How to use an Illusionist?

[joe2435]

I am starting an Illusionist but need some advice on how to use him effectively. What illusions have you used effectively? What are some combat uses for Silent Image, Minor Image, and Major Image?

I am sure this has been covered before but I could not find a topic in the last 15 pages.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Wall spells.

Tell your party that you're casting an illusion, and then cast a silent or minor image of a fog cloud. Your opponents will likely not save, meaning you'll have concealment, but your allies will likely save, and so not suffer concealment.

False copies of your allies.

False traps - make it look like there's a field of caltrops / pits in between you and your foes.

 

[joe2435]

What effect would a wall spell do except delay combat for a round or two?
What is the effect of opponents stepping into a pit? Do they take real damage, subduel damage or none at all?

The “copies of allies” is a good idea, along with fake fog (if it is true that we could see through it). I think this is a DM decision. I saw the discussion on "when illusion is disbelieved, does it become transparent?”

Wall spells.
False traps - make it look like there's a field of caltrops / pits in between you and your foes.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

What effect would a wall spell do except delay combat for a round or two?
What is the effect of opponents stepping into a pit? Do they take real damage, subduel damage or none at all?

Battlefield control. You aren't trying to stop someone from getting to you (usually), you're trying to funnel them into a particular area so that something real *can* stop them.

The “copies of allies” is a good idea, along with fake fog (if it is true that we could see through it). I think this is a DM decision. I saw the discussion on "when illusion is disbelieved, does it become transparent?”

It does.

Saving Throws and Illusions (Disbelief): Creatures encountering an illusion usually do not receive saving throws to recognize it as illusory until they study it carefully or interact with it in some fashion.

A successful saving throw against an illusion reveals it to be false, but a figment or phantasm remains as a translucent outline.

A failed saving throw indicates that a character fails to notice something is amiss. A character faced with proof that an illusion isn’t real needs no saving throw. If any viewer successfully disbelieves an illusion and communicates this fact to others, each such viewer gains a saving throw with a +4 bonus.

 

[azhrei_fje]

My soulknife is looking for some illusionary armor (he wear bracers) so that enemy spellcasters will think he's a fighter and try to hit him with spells requiring Will saves instead of Fort saves.

I agree with Patryn about wall spells, but it might be useful to have an illusion of a minor globe of invulnerability around the mage -- would that make opposing spell casters think the mage is protected?

 

[jcfiala]

Interesting question.

(Note: My Illusionist is currently working under 3.0 rules, but most of it's the same.)

Keep in mind the joys of Invisibility. Also, the joys of Blur and Displacement - your character may not enjoy battle as much as my Monk/Wizard does, but it never hurts to get an extra 50% chance of being missed when your DM's rolled that 20.

Keep an eye on the Shadow Conjuration/Evocation spells. In exchange for the victim getting two saves to avoid the complete effect, you get a good deal of flexibility, a 'free' heightened spell, as well as the advantage of the Spell Focus: Illusion that I assume you took.

Color spray is a good first level spell.

Don't forget the other schools of magic too. Just because you're an illusionist doesn't mean you don't want to forget Mage Armor, Magic Missile, and all those other standbys.

 

[iwatt]

Conjuration is your friend. Mixing illusions with summoned and created stuff really helps with creating confusion.

 

[two]

It's also fun to create illusions of things that, when interacted with, might still be real.

For example, an illusionary incorporeal undead.

A fighter swings at it, "hits" it, but nothing happens. Well, is that becuase it's incorporeal, or because it's an illusion?

Ditto things like a swirling fog monster, or a water elemental (illusionary). If you are clever, even interacting with illusions won't necessarily "break" the illusion.

 

[Nellisir]

It's good to have fun with illusions too. Nothing says "I've been drinking on the job" to a guard or watchman like iguanas doing the hula.

Nell.

 

[moritheil]

What effect would a wall spell do except delay combat for a round or two?

One round of free hits can determine the outcome of a fight.