Minor Illusion is a cantrip spell in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition (5e) that allows casters to create a simple illusion to deceive and manipulate others. It is not a trick of light, but a magical effect that targets the minds of creatures. In D and D, an illusion does not bend light or anything. Incomplete spells do not have visual effects, so there is nothing to create an illusion of.
Minor Illusion 5e is a cantrip spell in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition (5e) that allows casters to create a simple illusion to deceive and manipulate others. It is impossible to cast two spells in the same round except if you use a cantrip like minor illusion. The main use of Minor Illusion is for portable covers, as the audible option is exceptionally flexible and powerful.
The cantrip has only S, M components, so you can cast it from. Minor Illusion is not a sound created by your body but by your magic, so it cannot count as a verbal component. To replicate a spell, it would have to be something static.
Minor Illusion 5e can be combined with another spell like Silent Image to make the illusion more powerful. However, it is important to note that you cannot make tangible objects or carry an illusion around with you, at least not one cast with this spell.
📹 Minor Illusion is RIDICULOUS: How To Use DnD Spells #10
Minor Illusion is one of the most ridiculous cantrips in DnD 5e. I cover a few of my favorite ways to use this spell in a Dungeons …
📹 MINOR ILLUSION | Not So Minor Illusion (Also Hide In A Box!) – Spell A Day D&D 5E +1
Alrighty day 230! Today is Minor Illusion. I don’t know why I didn’t think to make a solid snake reference in the video. I even talk …
My favorite use for Minor Illusion is actually a combat application. You cast it to create an image of a box with arrow slits and deep shadow inside, and you have a ranged attacker sit inside said box. Because you are inside the illusion you can see through it because physically interacting with the illusion causes you to discern it for what it is, which causes it to become faint and see through for you. Because you can see through it and your enemies can’t, while located within the illusion your attacks have advantage because of heavy obscurement (any time an enemy can’t see you when making an attack, you have advantage). This is fantastic for ranged attack rogues or really just any build that primarily makes ranged attacks. Your attacks appear to be coming through arrow slits, so you don’t need to worry about the arrows seeming to go through a solid object which some DMs will rule is enough to break the illusion and allow your enemies to see through it (the physical interaction line is ambiguous, I interpret it to mean one has to physically interact with the illusion themselves to see through the illusion, not that anything interacting with the illusion allows everyone to see through it, but I know some people interpret it to mean that), so the arrow slit and shadow/darkness trick should be enough to satisfy them. Is this cheesing the rules? A bit, but let’s be real here, this is a spell that exists for the express purpose of cheesing situations, that’s the whole point of a cantrip illusion spell.
So this will come in handy worldbuildingwise. Counting down the seconds of a scream to know if it is an illusion or not might come up a lot of the time (since it is a cantrip even the normal folk in a low magic setting will now this). Its better for natural sounds like thunder or fire. Maybe there is a sound dedicated for the opening of a portal or something (talk to your Dm). Creating an image is potent as well. Creating a wall to cover a door or something. Maybe a barrel to cover the caster I also realize that you can ready cast this if a person is detecting your illusion chaining the cast to his/her identification reseting the spell. Or just create darkness and get free advantage and chaos. Transferring memories might also be possible as you can create the image of an painting showing your memory about something. It can also be used as a code for glyphs of warding and magic mouths. With two lvls in illusionist it becomes even more potent. With 14 lvls it becomes one of the best spells in the game (just creating a f-ing wall of adamantium as an action anywhere you want). Also just creating handcuffs out of these materials or in the spaces of creatures (as it doesn’t state that it isn’t possible to create an illusion inside another creatures space). This spell alone might be enough that illusion magic is a forbidden school of magic in your world. Because of creation and fabricate and tiny servants even more so than evocation (if your folk can utilize the limbo as an endless diamond provider there is no reason to be afraid of evocation magic (in high magic settings)).
Whatever actual use this game has for the adventurers doing adventuring, this spell is amazing for roleplay. My favorite moment as a player was, when my party returned to a “safe” area to rest after clearing a dungeon which included several mimics, I minor-illusioned a very out of place end-table. My fellow party members had no idea until they started swinging swords and throwing spells at it.
My first 5e character was a Sorcerer that picked this cantrip. He’d often use it as the magical Powerpoint when talking to people. Entertainer background, so he’d also use it while performing. Entertaining a bar on the lute, while using Minor Illusion for backing/percussion, and Mage Hand for a second strumming/picking hand on the strings.
The other SHE NAN I GANS “the spell” Take a document and cast Minor Illusion over a black piece of paper then trace the image. Now you have a near perfect forgery. If you are an artist cast, it over canvas to help with creating the painting you are thinking of. Of course, the whole Metal Gear Solid hide in a box. So many other ways to just goof around with a spell.
I have pulled the “here’s a wall to hide us in a dead alley” trick! It was very satisfying. Agree that this one deserves two different ratings, and of course with the caveat that evey illusion spell is dm dependent. if you don’t have a willing dm illusion spells are NEVER worth it so, with the assumption of at least a neutral if not friendly dm 6/10 for casters in general 10/10 or illusionist wizards, go forth and break the game! 🙂