Illusion
From ElanVital
Contents |
Basic Facts
Colloquial name: Illusion
Official name: Aesthemancy
Most commonly used name: Illusion
Discovery: In 513, by Conley Ardashir.
Skill Definition: Illusion, also known as Aesthemancy, is the magic of the senses- the ability to beguile others into perceiving things that are objectively not there. Illusion works on two different principles; the more obvious and simpler form simply works with sight and hearing, manipulating light and sound for illusions that all present may see. More subtle, and more difficult to master, are the illusions that affect taste, smell and touch- these are actually subtle stimulations of the brain, feeding it false signals about what is in its general vicinity.
It is this ability to play with touch that is perhaps Illusion's most insidious power, as it allows an Illusionist to inflict crippling pain on an enemy that can only be opposed by their ability to withstand suffering or to convince themselves that the pain reflects no actual physical damage. This is the method Illusionists often use in combat, sometimes pairing it with visual illusions or sometimes merely inflicting the pain on its own.
Common Uses: Illusion sees an awful lot of use by various artistic sorts, who seem more likely to manifest it than sheer chance would debate. However, it is also by far the most used power in the underworld, due to all of its implications for hiding identity and tricking the gullible.
Some members of the Celestial Brigade specialize in using it in combat; though it is less effective in damaging individuals than the elemental magics, it leaves no permanent injury whatsoever once the brain throws off the signals of pain.
Skills Potentially Scaled
Acting
Brass Instruments
Dancing (special effects)
Keyboard Instruments
Percussion Instruments
Singing
String Instruments
Woodwind Instruments
Disguise
Stealth
Torture
Gambling
Rule Information
Rule Notes: Like all magical skills, the skill should only be rolled if it is not duplicating the effect of a mundane skill; if it is duplicating the effect of a mundane skill, roll that skill. For more information, read Magic. All damage from Illusion is temporary, fading at the end of the scene; however, until then, it inflicts wound penalties as normal.
Common Modifiers: Illusion is typically rolled at 0.
Combat Rules
Base Damage: 2
Bonus from Magic Combat?: No
Damage Type: Psychosomatic; fades at end of scene.
Roll Result Chart
Terrible: Create a small illusion that consists of little more than single-colored polygons in a simple shape.
Poor: Create a more detailed and lifelike illusion, such as a single flying bird or a plain voice singing a single, slow melody.
Mediocre: Create a larger illusion, such as a tree, a moving dog, or a singing voice, that might well be mistaken for reality.
Fair: Add smell or taste to an illusion. Create a human-sized illusion that is detailed and lifelike, if limited in motion. Create several sounds at once in a chord.
Good: Add touch to an illusion. Create a human-sized illusion capable of movement that incorporates two senses at once.
Great: Create very detailed, human-size illusions that incorporate multiple senses. Create a duplicate of yourself that is nearly impossible to tell apart from you. If rolling a musical skill aided by Illusion, create the sound of a full orchestra.
Superb: Create larger-than-human illusions that incorporate all five senses, realistically and simultaneously
Legendary: Create room-size illusions that are more similar to a virtual reality than anything else.
