Regarding, "can't create light", it can, INSIDE the illusion, so an illusionary candle can create illusionary light to "illuminate" inside the 15 foot cube.
Not so sure about that. I mean, it should be able to create light: that's a visible phenomenon. But would it be able to create a lit candle? It's so simple I'd allow it, but a candle is an object, and it can't create both an object and a visible phenomenon at the same time, nor more than one of each
@dndlounge exactly! The cantrip status of this 1st level spell is the power really. The potential to hide multiple people, set up ambushes, plus all of the utility and the flavor, it's a truly slept on invocation. Many disagree with me but I think that the Warlocks true potential lies in the proper use of it's invocations rather than Pact spells. They need more persistent invocations like this rather than poorly disguised spell taxes.
It’s always so cool to me how spells can be made so much more powerful at the hands of an extremely creative player. Probably on of my favorite parts of the game. The sky is the limit!
Or heavily nerfed with broad application of a ruling. Personally, I think 'action to move' is to move the spell effect area (the 15ft cube) and the creature animates to move with the cube. However, with the 'any sort of movement is only with an action'... then I would consider creatures to be mannequins when not being moved and thus provide advantage to identify as an illusion. Since they can't move to breath or anything other activity that would make them look more real. I mean, imagine seeing a wolf come charging out of the woods and then complete freeze frame. Then a moment later it runs at someone and suddenly completely freezes again. At best it is a jump scare, then they on their turn they get to roll a check while knowing that it ain't right. Imagine a 'northern lights like' phenomenon over a marsh... but it just slides around, if it moves at all, since only creatures can be animated when moved.
My favorite use of Silent Image for cover is creating a fog cloud with it. Firing arrows or ranged attacks out of a fog cloud doesn't provoke the same Investigation checks as firing through a wall, and there are other magical effects that create mist or fog, so it appearing as if by magic doesn't automatically make the person likely to think of it as an illusion. And it has a few advantages over Fog Cloud: strong winds don't disperse it (although this may prompt an Investigation check on future rounds) and you can see through it but enemies cannot, which makes it one-sided in a way that Fog Cloud is not.
What about the fact that the "fog cloud" isn't moving? Real fog that is thick enough to provide cover would be billowing and swirling and slowly moving around with the air currents and any physical movements of people around it. Unless you're willing to use your action every turn to make it undulate naturally, it would look like a "paused" cloud, frozen in the air, which I think would make people realize it's actually bogus. Especially if there was any kind of breeze, it would be a dead giveaway!
@@dukejaywalker5858 Having been in a lot of fog (come from the PNW) this definitely isn't always true of fog and mist. It might prompt an Investigation check, but in most fights making the enemies each lose an action to Investigation checks is pretty good anyway, so if the GM wants to go that route I'll take it. As with all things, check with your GM and see how they interpret things. (Especially for Illusion spells, which tend to either be great or worthless depending on the GM)
@@dukejaywalker5858 If the fog 'isn't moving' without an action to move it, then how does a creature look real? If I illusion a dragon but never spend an action... it's just a mannequin if it can't move within the cube to appear more realistic. You see a dragon appear, then realize it is doing nothing... no flexing on it's legs, no shifting of the wings, no breathing. Congrats, on your first turn after it appears you always get to roll to identify it. Personally, I'd give you advantage since it has no 'I'm a creature' activity going on.
One of my favorite things to do with this spell is create a displacer beast, even if they figure out it's an illusion, they still are going to be on guard looking for the real one due to them making illusions of themselves as part of their hunting methods
@@dndlounge it does require DM buy in just like pretty much every strategy based of illusion magic but so much fun to yell, sh!t where is the real one when they perceive your displacer beast is just an illusion, and see how the NPCs react
Brother, dont stop making videos. I love this channel. I am so happy I subscribed and joined your community. I will continue to come watch your videos. Thanks again.
