Disguise Self
- Level: 1
- School: Illusion
- Class: 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.
Tactical Usage
Visual Deception: Disguise Self provides versatile identity concealment and social infiltration capabilities. This 1st-level illusion spell excels at avoiding recognition and gaining access to restricted areas.
Optimal Timing: Most effective before social encounters, when infiltrating enemy territory, or when identity concealment is crucial.
Resource Management: Uses a 1st-level spell slot - available from character level 1+. 1-hour duration provides substantial disguise coverage.
Target Selection: Self-only targeting requires personal application but allows complete control over disguise appearance.
Spell Combinations
Synergistic Spells:
- Social Magic: Combine with charm or suggestion spells for enhanced social manipulation
- Stealth Magic: Layer with invisibility or pass without trace for comprehensive concealment
- Detection Magic: Pair with detect thoughts to understand how others perceive your disguise
Class Feature Interactions:
- Deception Skills: Enhanced social skills improve disguise effectiveness
- Performance Features: Bards gain thematic connection to theatrical presentation
- Illusion Mastery: Wizards specializing in illusion magic gain enhanced disguise capabilities
Multi-Caster Coordination: Multiple disguised party members can coordinate for group infiltration or complex social operations.
Material Component Details
Component Acquisition: No material components required - only verbal and somatic components needed.
Component Handling: Simple V, S casting allows quick deployment before social encounters.
Roleplay Opportunities: Different disguise styles can reflect character background, regional customs, or strategic needs.
Economic Considerations: No costs make this economically viable for frequent identity concealment.
Creator Notes
Encounter Balancing: Visual disguise affects social encounters and infiltration scenarios significantly.
NPC Usage: Spies, criminals, or performers might use disguises for infiltration, escape, or entertainment.
Environmental Considerations: Illusion-based disguise works in most social contexts but fails under physical examination.
Campaign Integration: Essential social magic for campaigns involving espionage, court intrigue, or identity-based mysteries.
Environmental Interactions
Terrain Effects: Self-targeting works in any environment where social interaction occurs.
Weather Influence: Disguise adapts to apparent environmental effects but remains illusory.
Structural Interactions: Visual illusion unaffected by structural elements, though lighting affects perception.
Elemental Interactions: Pure illusion magic unaffected by elemental conditions but may include elemental visual effects.
Common Rulings & Clarifications
Timing Questions: Action casting time with 1-hour duration. No concentration required.
Target Limitations: Self-only targeting. Visual illusion affects appearance but not physical properties.
Duration Interactions: 1-hour duration covers most social encounters or infiltration activities.
Mechanical Interactions: Intelligence (Investigation) check required to detect disguise. Fails under physical inspection.
Alternative Applications
Non-Combat Uses: Social infiltration, avoiding recognition, entertainment performances, or identity protection.
Social Encounters: Enhanced diplomacy through assumed identities, avoiding political consequences, or gaining social access.
Exploration Applications: Bypassing social barriers, infiltrating restricted areas, or gathering intelligence undercover.
Utility Functions: Witness protection, performance art, social experimentation, or avoiding unwanted attention.
Related Spells
Same School: Other illusion spells like minor illusion (cantrip simple effects), major image (3rd level visual illusion), seeming (5th level group disguise).
Similar Effects: alter self (2nd level physical transformation), polymorph (4th level creature transformation), true polymorph (9th level permanent change).
Progression Options: disguise self (1st level visual disguise), alter self (2nd level physical change), seeming (5th level group disguise).
Complementary Magic: charm person (social manipulation), suggestion (behavioral influence), detect thoughts (understand perceptions).
Scaling Analysis
Level Progression: Remains valuable throughout campaigns for social infiltration and identity concealment.
Upcast Benefits: No improvement from higher spell slots, making this a pure 1st-level utility investment.
Campaign Phases: Consistently useful across all levels for social interactions and infiltration activities.
Comparative Value: Excellent social magic that provides crucial identity concealment for minimal resource investment.
Narrative Flavor
Casting Description: Illusory energy reshapes your appearance as magical glamour creates a convincing visual transformation.
Effect Manifestation: Your features, clothing, and equipment take on a completely different appearance while maintaining physical reality.
Personal Style: Wizards create precise optical illusions, bards channel theatrical glamour, while sorcerers manifest instinctive identity shifts.
World Integration: Represents fundamental illusion magic available to arcane casters, often associated with espionage, entertainment, or social manipulation traditions.
