Illusion

Time: Action Target: Up to a Small(½u) Sphere Shape within Shooting Distance(16u)
Requirements: #Motions
Test: Tuning Concentrating
Effect: Deception

Regardless of your Tuning Score, this Ability takes effect.

The illusion remains fixed at the target location or you can attach it to a surface, allowing it to move as if glued to that point on the surface. The illusion can be any size or shape up to a Small(½u) Sphere Shape. The illusion lasts as long as this Spell lasts.

Any creature in Swinging Distance(1u) of the illusion can spend a Beat to perform an Analysis Test on the illusion. If they Pass the Test, they know it's an illusion and the illusion becomes perceptively transparent to them and they can choose to detach any illusions attached to them.

Choose two of the following harmless effects. One must be one of the five sense options or this Spell has no effect:

• Animated. Choose how to animate the other effect(s) you chose:
  • Manual. If you can see the illusion and are in Shooting Distance(16u) of it, you can animate and change the illusion's Shape, location, attached status, and sensory effects how you see fit.
  • Routine. Specify a routine that is up to 5 minutes long that the illusion will follow or repeat. The illusion is unaware and can't think or react to any forces or any of its surroundings.
  • Puppeteered. Choose how to attach each part of the illusion to each part of an object or creature. The target's movements then puppet the illusion. For each part of the illusion you don't assign (like maybe a tail on a human or a cloak on a creature without a cloak) you must choose a different Animation option for that part of the illusion or it will become static (and possibly look unnaturally stiff.)
• Enlarged. Double the Sphere Shape for the other effects you chose.
• Sight. Create a visual projection in the target location or attached to the target surface. The illusory image is static if Animation is not chosen. A creature that sees something pass through the projection when they would have expected otherwise will know it's an illusion. When a creature passes through an illusion itself, it can also attempt the Analysis Test described above as a Free Reaction (limit one attempt per Round.)
• Sound. Create a sound that emanates from the targeted point. You can limit the sound to the Sphere Shape or you can make it behave like any other Quiet, Noisy, or Loud sound. The sound can be any noise, pattern of noise, etc. that is 6 seconds or less in run-time (or loop-time.) This includes speech, music, creature noises, etc.
• Smell. Any creature who's nose passes through the Shape can smell an odor of your choice or no odor at all.
• Taste. Any creature who's tongue passes through the Shape can taste a flavor of your choice. When attached to a surface, you can flavor all parts of that object that fit within the Shape, optionally replacing its existing flavors.
• Touch. Choose an area that fits within the Shape. Anything that enters that area feels a subtle sensation on its skin. The harmless sensation could be any touch sensation -- like a breeze that's not there, temperature changes that aren't real, a tap on the shoulder, the tickle, itch, etc. When attached to a surface, you can choose to instead have the sensation trigger when the attached object or creature is touched or when some portion of the object or creature is touched (provided the portion fits in the Shape.)

Bonuses:

• Realistic. If you get a High Score on the Tuning Test, all Analysis Tests triggered by this Ability are at a Disadvantage.

Upgrades:

• Bigger.
  • Double the base Sphere to a Medium(1u) Sphere Shape.
  • Enlarge now quadruples the Sphere Shape.
• Greater(1).
  • When creating an illusion, you can choose up to three different effects instead of two.
  • When creating a Sight that is anywhere from half to twice the Size of a creature or object, attaching that Sight to that creature or object makes that creature or object Invisible.
• Greater(2).
  • When creating an illusion, you can choose any number of different effects from the effects list.
  • You can combine all effects to create an Illusory Creature. Choose a creature that fits in the target Shape. The creature uses its stat block with the following changes:
    • The Illusory Creature has 1 Beat per Round and acts on your Turn, provided it's within line-of-sight of you.
    • The Illusory Creature has no physical effect on the world.
    • Whenever the Illusory Creature uses an Ability from its Creature Sheet, it's changed in the following ways:
      • Any Ability Test uses your Tuning Stat instead of the stat or skill listed.
      • Any Damage dealt by the Illusory Creature instead deals 1 Ethereal/Sharp Damage (as the damage is in the mind of the targeted creature.) Creatures for whom this illusion is transparent (a.k.a. they passed the Analysis Test) take no Damage.
      • Ignore all other effects of the Ability.
      • After the Ability has taken effect, all targets of the Ability can perform the Analysis Skill Test as a Free Reaction. If they Pass the Test, the illusion becomes transparent to them, as usual. If they Fail this free version of the Test, you can, optionally, inflict a stack of Frightened on the target with the Illusory Creature as the source.
    • Creatures that target an Illusory Creature with an Ability and get a High Score know the Illusory Creature to be fake and it becomes transparent to them. Abilities that target the Illusory Creature do not affect it in any other way.
  • When creating an Illusory Hazard, you can make the illusion strong enough to deal Damage by adding the Touch option alongside one of the other sensory options:
    • Choose a Damage Type that matches the Illusory Hazard (For example, a visual of a sword could pair with Solid/Sharp Damage, a patch of lava could pair with Solid/Fire Damage, the smell of poisonous vapor could pair with Fluid/Caustic Damage, etc.)
    • A creature that experiences the Touch effect must Pass an Analysis Test or suffer 1 Ethereal/Sharp Damage. The creature perceives the Damage to be that of your chosen Damage Type.) If the creature Passes the Test, they instead take no Damage. If the creature gets a High Score on the Test, the illusion becomes transparent to them and no longer affects them.
• Targeted(1).
  • When creating an effect, you can choose a creature in Shooting Distance(16u) that will become a Delusional Creature and the sole target of the Illusion (Old). No other creatures will experience the effects of the Illusion (Old). The Delusional Creature is also affected in the following ways:
    • Increase Ethereal/Sharp Damage inflicted by this Ability onto a Delusional Creature by 1 (2 total.)
    • The Delusional Creature does not know the illusion is an illusion until they Pass the Analysis Test that makes the illusion transparent to them. The target creature will rationalize the illusion's continued existence even if interactions happen that should reveal the illusion. For example, if a creature falls through an illusory bridge, they might justify that they slipped, got pushed, etc.
• Targeted(2).
  • You can target and create up to 4 Delusional Creatures. They all experience the same illusion.
  • Increase Ethereal/Sharp Damage inflicted by this Ability onto a Delusional Creature by 2 (4 total.)
  • Delusional Creatures have a Disadvantage on the Analysis Test.

Example Illusions

- Below are some examples of animation for each of the basic,, sensory effects:
- Sight: Create an image of a walking creature. Make a pot appear to boil long after your gone. Disguising a book to hide its contents. Changing a flag's insignia, etc.
- Sound: Make the sound of footsteps that move down the hall. Play a song or speech that is up to 5-minutes long (instead of 6-seconds as before.)
- Smell: Animate the musk of an ogre so it seems to be getting stronger and closer. Have the smell of sweets shift from one desert to another.
- Taste: Have a fruity taste shift to that of bitter poison. Torture someone with ever shifting bad tastes that rotate out every 30 seconds.
- Touch: Have a surface feel as though it's growing hotter. Have a pillow prick for an instant every 5 minutes.