Disguise Self: appearance does not survive physical inspection
Disguise Self changes visual appearance, including belongings on the caster. Its limits on shape and physical inspection matter when planning a disguise that must stand up to contact.
Before casting
| Casting detail | SRD 5.2.1 requirement |
|---|---|
| Casting time | Action |
| Range | Self |
| Components | V, S |
| Duration | 1 hour |
Use it at the table
- Keep the same basic arrangement of limbs, and appear no more than one foot shorter or taller.
- Change the visible appearance of yourself and your worn or carried belongings within those limits.
- Physical inspection does not support the illusion; visual scrutiny uses Study and Investigation against the spell save DC.
Make the call
A caster adds an illusory tall hat to an outfit. A guard reaches for the hat. Does the spell provide a solid hat that the guard can remove?
The ruling
No; the apparent hat does not hold up to physical inspection.
The spell’s own example says objects pass through an added hat and a hand touching it feels nothing. A visual change is therefore not a physical replacement. The Study-and-Investigation procedure addresses discerning the disguise by inspection, but it does not turn the illusory hat into substance when touched.
Watch for this mistake
The freedom to appear heavier or lighter does not grant a different limb arrangement. Also distinguish an illusion of equipment from actually possessing equipment with its practical functions.
Ask the table
Which parts of this disguise might be touched, and does the proposed shape keep the required limbs?
The source spell
SRD 5.2.1, page 124. Read the official PDF.
Level 1 Illusion (Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard) Casting Time: Action Range: Self Components: V, S Duration: 1 hour You make yourself—including your clothing, armor, weapons, and other belongings on your person— look different until the spell ends. You can seem 1 foot shorter or taller and can appear heavier or lighter. You must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs as you have. Otherwise, the extent of the illusion is up to you. The changes wrought by this spell fail to hold up to physical inspection. For example, if you use this spell to add a hat to your outfit, objects pass through the hat, and anyone who touches it would feel nothing. To discern that you are disguised, a creature must take the Study action to inspect your appearance and succeed on an Intelligence (Investigation) check against your spell save DC.
Source and reuse
This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 (“SRD 5.2.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.
The explanation, example and table prompt are Table Ready adaptations; source text has been reflowed. This guide and its printable card are available under the same CC BY 4.0 license. Independent reference; no official affiliation. These rules are optional for our system-neutral adventures.