Best use of silent/minor/major image

[Lamoni]

This is a question I had about helping out my character, but I didn't feel like it belonged in the Rules forum. The title says it fairly clearly. I am building a gnome sorcerer that focuses on illusion spells, but wanted some more ideas of how to put the image illusion spells to good use both in and out of combat.

So... what is the best / Most effective / Most creative way you have seen the image spells used in your campaigns? I think it would be fun to cast fly on the party and then create illusions of dragons as their mounts. That should frighten any enemies enough so they would not want to attack or ambush us. The problem with that is, if they avoided us, we wouldn't get any experience from them and creating the flying dragon illusion would cost a good number of spells.

 

[Rifter]

Bookshelf

I was running from some guards, ducked into a small room, and cast an illusion of a bookshelf in it. I then stepped into the bookshelf, and held still as the guards came in, and looked out the window for me.

Another trick I did, was put up "walls" in front of fleeing enemies, so they couldn't run, and took time to get around the walls.

These were both using silent image.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

Fighting a fire-based BBEG with small fire elemental cohorts our fighters were all down and spells were running short. I created an image of a huge tidal wave crashing into the area. Since I figured the BBEG would be able to disbelieve the illusion, the party cleric added a dose of Create Water just as the wave crashed into him - freaked him out and got him to flee.

 

[Laurel]

Not my own, but I like this kind of usage - See order of the stick (#66):
http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=66

Not exactly the most ingenious, but it is a good laugh

 

[apsuman]

Sues for silent image:

Making a new sun or moon in the sky to influence behavior.

 

[Voadam]

I used a silent image to create an inky black cloud around the head of a guy who was shooting lightning bolts out of his eyes. He couldn't see and was effectively blinded so he couldn't target anybody, but it did not stop the lightning bolts, we had to club him unconscious for that to happen.

I've wanted to use a silent image to create the image of a spectre or wraith, people would expect arrows and such to fly through them so it would be believable and could scare opponents.

I made good use out of illusory wall which I did not expect to be a useful spell.

We knew an evil party was going to try to come down to try to break into a certain door in a dungeon but not when so we set up two alarm spells, one for when they entered and were a certain distance away, and one for in our room. When they hit the first alarm we did our buffs. I set up an illusory wall for us to hide behind and when they came in invisibly triggering the second alarm I tapped our cleric who did his invisibility purge while all the paladins and fighters waited with readied charges and smites. We got surprise and tore apart half of them before they could even take an action. It was a beatifully executed ambush.

 

[edbonny]

A mischievious illusionist I played used to do the following. BTW, I find all illusions work better when using the Still Spell, Silent Spell and Eschew Material feats. The lack of sound with Silent Image can often be offset if the caster creates his illusions in noisy areas (bustling city, noisy inn, rushing river, whipping winds).

> Torment the party paladin by having a fiend appear in a town window, a doorway, etc., then glare at the party, then pull back out of sight.
> Disguise a fork in the road causing the party to take the other path (the poor man's hallucinatory terrain).
> Create an illusory bridge over a small ravine with an enemy creature standing defiantly in the middle, its bold-face seeming to challenge anyone to pass it.
> Create an illuminated sign in the sky that issues a challenge, warns of impending doom, etc.
> Illusions of gems and gold coins on the floor create neat almost irresistable distractions for your enemies if timed right.
> Create an illusory target to draw enemy fire while the caster is hiding directing the illusion to react appropriately. Works great when target is fleeing or at a distance from the attackers.

 

[WingOver]

Roleplaying use

I play a wizard who frequently uses Silent Image to conjure up images for various reasons:

* When making battle plans, he forms a 3D, rotating view of some place he's seen or scryed. This works well if you imagine any sci-fi movie where a hologram is used, like in Return of the Jedi where they made plans against the Death Star.
* When attempting to communicate what a particular person/creature/item looks like.
* At the tavern when he wants to entertain the patrons.
* In town when he wants to entertain the kids.

One time I DMed an evil wizard who met the PCs in a tavern. He used Silent Image to taunt the PC wizard by forming insulting words in his soup.

 

[Nellisir]

One time I DMed an evil wizard who met the PCs in a tavern. He used Silent Image to taunt the PC wizard by forming insulting words in his soup.

LOL. I love using illusions.

Illusions and Summon Monster spells work very well together.

Evocations & Illusions work very well together. Make sure evocations are on your spell list, and buy a wand of fireballs and a wand of major image. Alternate.

Distractions. Nothing distracts the guards and lets you sneak out of the prison like a chorus line of dancing lizards.

If you can mimic an existing spell, do so. Summoning a dragon? Pretty unlikely. Summoning a Large fire elemental? Likely.

If you can't mimic a spell, get funky. Get weird. And make sure the lizards are wearing short skirts.

Cheers
Nell.

 

[Kalendraf]

To best use illusions, you should first determine how your DM likes to handle these spells. Some DMs seem to reward creative uses more than others. Some DMs may not like to have their BBEM defeated by a simple illusion. Of course, the bigger critters will have better saves, so it's more difficult anyways. Most DMs probably won't care if you defeat/distract/etc some of the lower level goons using illusions, and this is much easier to accomplish usually since they have weaker saves.

Illusions of a superior force (guards, warriors, soldiers, monsters, etc) can often be used to delay or drive opponents away. Works best if you can add some sound effects like feet running or voices to help make them seem real. For example, the party spots several humanoids coming toward their camp, but doesn't have time to escape. An illusion of a huge group of knights complete with perimeter guards can get the humanoids to halt their advance. Then toss in some voices, "Jorva, did you hear something? I think there's something over that way." Then send a couple illusionary guards toward the badly outnumbered humanoids and watch them flee in terror. Meanwhile, the actual party can stay there or slowly move off in case the monsters decide to attack anyways.

Pretending to be a cleric and calling upon your god to send an avatar, then following it up with the image of a celestial or infernal creature can be interesting. If you can backup the illusion w/ sound, they can order foes to lay down their arms, surrender, or flee or face the wrath of their god. It's just another play on the superior forces angle, but other-worldly forces may seem even more scary to certain foes.

One nasty use is to cover otherwise dangerous terrain with what appears to be safe. For example, cover a broken bridge over a chasm with the illusion of being solid and safe. Or cover a pit with what looks like solid a solid safe floor. Most of these require specific terrain and the right situation to set up, but they are really effective under the right conditions. The opposite method can be used to slow down pursuit. Make a safe path look blocked, trapped or appear to have a newly formed pit.