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In Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, can the visual effect produced by a magical illusion be seen in a mirror or other reflective surface?

A specific example would be Minor Illusion. This question is motivated in part by the ruling that such an illusion does not shed light and cannot illuminate an area.

V2Blast
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sptrashcan
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1 Answers1

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There's no reason why you wouldn't be able to

Unless an illusion says that it only appears in a target's mind, then it actually takes a visible form for all to see, so there is no reason why it wouldn't show up in a mirror or any other reflective surface.

And even if it does appear just in the target's head, it is still projecting its presence into the person's head, so there is no reason for it to not also appear in the mirror as far as the target is concerned.

V2Blast
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Smart_TJ
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  • But for the second image (in the mirror) to appear in the target's head, shouldn't the caster use the spell twice? As far as target is concerned, "real" view and view in the mirror are two different places. – mz71 Feb 14 '20 at 11:29
  • Is a view in a mirror not a depiction of what is real? The only times that it is not tend to be if the mirror is magical, or if you're dealing with vampires. So I guess if it was an illusion of a vampire then it wouldn't appear on the mirror, but other than that it would seem that it would – Smart_TJ Feb 14 '20 at 11:49
  • If the image is only in the target's head, then it isn't "real". So laws of physics don't apply. – mz71 Feb 14 '20 at 12:26
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    But the target thinks they will, so if the illusion is to do it's job, then certain laws of physics do apply – Smart_TJ Feb 14 '20 at 12:38
  • The point is, the caster needs to create two separate copies of a illusion, one as usual, one in the mirror. So your argument says that the caster had better make two illusions, otherwise target will find out. – mz71 Feb 14 '20 at 12:47
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    What? No, I'm saying that one illusion is all you need for a complete visual effect, reflections and all – Smart_TJ Feb 14 '20 at 12:51
  • @mzg147 - that's not how mirrors work. They essentially give you a different perspective onto the same "real" scene. If an illusion would appear real when you looked at it from a point right in front of the mirror, then it must also appear real when you look at it via a reflection in that same mirror that gives the same view. – Andrzej Doyle Feb 14 '20 at 14:29
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    (Alternatively, if the illusion doesn't have any physical presence and it's a purely mental phenomenom, then there's even less reason to think it wouldn't work. If someone's mind is tricked to generate perceptions consistent with the illusory object, then it stands to reason they would generate all the perceptions that such an object would produce - including reflections, blocking line of sight behind it, etc.) – Andrzej Doyle Feb 14 '20 at 14:31
  • I was reviewing my prior activity and realized I never actually accepted an answer to this question. I'm not sure that the rules as written provide enough information to answer definitively, but as this is the only answer that was put forward, I suppose nobody else thought other opinions were worth advancing. – sptrashcan Aug 02 '20 at 04:43