My Hexbuckler uses Silent Image almost every encounter. It makes for excellent concealment for the party. I often use to to gain advantage. Just last night, I used it against a pair of young white dragons very successfully. Obscuring darkness, white out blowing snow and a dense cloud of hornets (I use Minor Illusion for the sound) are some of my favorites
This spell is such a delight once you realize the infiite possibilities it allows you. I play a tricky Divine Sorcerer and this is my favorite spell, hands down
DMs Never check my conjured items to see if they're illusions, but always check my illusions without cause. JC described an enemy personally passing thru illusory fog, but ranged attacks going thru should look normal / not register the illusion.
You can create a 'ghost' that runs past the doorway like they do in cheesy horror movies to create some sweet paranoia. Combine it with some laughs or subtle changes in temperature. It can set the stage if you pretend to be some kind of exorcist. I want to be an illusionist now... but fireball tho..
"Silent Image cannot be cast stealthily" (Laughs in GOOlock) And definitely my favorite use for Misty Visions as a GOOlock is to aid in Intimidation checks by conjuring up the image of something terrifying, like an eldritch monster. Also, here's a neat trick. Silent Image can create Dim Light and Darkness according to JC, so you can use Silent Image to trigger free Invisibility with the One With Shadows invocation. Also, when doing combat from within an illusion, say of a scary monster or a mound of earth you've made, don't cast a projectile cantrip. Use Enchantment spells like Mind Sliver and Vicious Mockery (Can be obtained on a GOOlock via Pact of the Tome) to attack enemies without there being any apparent source, thus not breaking the illusion. You don't get Advantage, but so long as the enemies never think to attack the illusion, you are safe and stealthy. If you need to cast a spell with a projectile like Eldritch Blast, you can use Gaze of Two Minds to cast it from an ally's position as well, thus not breaking the illusion.
Shooting a spell out of it is...simple. Make the image of a dragon or some creatures that cast/have magical abilities and hide inside the image. If the DM is good with it I mean
I used it to make Galders Tower, but not exactly, it had arrow slits, and the 15 ft cube meant it had to be just one storey high, with battlements on top. Why would this not be allowed?
One of my fave things with silent image is using it for magical performances and doing some fun colorful smoke shapes, it's a fun flavor thing for a traveling magician character to use
When using Silent Image with Illusory Reality it makes your illusion real. So if you made a dragon and it became real would it have the dragon’s stat block? Would you be able to have it use its breath weapon attack? Would you still have to move it every turn or would it do so on its own?
Keep in mind that the NATURE of the illusion impacts how others react to it, so an illusionary cloud of fog would not be broken by firing out of, or into, it.
Only if you use your action to make the cloud billow and flow with the air currents the objects moving into and out of the cloud would generate. A frozen unmoving cloud would be very suspicious indeed, especially if it remained "paused" while things were moving into and out of it.
@@dukejaywalker5858 I'd probably handle it with at first a passive perception vs spell DC, and then once arrows have hit it potentially an active perception/investigation vs spell DC if they are smart enough to do so. If they touch it then it's gone, but arrows passing through it wouldn't be that odd.
using silent image to create a fake wall of force might only work on high level mages, ironically enough. like a novice might not even know wall of force is a thing, an average mage would probably try to destroy it with a fireball, but an adept will most likely attempt to destroy the wall immediately with disintegrate because... who tf would try to fake a protection spell?
Regarding, "can't create light", it can, INSIDE the illusion, so an illusionary candle can create illusionary light to "illuminate" inside the 15 foot cube.
Not so sure about that. I mean, it should be able to create light: that's a visible phenomenon. But would it be able to create a lit candle? It's so simple I'd allow it, but a candle is an object, and it can't create both an object and a visible phenomenon at the same time, nor more than one of each
@@miguelangelus959I guess it comes down to RAI making a realistic looking torch or candle is hardly game breaking.
Even played completely RAW, Silent Image is very useful. That's why Misty Visions is one of my favorite Warlock Invocations.
