Seeming
- Level: 5
- School: Illusion
- Class: Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard
- Casting Time: Action
- Range: 30 feet
- Components: V, S
- Duration: 8 hours
You give an illusory appearance to each creature of your choice that you can see within range. An unwilling target can make a Charisma saving throw, and if it succeeds, it is unaffected by this spell.
You can give the same appearance or different ones to the targets. The spell can change the appearance of the targets' bodies and equipment. You can make each creature seem 1 foot shorter or taller and appear heavier or lighter. A target's new appearance must have the same basic arrangement of limbs as the target, but the extent of the illusion is otherwise up to you. The spell lasts for the duration.
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 a creature's outfit, objects pass through the hat.
Tactical Usage
Group Disguise Capability. Seeming provides comprehensive disguise magic for entire parties, enabling coordinated infiltration and social maneuvering.
Extended Duration Value. The 8-hour duration supports long-term disguise scenarios including complex infiltrations and sustained deception operations.
Physical Limitation Awareness. The spell's failure under physical inspection creates tactical considerations about maintaining distance and avoiding contact.
Spell Combinations
Social Enhancement. Combining with charm magic or persuasion effects maximizes disguise effectiveness during social encounters and negotiations.
Infiltration Support. Pairing with stealth magic or movement enhancement enables comprehensive infiltration capabilities beyond visual disguise.
Deception Coordination. Using alongside knowledge magic helps create believable disguises based on accurate information about targets.
Material Component Details
Component-Light Advantage. Seeming requires only verbal and somatic components, making it accessible during most situations without material constraints.
Group Casting Efficiency. The spell affects multiple targets with a single casting, providing excellent resource efficiency for party-wide disguises.
Range Limitations. The 30-foot range requires positioning considerations when targeting all desired party members or allies.
Creator Notes
Social Encounter Tool. Seeming provides excellent mechanics for complex social scenarios, infiltration missions, and deception-based adventures.
Illusion School Identity. The spell exemplifies illusion magic through comprehensive appearance alteration that affects perception without changing reality.
Physical Inspection Weakness. The spell's vulnerability to physical contact creates interesting tension and risk management in social situations.
Environmental Interactions
Social Environment Integration. The spell enables blending into various social environments through appropriate appearance modifications.
Cultural Disguise. The illusion can reflect different cultures, species, or social classes to match environmental expectations.
Lighting Independence. The illusion maintains consistency across different lighting conditions without revealing magical nature.
Common Rulings & Clarifications
Appearance Modification Scope. The spell changes body and equipment appearance within reasonable anatomical limitations and size constraints.
Physical Inspection Failure. Direct physical contact reveals illusion nature through lack of tactile consistency with visual appearance.
Charisma Save Resistance. Unwilling targets can resist the disguise effect through Charisma saves, preventing forced appearance changes.
Duration Consistency. The 8-hour duration maintains illusions without concentration, enabling other magical activities during disguise periods.
Alternative Applications
Witness Protection. Protecting important individuals through appearance alteration that prevents recognition by hostile parties.
Cultural Research. Enabling safe observation and interaction with different societies through appropriate appearance modifications.
Performance Enhancement. Supporting theatrical productions, entertainment, or artistic presentations through dramatic appearance transformations.
Related Spells
Disguise Magic Comparison. Disguise Self affects single targets, while Seeming provides group effects with longer duration.
Illusion Magic Progression. Various illusion spells provide different deception approaches, from minor changes to comprehensive reality alteration.
Social Magic Integration. Combining with enchantment magic creates comprehensive social manipulation capabilities through appearance and behavior modification.
Scaling Analysis
High-Level Social Value. Seeming becomes increasingly important for complex political intrigue and sophisticated social encounters at higher levels.
Group Utility Scaling. The spell's value increases with party size and the complexity of coordinated social operations.
Campaign Integration. Long-term campaigns benefit greatly from extended disguise capabilities for ongoing infiltration and identity management.
Narrative Flavor
Comprehensive Transformation. The spell should emphasize complete visual transformation that affects all aspects of appearance including clothing and equipment.
Illusion Artistry. Different casters might create unique artistic approaches to appearance modification reflecting personal magical style.
Social Integration. The disguises should feel natural and appropriate to the intended social environment while maintaining character personality.