Tactical Usage
Visual Deception: Disguise Self provides versatile identity concealment and social infiltration capabilities. This 1st-level illusion spell excels at avoiding recognition and gaining access to restricted areas.
Optimal Timing: Most effective before social encounters, when infiltrating enemy territory, or when identity concealment is crucial.
Resource Management: Uses a 1st-level spell slot - available from character level 1+. 1-hour duration provides substantial disguise coverage.
Target Selection: Self-only targeting requires personal application but allows complete control over disguise appearance.
Spell Combinations
Synergistic Spells:
- Social Magic: Combine with charm or suggestion spells for enhanced social manipulation
- Stealth Magic: Layer with invisibility or pass without trace for comprehensive concealment
- Detection Magic: Pair with detect thoughts to understand how others perceive your disguise
Class Feature Interactions:
- Deception Skills: Enhanced social skills improve disguise effectiveness
- Performance Features: Bards gain thematic connection to theatrical presentation
- Illusion Mastery: Wizards specializing in illusion magic gain enhanced disguise capabilities
Multi-Caster Coordination: Multiple disguised party members can coordinate for group infiltration or complex social operations.
Material Component Details
Component Acquisition: No material components required - only verbal and somatic components needed.
Component Handling: Simple V, S casting allows quick deployment before social encounters.
Roleplay Opportunities: Different disguise styles can reflect character background, regional customs, or strategic needs.
Economic Considerations: No costs make this economically viable for frequent identity concealment.
Creator Notes
Encounter Balancing: Visual disguise affects social encounters and infiltration scenarios significantly.
NPC Usage: Spies, criminals, or performers might use disguises for infiltration, escape, or entertainment.
Environmental Considerations: Illusion-based disguise works in most social contexts but fails under physical examination.
Campaign Integration: Essential social magic for campaigns involving espionage, court intrigue, or identity-based mysteries.
Environmental Interactions
Terrain Effects: Self-targeting works in any environment where social interaction occurs.
Weather Influence: Disguise adapts to apparent environmental effects but remains illusory.
Structural Interactions: Visual illusion unaffected by structural elements, though lighting affects perception.
Elemental Interactions: Pure illusion magic unaffected by elemental conditions but may include elemental visual effects.
Common Rulings & Clarifications
Timing Questions: Action casting time with 1-hour duration. No concentration required.
Target Limitations: Self-only targeting. Visual illusion affects appearance but not physical properties.
Duration Interactions: 1-hour duration covers most social encounters or infiltration activities.
Mechanical Interactions: Intelligence (Investigation) check required to detect disguise. Fails under physical inspection.
Alternative Applications
Non-Combat Uses: Social infiltration, avoiding recognition, entertainment performances, or identity protection.
Social Encounters: Enhanced diplomacy through assumed identities, avoiding political consequences, or gaining social access.
Exploration Applications: Bypassing social barriers, infiltrating restricted areas, or gathering intelligence undercover.
Utility Functions: Witness protection, performance art, social experimentation, or avoiding unwanted attention.
Related Spells
Same School: Other illusion spells like minor illusion (cantrip simple effects), major image (3rd level visual illusion), seeming (5th level group disguise).
Similar Effects: alter self (2nd level physical transformation), polymorph (4th level creature transformation), true polymorph (9th level permanent change).
Progression Options: disguise self (1st level visual disguise), alter self (2nd level physical change), seeming (5th level group disguise).
Complementary Magic: charm person (social manipulation), suggestion (behavioral influence), detect thoughts (understand perceptions).
Scaling Analysis
Level Progression: Remains valuable throughout campaigns for social infiltration and identity concealment.
Upcast Benefits: No improvement from higher spell slots, making this a pure 1st-level utility investment.
Campaign Phases: Consistently useful across all levels for social interactions and infiltration activities.
Comparative Value: Excellent social magic that provides crucial identity concealment for minimal resource investment.
Narrative Flavor
Casting Description: Illusory energy reshapes your appearance as magical glamour creates a convincing visual transformation.
Effect Manifestation: Your features, clothing, and equipment take on a completely different appearance while maintaining physical reality.
Personal Style: Wizards create precise optical illusions, bards channel theatrical glamour, while sorcerers manifest instinctive identity shifts.
World Integration: Represents fundamental illusion magic available to arcane casters, often associated with espionage, entertainment, or social manipulation traditions.