How can I curtail abuse of the Illusion wizard's Illusory Reality feature?

Question

I'd like to know some methods of curtailing the abuse of the Illusion wizard's Illusory Reality feature in a game.

Right now I have a player here running roughshod over the other GMs in the group by using it to pull off some highly destructive and, IMHO, questionable tactics. Things like making part of a castle floor seem to disappear, then making it real, dropping half a dozen soldiers to the next floor down; cue falling damage. He's even gone so far as to have objects crush high-level victims upon the object's return from the illusory state.

He generally has some impressive logic to back him up, but I get the feeling, watching him work that he's generally violating both rules-as-written (RAW) and rules-as-intended (RAI) on a regular basis.

He, admittedly, hasn't done this to me yet, but I run 3.5E and Pathfinder normally, which has its own potential for rule abuse.

The whole bit about vanishing floors seemed to be pretty descriptive. He has lots of excuses why his illusion isn't the item causing the actual damage. "The vanishing floor didn't hurt anyone. The fall to the next floor did." Things like that. — Joe L, Sep 30 '19 at 15:37
Not quite. More like: 1: area that has floor now appears to have none. 2: Illusory Reality makes the apparently gone floor now a real hole. 3: People fall 4: Floor reappears 1 minute later — Joe L, Sep 30 '19 at 15:43
related interpretation on illusion: Can you create an illusion of empty space? — JohnP, Sep 30 '19 at 15:49
What illusion spell are they casting before using Illusory Reality ? — Pierre Cathé, Sep 30 '19 at 15:50
JohnP: thank you. The concept of "air is not a visible phenomenon" is exactly the phrase needed to prevent some of this stuff.
@PierreCathé
The time being referred to in my original post, the vanishing floors trick, was accomplished using Major Image. — Joe L, Sep 30 '19 at 15:59
Your concerns in re RAW and RAI are noted, and FWIW I'll point you to the latest Sage Advice Compendium that discusses RAF: Rules-as-Fun. :) That may be what this player is after; have you discussed it with him yet? — KorvinStarmast, Oct 01 '19 at 12:28
@V2Blast: Yeah, if you look at my original post, I DID expand the acronym. Also, the concept of Rules as Intended is every bit as valid in an RPG as the concept of Rules as Written. — Joe L, Oct 02 '19 at 06:43
@JoeL: I didn't say anything about it being invalid... And your question didn't expand the acronym - that's why I commented to request clarification. (KorvinStarmast edited the question to expand the acronym after I commented.) — V2Blast, Oct 02 '19 at 06:48
Apologies. I forgot that other people can edit my posts and questions. That is a bizarre posting concept that could easily be abused as it also allows people to "clarify" in ways i did not intend the question to mean. Or to simply change the entire thing. I didn't recall doing it, but as it was there, and I presumed everyone knew the acronyms anyhow, I presumed. Again, sorry. it's been a long day. — Joe L, Oct 02 '19 at 07:11

score 49 · Answer 1 · answered Sep 30 '19 at 15:48

49

When you cast an illusion spell of 1st level or higher, you can choose one inanimate, nonmagical object that is part of the illusion and make that object real. You can do this on your turn as a bonus action while the spell is ongoing. The object remains real for 1 minute...The object can't deal damage or otherwise directly harm anyone.

From the definition of Illusory Reality, I read this as saying it can create new objects -- not take away existing ones, like a floor, nor create weights to fall on people (as that would deal damage and harm people). This use of Illusory Reality seems against RAW.

