Illusion Tactics

[Havok4]

I  was thinking today that it would be good to have a thread that compiles many of the interesting and effective uses that illusion figment or glamer spells such as silent image or disguise self can be put to. So please post any uses for illusion spells you have used or thought of that seem like they would be effective.

1. Creating walls that seem to rise up out of the surrounding environment to mimic some of the wall type spells.
2. Creating a whirling wall of blades that appears deadly enough to dissuade anyone from touching it.
3. Using permanent image sell indestructible signs to local business owners.
4. Use the terrain altering illusion spells to make a illusion of a mountain cover a town to hid it from invaders.
5. As above but make a pit filled field surrounding the town look flat to kill the invaders when they try to cross the field.
6. Create an illusion of an  army camp using mirage arcana to scare off invaders.
7. Use veil to make half of a group of enemies look like something they attack on sight to cause confusion.
8. Make an illusion of your group leaving an area while the group actually hides in an invisibility sphere.
9. In a politically tense city make it appear that a politically powerful entity is assassinated. People will catch on pretty quick but it helps if you spread rumors of doppelgangers taking over on the behalf of a rival organization.
10. Use reach spell and invisibility to make a valuable object appear to be stolen.

[PhaedrusXY]

In a game I'm in (Way of the Wizard, in the PbP area on here), we chopped down a tree and put it across a river to block a boat from passing. Then we made an illusion over and around it that made it look like it had fallen naturally, and we hid inside the illusionary root structure.

In another game I was in, I made an illusion of a giant attacking a village of orcs and ogres (I was invisible nearby). When the defenders swarmed to the area to attack him, I dropped a Fireball on them before they figured out what was going on, and climbed into a pre-cast Rope Trick. It took out over half the low level enemies and softened the tougher ones up so that they were easy work for the rest of the party (who charged in immediately after I dropped the Fireball).

[snakeman830]

• Permanant Image of a wall hiding doors that you don't want found.
• Silent Image of a rock for you to hide in.
• When watching someone give a stirring rally with a picture behind them, Silent Image of the picture making rude gestures 

I'm sure I can come up with more.  Ghost Sound can be used in so many ways it isn't funny (or is).

[Endarire]

In a small town, a silent image over some coins makes them all the most valuable type the merchant will accept.

[Tonymitsu]

My personal favorite, that I read from another thread in a time gone by...

A party was fleeing from the Big Bad Evil Guy, who happened to be well-aware of the party illusionist's typical tricks.  While crossing a mountain pass they went over a river of lava, and the illusionist stopped to cast a Silent Image of normal rock over the lava flow behind him.  He then waited for the villain to show up, and said to him something to the tune of, "Now for a taste of my TRUE power!".  He then went through the verbal and somatic components of Silent Image without actually casting it, and as a free action dismissed the spell that was in effect.  The GM frowned, and had the villain order his hordes of troll warriors forward...

[Havok4]

Okay I just saw a good use for DMs in my most recent game. BBEG casts permanent image of an illusion of himself in his throne room. Then he hides when he hears the alarm of the adventurers coming into his stronghold and controls the illusion while he is from his hiding spot while his minions do battle with the heroes. If the battle goes badly he just escapes unnoticed.

[PhaedrusXY]

and as a free action dismissed the spell that was in effect. 

Dismissing a spell is a standard action. It would still have worked just fine, though. Good one. I remember hearing it before, also.