Questions about the Illusion advantage

[Juballa]

The Illusion advantage (Powers p 94) is automatically an area; does that area move with the creator? Or is it confined to the original area where it was created?

Does the answer change if the creator has added the Ranged modifier?

Speaking of Ranged (Characters, p 107), the description includes "you cannot use the ability again until all existing effects have worn off." Does that include Illusion if the creator has the Independence or Initiative modifiers?

[the_matrix_walker]

Originally Posted by Juballa

The Illusion advantage (Powers p 94) is automatically an area; does that area move with the creator? Or is it confined to the original area where it was created?
Does the answer change if the creator has added the Ranged modifier?

I think that unless you add Movable Area, the area effect does not move. If you want an illusion to move around, generally you want to use a much bigger area, which would then act as the confines of the illusion's movement, and it can flutter about anywhere you wish, as fast as you like within that area.

Originally Posted by Juballa

Speaking of Ranged (Characters, p 107), the description includes "you cannot use the ability again until all existing effects have worn off." Does that include Illusion if the creator has the Independence or Initiative modifiers?

I think so, but you could always Cosmic that limitation away.

[Edges]

The way I read it is that the area moves with the user. As long as you remain concentrating, you can make whatever you want appear and animate in your radius. Concentrate allows a step IIRC. So you can slowly walk around with your illusions surrounding you until you stop concentrating. If you have the Independence enhancement, you don't even need to keep concentrating and can have your illusions around you wherever you go. Just take a moment of concentration if you want to change them.

The ranged enhancement should let you project your area away from your location to another. This should call for a hit roll, if I'm not mistaken. Your illusions are still confined to your area, but now your area isn't centered on your body. The area in this case is fixed unless you roll a new hit roll to drop the area down somewhere else. This wouldn't be a good way to make the area appear to seamlessly move.

I would let you leave your illusions behind if you had the Persistant enhancement. The illusions would stay the 10 seconds (or more with Increased Duration) and you could walk off and forget about them. You could even make more illusions somewhere else without worrying about interfering with the ones you left behind. If you had Persistant and Mobile, you could leave an area behind and have it move around with your illusions seamlessly moving within it. Add Homing, and the area with the illusions in it, moves around by itself towards some programed target.

With Ranged, Independent, Persistant, Mobile, and Homing, you can cast an illusion at a distant place and program it to move around and behave without you ever having to worry about it until its duration ends. Add Initiative, and it has an AI.

At least, that is how I read it.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Juballa

The Illusion advantage (Powers p 94) is automatically an area; does that area move with the creator? Or is it confined to the original area where it was created?

As a default, no. The creator can move that area anywhere he wants just by concentrating

[the_matrix_walker]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

As a default, no. The creator can move that area anywhere he wants just by concentrating

Without "Mobile"? At what speed?

[David Johnston2]

Oops. Should have said "anywhere within the area of effect". Which is centered on the caster unless it got "ranged".

[Vaevictis Asmadi]

But if the caster moves outside the area, the area doesn't follow them unless they have Mobile?

[Edges]

The caster can't move outside the area with the basic advantage. There is no area unless they are concentrating. And when they are concentrating, they are in the center of the area. If they take a step while concentrating, the area moves with them keeping them at the center.

[David Johnston2]

No, Illusions aren't a Persistent attack.

[kirbwarrior]

Originally Posted by Juballa

Speaking of Ranged (Characters, p 107), the description includes "you cannot use the ability again until all existing effects have worn off." Does that include Illusion if the creator has the Independence or Initiative modifiers?

Ranged on Obscure is intentionally more expensive for this exact reason. Maybe you adapt that?