answered Sep 30 '19 at 15:48

Louis Wasserman

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This can be easily made RAW-abiding by replacing the stone with something that can be transpassed, like water or fog. Those are definitely not "empty space", thus allowing the trick. – T. Sar Oct 01 '19 at 16:23
@T.Sar The problem here is this: "Is fog an object?" The DMG defines 'object' as "a discrete, inanimate item like a window, door, sword, book, table, chair, or stone--not a building or a vehicle that is composed of many other objects." I would not rule that a cloud of fog, a body of water, or a hole in something is an object. – guildsbounty Oct 01 '19 at 18:28
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@guildsbounty That is a fair point, but then again - a flimsy spider web, a very thin panel of glass or even an open door are all "objects" by that definition, aren't they? One could make make the case that you could, theoretically, replace the stone with something made of a very fragile material and then it real. Sure, maybe a body of water isn't "an object", but a thin sheet of ice is. – T. Sar Oct 01 '19 at 18:42
@T.Sar Indeed. But if you cannot make 'a hole' a real thing, then you can't erase the actual physical floor. A spiderweb is an object--but the empty space it spans is not. An open door is an object, but the empty space within the doorframe is not. Even making it something fragile...even if you make the stone ice--you can't erase the thickness of the stone floor because that would mean creating empty space. – guildsbounty Oct 01 '19 at 18:45
@guildsbounty Those are fair points. Would you allow your player, for example, to replace the floor with ice - and then smash it open with a hit from the axe of the barbarian, or something of the sort? – T. Sar Oct 01 '19 at 18:46
@T.Sar Probably not. First, as mentioned in an edit to my prior comment...you can't make the floor thinner--that would require making 'empty space' real, which you can't do because it isn't an object. So you still have a solid foot of ice (assuming a foot thick stone floor), which is quite sturdy. And beyond that, the ability to make something real does not necessarily mean you can make something else not real. You are bringing an object into the world, not erasing bits of reality and replacing them. – guildsbounty Oct 01 '19 at 18:50
@guildsbounty Darnit. I'll have to think something else. Thanks for the pointers! – T. Sar Oct 01 '19 at 19:05
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Can you make an illusion of the floor becoming a trap door, and then having said trap door become real? ... Asking for a friend. – TheLuckless Oct 01 '19 at 19:54
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@TheLuckless I, at least, would not allow it. Because the 'open space' inside of the trap door is not an object, and thus if you created a trap door, it'd just sit on top of the floor and open to provide access to the floor. – guildsbounty Oct 01 '19 at 20:03
I'd like to add something to @T.Sar proposition. If the border of the illusion is neet enough, nothing will retain the ice floor from falling down, thus ending as if the floor as disappeared. You don't need to smash it if it falls by itself. – Zoma Oct 02 '19 at 08:20
Is changing a stone floor to spiderweb actually "creating an object"? I would say not. The stone would have to still exist. – Shawn V. Wilson Oct 02 '19 at 18:35
I don't read the description as letting you replace any objects, only create new ones. You can create ice...on top of the floor. You can create a trapdoor...on top of the floor, leading nowhere. (Also, note that if someone falls on ice created by Illusory Reality in any way, they take no damage, since the object can't deal damage.) – Louis Wasserman Oct 02 '19 at 23:56

score 31 · Answer 2 · edited Jun 16 '20 at 10:23

Your specific descriptions of the Wizard's use of Illusory Reality is not supported by RAW

By 14th level, you have learned the secret of weaving shadow magic into your illusions to give them a semireality. When you cast an illusion spell of 1st level or higher, you can choose one inanimate, nonmagical object that is part of the illusion and make that object real. You can do this on your turn as a bonus action while the spell is ongoing. The object remains real for 1 minute. For example, you can create an illusion of a bridge over a chasm and then make it real long enough for your allies to cross.

—Illusory Reality, Player's Handbook, pg. 118

Illusory Reality allows a wizard to create an illusion, and then make an object in that illusion real; it doesn't permit them to take an object that already exists and make it "fake" for the duration. So the following kinds of tactics would not be permissible:

Making an illusion of a hole in the floor and then making the floor not exist in the area of the hole to drop creatures/objects resting on the floor
Turning a large boulder/whatever illusory so it drops through a floor, then ending the illusion to turn it real again

However, it is possible to get very near to these tactics in a fully rules-supported manner

For example, the following tactics would be perfectly legal:

Creating an illusion of a stone floor across a chasm, making it real, chasing an opponent onto the floor, and waiting for the object to become an illusion again to drop them to their deaths
Creating an illusion of a net or bowl or whatever to hold up a heavy object, placing the heavy object on that [illusory] support, waiting until an opponent is under it, and then waiting for the illusion to end to drop the object onto the opponent for massive damage

So while this player is bending the rules a bit, it wouldn't be terribly difficult for them to be nearly as effective as they've been by just tweaking their methodology and planning.

Illusory Reality is a 14th level Wizard feature. Any character who gains access to this feature already has access to extremely powerful spells, being a spellcaster with 6th and 7th level spell slots. There's probably a lot of ways they could cause similar havoc without needing to specifically abuse this feature. So while I understand your trepidation, the reality is that these kinds of uses of Illusory Reality is probably not their most powerful feature, their flouting of the rules notwithstanding.

