Hello, I have a question about Illusory creature.
Can a illusory creature use all the abilities of the real creature that it copies or is it only the strikes ?
If the image is hit by an attack or fails a save, the spell ends, is it possible for example to use disperse ability from an elemental hurricane (if the illusory creature is an elemental hurricane) ?
Thanks for your future answer.
Hello, I have a question about Illusory creature.
Can a illusory creature use all the abilities of the real creature that it copies or is it only the strikes ?
If the image is hit by an attack or fails a save, the spell ends, is it possible for example to use disperse ability from an elemental hurricane (if the illusory creature is an elemental hurricane) ?
Thanks for your future answer.
Nope. Now, if you pick a creature that can turn invisible when hit, you could maybe fool someone into thinking that it's still around after it disappears, but that's just misdirection rather than getting an ability.
Is it possible to make believe with the illusory creature as the spell ends If the image is hit by an attack or fails a save that the creature "disperses" as a final effect of the spell ?
1/Is it possible to create a scenario with a illusory scene, mirage, shadow illusion (structures, creatures, NPCs, hazards) to generate non lethal damage without the party being aware of it ?
For example for the illusory scene if programmed, it's a time loop as in the adventure Tommorow's feast from Dark Archives ?
2/For example, a elemental hurricane as a illusory creature has a melee and ranged attack. Is it possible to make a ranged or melee attak ? (same damage for the two types of attack : 3d4 or more if heightened or d6 if it's a shadow illusion)
3/For example for a phade, the phade is invisible all times. With the illusory creature, does the phade seem invisible also in appearance ?
4/Is it possible to create a similar effect to the personal ocean spell with a illusory object spell or an illusion spell on him/herself ? And so have the same effect that the spell.
5/ Is it possible when a party is a room to create the illusion that the room that fills with water using a illusory object or other illusion spell ? And so have the effects of the underwater combat.
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To clarify, are you a GM or a player?
If your a GM, you can do whatever you want. It's just a trap/hazard and you need to figure out what the appropriate challenge rating for whatever you concoct is.
1) If I understand your question...I don't think it's possible to create any scenario in which the party isn't aware they're being injured. Why they're being injured may not be clear, but if they're taking damage they should be aware of it. Barring their consciousness not being in their body.
So, I can definitely see where some clarification would be needed from the spell after reading it again. "An illusion of a large or smaller creature" is about all the actual direction it gives for the limits of what the creature can and cannot do, really. The illusion can use 2 actions per turn, the same as most minions, and triggers those when you sustain, so that means no reactions. But otherwise, the reading of the spell never says it can or can not do any specific actions beyond "attacks" and "strikes" being called out. It doesn't technically say that you can move it, but also doesn't say that it can't move, or what it's movement speed is - but that it can flank, that it has to stay within 500 feet of the caster or the spell ends, and has 2 actions to use.
I'd guess that there's an assumption that you pick a creature that exists for it to mimic, and use the movement speed of that creature. It just doesn't say outright "use the movement of the creature." What it does say is that it can "cause damage by making the target believe the illusion's attacks are real, but it cannot otherwise directly affect the physical world."
From that, I'd assume grapples, trip attempts, shoves, and anything that causes or prevents movement are right out. However, while it explicitly calls out Strikes when saying they're nonlethal and deal 3d4 mental damage, when saying how it can cause damage it does not use the word "Strikes." As such, while I'm assuming any attack it uses is limited to the same damage, that it is not limited to melee "strikes." It should be able to use ranged attacks (restricted to the same 500 foot from caster limit still) to cause damage as well as melee attacks. Further, it calls out applying resistance and weaknesses, but them not affecting regeneration turned off by those - so I'd assume a flaming sword in an illusion paladin's hands can count as having dealt "some fire damage" and just apply the vulnerability or resistance from there.
It's still very unclear though for if, say, an illusion of a large dragon could do a breath weapon and attack everyone in the area, or force any saving throws. It has attack bonus based on your spell attack, an AC based on your save DC, and its own saves are based on your spell DC as well, but it doesn't mention having a Save DC of its own...
But that could be because it's assumed, being a spell of yours, that anything it could do that would have a DC obviously uses your spell DC. Personally, I'd allow any abilities that a creature has to be able to be used if they can be used with one or two actions (no reactions), but all damage dealt uses the illusion's damage, and no further effects of the attacks function. No knockback, no immobilization, nothing like that. And since the lack of an effect that should be there is inconsistent with the illusion, it would allow an immediate perception check to disbelieve for anything like that.
That said, it's also probably important to note that while it states a creature who "touches the image or uses the seek action to examine it" can attempt to disbelieve it, that the illusion's attacks do not carry this on them, or the mention of inconsistent damage giving a check wouldn't exist. Part of the balance of the illusion is that a creature has to expend an action to make the attempt to disbelieve or remove it generally. If an attack hits it, it already vanishes, same as if it fails a save, but if it attacks it doesn't give extra free saves constantly unless the attack's results are inconsistent with what the target expects to feel.
And if it is dispelled by being struck, creatures who took damage from it can not regain any of the lost (nonlethal) damage. But if they disbelieve it via an action (seek or as part of any action that would touch it without damage such as a grapple or trip allowing a perception check), then the illusion remains but that creature is immune to further damage from it, and regains half of what they lost to it.