Agreed! Having it as a “cantrip” is crazy fun
@dndlounge exactly! The cantrip status of this 1st level spell is the power really. The potential to hide multiple people, set up ambushes, plus all of the utility and the flavor, it's a truly slept on invocation. Many disagree with me but I think that the Warlocks true potential lies in the proper use of it's invocations rather than Pact spells. They need more persistent invocations like this rather than poorly disguised spell taxes.
It’s always so cool to me how spells can be made so much more powerful at the hands of an extremely creative player. Probably on of my favorite parts of the game. The sky is the limit!
Especially with the Fly spell. Dad joke delivered.
Or heavily nerfed with broad application of a ruling.
Personally, I think 'action to move' is to move the spell effect area (the 15ft cube) and the creature animates to move with the cube.
However, with the 'any sort of movement is only with an action'... then I would consider creatures to be mannequins when not being moved and thus provide advantage to identify as an illusion. Since they can't move to breath or anything other activity that would make them look more real.
I mean, imagine seeing a wolf come charging out of the woods and then complete freeze frame. Then a moment later it runs at someone and suddenly completely freezes again. At best it is a jump scare, then they on their turn they get to roll a check while knowing that it ain't right.
Imagine a 'northern lights like' phenomenon over a marsh... but it just slides around, if it moves at all, since only creatures can be animated when moved.
Illusory fog is a great "cover us as we run away" spell use. So is an illusory wall, but a wall just appearing is more out of place than a fog.
My favorite use of Silent Image for cover is creating a fog cloud with it. Firing arrows or ranged attacks out of a fog cloud doesn't provoke the same Investigation checks as firing through a wall, and there are other magical effects that create mist or fog, so it appearing as if by magic doesn't automatically make the person likely to think of it as an illusion.
And it has a few advantages over Fog Cloud: strong winds don't disperse it (although this may prompt an Investigation check on future rounds) and you can see through it but enemies cannot, which makes it one-sided in a way that Fog Cloud is not.
What about the fact that the "fog cloud" isn't moving? Real fog that is thick enough to provide cover would be billowing and swirling and slowly moving around with the air currents and any physical movements of people around it. Unless you're willing to use your action every turn to make it undulate naturally, it would look like a "paused" cloud, frozen in the air, which I think would make people realize it's actually bogus. Especially if there was any kind of breeze, it would be a dead giveaway!
@@dukejaywalker5858 Having been in a lot of fog (come from the PNW) this definitely isn't always true of fog and mist. It might prompt an Investigation check, but in most fights making the enemies each lose an action to Investigation checks is pretty good anyway, so if the GM wants to go that route I'll take it. As with all things, check with your GM and see how they interpret things. (Especially for Illusion spells, which tend to either be great or worthless depending on the GM)
@@dukejaywalker5858 If the fog 'isn't moving' without an action to move it, then how does a creature look real? If I illusion a dragon but never spend an action... it's just a mannequin if it can't move within the cube to appear more realistic. You see a dragon appear, then realize it is doing nothing... no flexing on it's legs, no shifting of the wings, no breathing. Congrats, on your first turn after it appears you always get to roll to identify it. Personally, I'd give you advantage since it has no 'I'm a creature' activity going on.
One of my favorite things to do with this spell is create a displacer beast, even if they figure out it's an illusion, they still are going to be on guard looking for the real one due to them making illusions of themselves as part of their hunting methods
That’s…amazing
@@dndlounge it does require DM buy in just like pretty much every strategy based of illusion magic but so much fun to yell, sh!t where is the real one when they perceive your displacer beast is just an illusion, and see how the NPCs react
Another great vid! Low level DnD is so much more fun when you know all these creative uses for low level spells. Thanks and keep em coming
Thank you! And agreed 100%…even at higher levels, I love having some low level illusion spells for shenanigans like this
Brother, dont stop making videos. I love this channel. I am so happy I subscribed and joined your community. I will continue to come watch your videos. Thanks again.
Thank you I really appreciate that :)
Always excited to see your post again!
Much appreciated!
