Minor Illusion has got to be the most versatile cantrip in all of Dungeons and Dragons. I remember back when I first started playing D&D that I felt like the spell never came up for my character. I actually asked my DM (founder of Mym’s Well, Mike K.) if I could remove it from my spell list and give Fiora Starbreeze, my Glamour Bard, Prestidigitation instead. And although Prestidigitation has a plethora of uses too, I really under valued the Minor Illusion spell. If you get creative, the cantrip has nearly endless uses.
One thing to bear in mind, that while this cantrip is very diverse, it does have a few limitations that are easy to forget: you can’t have two instances happening simultaneously, the image is static and cannot move – or be moved; and it only lasts for a single minute unless you’re able to recast it. That being said, check out these clever uses of this creative cantrip.
Visual Illusions
Getaways
- Being chased? Create an illusory wall to block their path!
- Did they get through your illusory wall? Hide inside an illusory crate until they pass by!
- A trail of misleading tracks could throw off someone following you!
- Destroy that bridge you just crossed and create an illusory bridge over top
Chaotic
- Create an illusory stool in the bar and invite someone to join you at your table.
- Leave illusory notes for someone that can read it and it vanishes. Great option if you don’t have the Message cantrip.
- Change what street or store signs say
Assisted Sneakiness
- Need to see what’s in a room before you enter? Create an illusory door where the door is, open it, and peek in!
- Steal an object and create an illusory replica to keep the guards unaware.
- Need to sneak out of your inn room unnoticed? Create an illusion of yourself in bed.
- Escape prison without alerting the guards by creating an illusion of yourself still in your cell.
- Bait someone with an illusory treasure chest in a room and ambush them.
- Create an illusory copy of a magic item someone is after and while they’re trying to get it from you, your party is off trying to obtain it
- Need to hide a body? Minor Illusion terrain over top of it. Passing guards are none the wiser!
- Is there a window you need to sneak past? Cast Minor Illusion inside of the window with a normal landscape image to simply just walk past.
Protection
- Need to defend someone or something in a pinch? Create a minor illusion guard dog! (Due to spell restrictions, perhaps a sleeping one)
- Low on health in the middle of combat? Break line of sight of an enemy and create something illusory to hide inside of: a boulder, a tree, a staircase, etc. Shoot from inside it to remain safe for a few rounds.
General
- Want to show what someone looks like? Create an illusory depiction of them
- Need to talk with your allies without being heard? Use comic style speech bubbles
- A big pile of coins could be very useful in many different cases
- On the other hand, so could a big pile of poop!
- Need a slide-show? You can use minor illusion to depict the information!
Audio Illusions
Assisted Sneakiness
- Unable to speak? Unable to leave a zone of silence? Talk using your minor illusory voice.
- Create music to improve troop morale even without musical proficiency.
- Create eerie ambiance to help induce the frightened status.
General
- Create a distracting sound (IE. twig snapping, dog barking, etc.) in the distance when trying to sneak past guards.
- Classic fart noises!
- Sound an illusory alarm to make someone leave the vicinity, possibly even luring them into a trap as they try to escape
- Walk into an enemy camp and yell, “ATTENTION!” in their commander’s voice to provide a great distraction and confusion.
There are so many more options, but these are a list of our favourites. Can you think of any that should be added to these lists? Let us know what your favourite use of Minor Illusion is in the comments below or gives us a like on our Instagram, Twitter or Facebook accounts!
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