I'd contest your assertion that "it wouldn't be terribly difficult for them to be nearly as effective". Illusioning a hole underneath your foes just requires that you have a moment, and that they be standing on floor. Setting up the chasm drop illusion requires that you set up the illusory floor ahead of time, and then convince your foes to walk out on that specific piece of floor. Similarly, setting up the "crushing weight" using a rules-legit netting requires that you actually go to the trouble of acquiring a sufficiently large rock and positioning it overhead. — Ben Barden, Sep 30 '19 at 16:54
I fixed the wording to avoid specifically suggesting the player could end the illusory object whenever they wanted. — Xirema, Sep 30 '19 at 17:02
What if you add weight to an already encumbered brittle ceiling to make it crack? If you are capable of seeing the part of floor above your enemy and it is already loaded with for example crates or used as storage space, adding like a really big illusory boulder could make the ceiling break. — Roybin93, Oct 01 '19 at 09:51
@Roybin93 That looks like a valid question in its own right. — KorvinStarmast, Oct 01 '19 at 12:30
Is hole even an object in DnD? Because it could be debatable whether an absence of anything is an object in real life. — Gnudiff, Oct 01 '19 at 20:06

score 18 · Accepted Answer · edited Jun 16 '20 at 10:23

Limitations of Illusory Reality

Illusory Reality states:

By 14th level, you have learned the secret of weaving shadow magic into your illusions to give them a semireality. When you cast an illusion spell of 1st level or higher, you can choose one inanimate, nonmagical object that is part of the illusion and make that object real. You can do this on your turn as a bonus action while the spell is ongoing. The object remains real for 1 minute. For example, you can create an illusion of a bridge over a chasm and then make it real long enough for your allies to cross.

The object can't deal damage or otherwise directly harm anyone.

In short, the Wizard can manifest an object which:

is real, inanimate, and non-magical
cannot directly harm anyone
disappears after one minute

Moreover, because the object manifested by the wizard is real, it follows all the normal rules for object detailed in the DMG's Objects section (p. 246-247). In particular:

For the purpose of these rules, an object is a discrete, inanimate item like a window, door, sword, book, table, chair, or stone, not a building or a vehicle that is composed of many other objects.

This limits the complexity of what can be considered an object and excludes indiscrete things like gasses, liquids, and holes.

Finally, the Wizard cannot use Illusory Reality to disappear or transform a preexisting objects and the Wizard has no special control over the manifested object.

Curtail Illusory Reality by

Preventing its use

Anything that prevents the Wizard from casting spells, also shuts down Illusory Reality because the Wizard needs to cast an Illusion spell to create an object. Some relatively common examples which fall in this category and which specifically hinder casters are silence and counterspell.

Dispel magic can also dispel an illusion and prevent the use of Illusory Reality, but do note that dispelling the illusion after the Wizard has manifested an object will not cause the object to disappear.

Rolling for uncertain outcomes

The Wizard can manifest an object without fail within the limits of Illusory Reality, but that does not mean that the Wizard always achieves the desired outcome.

The DM should not try to undermine the player, but when an outcome is uncertain, the DM can (and often should) call for a roll, be it an ability check or a save. Referencing traps and spells can help to understand when a roll is adequate.

For example, the Wizard can create an adamantine dome using Illusory Reality, but whether that dome will capture a creature as it manifests is uncertain. The DM could rule that the creature is just captured like force cage or call for a save like wall of stone. Both are equally valid, though I would urge for a consistent choice on the DM's part.

Destroying the object

Once the object exists, the characters can destroy it. The Objects section mentioned previously offers some guidelines:

When characters need to saw through ropes, shatter a window, or smash a vampire's coffin, the only hard and fast rule is this: given enough time and the right tools, characters can destroy any destructible object. Use common sense when determining a character's success at damaging an object. Can a fighter cut through a section of a stone wall with a sword? No, the sword is likely to break before the wall does.

Of course, the objects only exists for one minute, so a thick wall or boulder is probably going to survive that minute no matter what the DM throws at it, but that is not the case for all objects.

The same section of the DMG includes tables to determine the AC and HP of objects. For example, an adamantine cart is a large object with 23 AC and 27 HP. Enemies suitable for a party of level 14 characters can easily destroy something like that in one round.

I recommend reading the whole Objects section in preparation for a Wizard with Illusory Reality.