My Hexbuckler uses Silent Image almost every encounter. It makes for excellent concealment for the party. I often use to to gain advantage. Just last night, I used it against a pair of young white dragons very successfully. Obscuring darkness, white out blowing snow and a dense cloud of hornets (I use Minor Illusion for the sound) are some of my favorites
How? Please explain
This is so timely for my (One D&D) silver-tongued Pact of the Blade Archfey warlock, who specializes in misdirection and Misty Step shenanigans.
This spell is such a delight once you realize the infiite possibilities it allows you. I play a tricky Divine Sorcerer and this is my favorite spell, hands down
DMs Never check my conjured items to see if they're illusions, but always check my illusions without cause.
JC described an enemy personally passing thru illusory fog, but ranged attacks going thru should look normal / not register the illusion.
Took shadow touched as a 1st level feat on my rogue and took this spell. Hope to have some rogue shenanigans with it.
You can create a 'ghost' that runs past the doorway like they do in cheesy horror movies to create some sweet paranoia.
Combine it with some laughs or subtle changes in temperature.
It can set the stage if you pretend to be some kind of exorcist.
I want to be an illusionist now... but fireball tho..
Hah, love it! Yea the sweet siren call of fireball is hard to resist…
Misty visions is a fun invocation
"Silent Image cannot be cast stealthily"
(Laughs in GOOlock)
And definitely my favorite use for Misty Visions as a GOOlock is to aid in Intimidation checks by conjuring up the image of something terrifying, like an eldritch monster.
Also, here's a neat trick. Silent Image can create Dim Light and Darkness according to JC, so you can use Silent Image to trigger free Invisibility with the One With Shadows invocation.
Also, when doing combat from within an illusion, say of a scary monster or a mound of earth you've made, don't cast a projectile cantrip. Use Enchantment spells like Mind Sliver and Vicious Mockery (Can be obtained on a GOOlock via Pact of the Tome) to attack enemies without there being any apparent source, thus not breaking the illusion. You don't get Advantage, but so long as the enemies never think to attack the illusion, you are safe and stealthy. If you need to cast a spell with a projectile like Eldritch Blast, you can use Gaze of Two Minds to cast it from an ally's position as well, thus not breaking the illusion.
Thanks, this video helps a lot
Shooting a spell out of it is...simple. Make the image of a dragon or some creatures that cast/have magical abilities and hide inside the image. If the DM is good with it I mean
Interesting idea, I like it!
Nice work on the video!
I used it to make Galders Tower, but not exactly, it had arrow slits, and the 15 ft cube meant it had to be just one storey high, with battlements on top. Why would this not be allowed?
I wanna play an illusionist now
One of my fave things with silent image is using it for magical performances and doing some fun colorful smoke shapes, it's a fun flavor thing for a traveling magician character to use
Warlocks casting disguise self + silent image at will can be completely broken depending on the player's creativity and how cool the DM is.
When using Silent Image with Illusory Reality it makes your illusion real. So if you made a dragon and it became real would it have the dragon’s stat block? Would you be able to have it use its breath weapon attack? Would you still have to move it every turn or would it do so on its own?
It's one inanimate, nonmagical object. So no unfortunately.
@@subsume7904 What about a highly advanced robot dragon with the same stats?
That "one object" and "one creature" limitation always annoyed me.
Keep in mind that the NATURE of the illusion impacts how others react to it, so an illusionary cloud of fog would not be broken by firing out of, or into, it.
Only if you use your action to make the cloud billow and flow with the air currents the objects moving into and out of the cloud would generate. A frozen unmoving cloud would be very suspicious indeed, especially if it remained "paused" while things were moving into and out of it.
@@dukejaywalker5858 I'd probably handle it with at first a passive perception vs spell DC, and then once arrows have hit it potentially an active perception/investigation vs spell DC if they are smart enough to do so. If they touch it then it's gone, but arrows passing through it wouldn't be that odd.
using silent image to create a fake wall of force might only work on high level mages, ironically enough.
like a novice might not even know wall of force is a thing, an average mage would probably try to destroy it with a fireball, but an adept will most likely attempt to destroy the wall immediately with disintegrate because... who tf would try to fake a protection spell?