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I have a letter my players found on some dead cultists containing orders/etc. hidden with Illusory Script.

Is there a way of them finding out what is written on the letter apart from having truesight or waiting for the duration of the spell to elapse?

SevenSidedDie
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rtgher
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  • Relevant: https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/143531/what-happens-to-the-secret-message-at-the-end-of-the-duration-of-the-illusory-sc – Ryan C. Thompson Apr 26 '19 at 13:32

2 Answers2

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Antimagic field

Dispelling the spell with dispel magic would be the most straight forward way to eliminate the illusion, but it also eliminates the original text.

Should the spell be dispelled, the original script and the illusion both disappear.

However, an antimagic field only suspends the spell's effects (not dispels them) and this should reveal the text without invoking the deletion clause.

This is not a terribly convenient option for most parties as it requires the use of an 8th level slot or access to a natural area of antimagic.

Eyes of the Rune Keeper probably won't work

A warlock with Eyes of the Rune Keeper can "read all writing" but that most likely won't work here. The spell specifically says:

To all others, the writing appears as if it were written in an unknown or magical script that is unintelligible. 

Specifically the text has an illusion on the text that changes it to be explicitly unintelligible. Unless you can see the original text (you can't because it is covered by an illusion) then you aren't able to read the original text.

However there is certainly some ambiguity here and thus a DM would be well within RAW to allow this if they choose to interpret it that way.

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Rubiksmoose
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  • what about a warlock with the Eyes of the Rune Keeper invocation ("You can read all writing")? Although I suppose it depends on whether the script is made to look like another text, or if it's just scrambled words. Also, the Witch Sight invocation could work, depending on DM fiat - rules as written, it only works on creatures. – PixelMaster Apr 26 '19 at 13:04
  • @PixelMaster I think that's an excellent related question: what about a warlock with the Eyes of the Rune Keeper invocation ("You can read all writing")? – KorvinStarmast Apr 26 '19 at 13:09
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Read by rakshasa

Get a rakshasa to read it or transcribe the original message. Although it would be a rather contrived solution, the limited magical immunity of the rakshasa prevents the illusory script from affecting it.

GcL
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