I would double down on the whole "What is an object" bit here. "A hole" is not an object. "A Missing chunk of floor" is not an object, it's the distinct lack of something. — guildsbounty, Oct 01 '19 at 18:31
I generally agree with this, but I think that there's a logical problem. "These rules" in the quoted text means "these rules in this section", and the examples are objects to which these specific interaction rules apply. That's not necessarily a general definition of the term "object" for the game. I don't think a plain-English definition of "object" changes the basic point — I just think you're hanging it on the wrong thing. — mattdm, Oct 02 '19 at 02:44
@guildsbounty An interesting edge case then: If the Wizard created an illusion of a door in a wall, then used Illusory Reality to make the door read, would they be able to open it and walk through? — Chronocidal, Oct 02 '19 at 10:59
"note that dispelling the illusion after the Wizard has manifested an object will not cause the object to disappear." source? It seems logical that the item should disappear too, no? — Charanor, Oct 02 '19 at 14:15
@Charanor you need cast an illusion spell to use illusory reality, but there is no wording that suggests the object is part of the illusion spell's effect, so I don't assume that it is and that it would disappear with the illusion. What illusory reality does say is that the object is real for one minute, no ifs, no buts. — Ruse, Oct 02 '19 at 15:11
@Ruse While I feel the RAI is most likely that the object should be dispelled, I must agree that by RAW it is a separate effect that specifically lasts for one minute regardless of the illusion's normal length, and as such shouldn't be affected by Dispel. This feels more like an edge case that was missed than an intended feature, though. — lee A., Oct 02 '19 at 15:31
It seems like "not a building" in the object definition is at odds with the specific reference to a bridge in the spell description, at least for the typical definition of a bridge. — Yorik, Oct 02 '19 at 18:50

score 0 · Answer 4 · edited Jun 16 '20 at 10:23

Even if this interpretation of Illusory Reality worked (RAW), potential answers to the question are resistance to the effect and a tactical response to the effect.

Up front, this is a questionable use of Illusory Reality. It's not obviously permitted from the feature's description as written, and interpreting it in a way that allows these uses starts stepping on other spells and abilities as well as risking imbalance in the game. Those reasons alone are enough justification for the DM to prohibit these effects.

However, the character in question is level 14. That indicates some pretty spectacular abilities, and while the effects described in the question are striking they aren't necessarily too far off other things a level 14 Wizard could do.

For example, casting fireball at it's lowest level (3) allows the Wizard to (potentially) do up to 8d6 damage, equivalent to 80 feet's worth of falling damage, to as many targets as fit in its 20 foot sphere of effect (easily 6 humanoid enemies). The spell's area of effect is similar to that of Major Image, which affects a 20 foot cube, and requires no setup or convenient layouts to create the 80 foot fall hazard. Upcasting it adds additional d6 to the damage. So even if the player is abusing Illusory Reality in particular, it's not necessarily granting their character outsize power.

At level 14, the game world should contain a huge number of cannon fodder opponents who can't meaningfully challenge the party and that the party can defeat with ease. For those enemies who need to provide a greater challenge, counters and resistances can make most of the difference.

Countering the Effects:

If the player is a powerful Illusionist, a creature which can more easily perceive illusions will frustrate any illusion-based trickery the player might come up with:

Some creatures have high stats which can counter illusions
Others have Truesight, and can immediately identify illusions for what they are
Still more might have access to spells like True Seeing, directly or via magic items, lair effects, or minions
The traps described in the question take time to set up. Depending on when the PC sets up their traps, any of these might be enough to render them useless.

Enemies which don't have abilities allowing them to deal with the illusions directly can still develop strategies to deal with an Illusionist. At level 14 the PC is probably at least moderately famous, and even if not famous in general a persistent enemy (or faction of enemies) will encounter the PC many times and observe how they do things.

It's not implausible for the antagonists to get better at dealing with this PC over time. Those enemies might develop tactical approaches to mitigate the danger:

They could just spread out so that something like the vanishing floor can't affect so many of them at once
They could send more enemies so that the vanishing floor won't be as decisive in the fight
They could send waves of enemies, with the first as a "decoy", causing the PC to spring their trap to deal with the decoy force only to find themselves trapless for the "real" squad
Sniper-type enemies might consider this PC a high-priority target, focusing fire on them to disrupt their concentration on the underlying Illusion spells or forcing them to spend more high-level spell slots to pull off these tricks
Sequences of combat encounters (among other types of encounters) consume PC resources, including spell slots. Circumstances might make using spell slots in this way unappealing, or there may simply be too many combat encounters for uses of Illusory Reality to be an option in all of them

The DM can also impose some more arbitrary hard counters on these tactics, though if the player is creative this will always be a lagging solution. If the combat area is on the top of a 60 foot mound of solid stone, you've put a ceiling on how much falling damage can be inflicted with the vanishing floor trick. If the DM decides that dropping a heavy weight on someone is effectively an Attack, the player may have to roll a d20 to determine a hit, or the enemy might have a chance for a DEX to avoid the hazard.

tl;dr:

A high-level character is expected to have lots of options in battle, and to be able to deal a lot of damage to multiple enemies per combat turn. This is not abuse. Powerful characters are powerful. Abuse is more a matter of rendering challenges irrelevant rather than beatable or easier.

Whether RAW-allowed or not, DMs have tons of options to respond to player strategies, including but not limited to forbidding those which make the bulk of the game irrelevant.