respecting the GM's choice, or approaching them with the topic out of game, instead of as an in-game puzzle to solve.
I agree with your reasoning on why a GM could want to limit access to a location (even if I don't know the exact scenario), but my reading of "A character faced with proof that an illusion isn’t real needs no saving throw." is that after you have been shown incontrovertible proof that an illusion isn't real you automatically have made the relevant save.
Naturally, in a word with magic, incontrovertible proof can be a "bit" tricky to get.
"That guy can pass through the wall because the wall is an illusion or because he is incorporeal/there is a phase door/has a special ability/has a magic item allowing that?"