Phantoms - A Rule-Less Case

[Singular_Corvid]

And here we are once more, asking for information about a spell that has been causing problems since way back in the Grimoire days. Despite the many, many posts outlining the problems due to lack of detailed rules, we have yet to receive any definitive ruling from any author or developer. Which brings me here once more.

Phantom - Simply put, it is a Perfect Illusion that if the target fails its resistance check towards, has real substance, and may proceed to do damage and hinder.

The problem with this is that there exists no outline for what exactly is possible with the phantom. If one makes the phantom take the form of a soldier wielding an illusory spear, does it do impaling damage with its attacks? And is this damage modified as if it was actually wielding a spear? On top of which, what about the illusion defending itself? Can it dodge, block or parry if it has illusory equivalents to the tools required? If so, what skill does it use? Does it use the skill of the caster? Or just its own flat DX since it isn't technically actually wielding anything, and needn't adhere to the laws of physics?

And what about phantoms the take the form of natural features, rather than creatures? Does a phantom fire do burning damage? Do phantom caltrops do enormous amounts of damage as compared to their size? And is this damage piercing?

As you can see, there are many problems. This is not an exhaustive list of course, nor am I the world's most proficient GURPS player. But in the end, I hold out hope for official rulings coming in at some point or another. Whether from Kromm or from other parts of the team.

[whswhs]

If you consult GURPS Powers, the Illusions advantage with the Mental and Stigmata modifiers inflicts damage based on the IQ roll of the illusionist. This could be the basis for what you're looking for as magic, modulo using effective skill with the spell in place of IQ, perhaps.

[Kromm]

Whatever it looks like, it strikes, grapples, and shoves with DX equal to the caster's skill with the spell, and inflicts normal unarmed damage (thrust-1 crushing punch, thrust crushing kick at -2 to hit, strangling, etc.) based on ST equal to the caster's skill. The caster may freely specify lower ST or DX ("up to your skill"); to get higher ST, pay extra energy, as in the spell description.

Thus, an IQ 15, Magery 3 wizard with Phantom-15 could create a ST 15, DX 15 force that pounds people at skill 15 for 1d crushing. At increased energy, it could have up to ST 30, DX 15 and inflict 3d-1 crushing.

It doesn't have DR or HP in the usual sense. It has a threshold that sets how big a blow it can sustain. This is just the caster's margin of success. If that wizard rolls a 10 to cast, the margin is 5 and any attack that does 5+ points of basic damage dispels the Phantom.

Thus, this spell is highly skill-dependent. A caster who goes nuts and learns the spell at, say 25, could manifest a skill-25 horror that has ST 25 (2d+1 crushing) or 50 (5d+1 crushing), and that typically takes a 15+ point blow to dispel.

The spell is mum on defense, but it makes sense to allow a parry based on DX: 3 + DX/2, round down. So a skill-15 one parries at 10, a skill-25 one at 15.

What Phantom positively cannot do is change damage type or amount, or use special attacks or abilities, based on its appearance. It's just a telekinetic force that can punch, kick, shove, and grab for crushing damage or to restrain. How it looks is entirely a special effect, irrelevant to the game mechanics.

[Singular_Corvid]

Thank you, Kromm. It's nice to have clarification. ^^

[zuljita]

phantom has been an annoying spell for me for a while. The questions I have are:
Can a phantom do anything other than strike?
Can I use a phantom to carry me across dangerous terrain?
Can it fly?
Can it open a door for me or trigger a trap?

[Kromm]

A Phantom stays in its area of effect (it's an Area spell, so it's on the ground, R hexes in radius, and extends 12' up) and beats people up with crushing attacks. That's it. It isn't a servant. It's a combat spell for inflicting damage on those who fail to "resist" with IQ.

It wouldn't be entirely accurate, but to first order you could imagine that it's "Area; Resisted by IQ," with failure to resist meaning that for the spell's duration, whenever that person is in the area, they're attacked every turn at DX equal to the caster's skill for thrust-1 crushing calculated from ST equal to the caster's skill. They can avoid this by leaving the area; if they stay there, they can ward off each attack by defending. If they deal a single attack whose basic damage is at least equal to the caster's original margin of success, they break the spell for everyone, for good.

All the bits about it looking like something are totally cosmetic. It isn't anything but a "do damage" spell that works like a poltergeist. It can't fly, manipulate objects, perform complex tasks, etc., and it doesn't have actual claws, spears, ray guns, fire breath, or whatever.

It can grapple and restrain, if the caster decides that would be more fun. As with all spells, change – in this case, between "grappling" and "pummeling" – requires a Concentrate maneuver. See Magic, p. 10.

[Singular_Corvid]

Originally Posted by Kromm

A Phantom stays in its area of effect (it's an Area spell, so it's on the ground, R hexes in radius, and extends 12' up) and beats people up with crushing attacks. That's it.

Does this mean that the generally-understood reading of Simple Illusion's:

It may move to a different area, or change size or shape up to its maximum area, if the caster concentrates.

...Does NOT mean that if the caster concentrates, the illusion can move it's area of effect somewhere else? It would seem at first glance that this wording is meant to represent being able to make an illusion of say, a creature (taking up only a single hex of area) still being able to "walk" around provided the caster concentrates. Is this not the case?

[Kromm]

Phantom is not Simple Illusion. While it saves word count by vaguely gesturing in the direction of other illusion spells, it's meant to be rooted to its area, just like Fire Cloud or Darkness. This is in part why it doesn't mention anything about movement speed of the imaginary dragons, gun-waving mercenaries, or whatever. As I intimated earlier, it's best simply to think of Phantom as one of the countless "does damage in an area" spells (like Fire Cloud), just one with a funky explanation.

I think most of the confusion comes from the assumption that it creates a specific illusory enemy or hazard that can chase people around, and that this is practically like a created servant or warrior. The prerequisite chain is utterly different (no "Create" spells anywhere), and involves Movement spells. It's meant to be more in the vein of Poltergeist, a kind of hostile telekinesis.

[Stormcrow]

Originally Posted by Kromm

Phantom is not Simple Illusion.
[...]
I think most of the confusion comes from the assumption that it creates a specific illusory enemy or hazard that can chase people around, and that this is practically like a created servant or warrior.

I think the confusion comes from the fact that it seems a natural progression from the other illusion spells.

• Simple Illusion: Purely visual. Dispelled by disbelieving, being hit, being enspelled, or being touched by a sapient creature.
• Complex Illusion: Simple Illusion + hearing. Dispelled by being hit.
• Perfect Illusion: Complex Illusion + taste and smell. Being hit only reveals it.

So when Phantom says (basically) it's Perfect Illusion plus touch and damage and it's dispelled by taking damage equal to the margin of success of casting the Phantom, it seems very much to be following the progression of the general-purpose illusion spells. All the stuff about ST, DX, and causing damage just looks like extra detail added because one of the common things that spell casters will do with an illusion that can touch you is hit you with it. It doesn't look like the spell is specifically restricting you to hitting with it.

Going strictly by the text, that's how I would interpret Phantom. You could, for instance, create a Phantom that looks like anything you want, whether it's a guardian of some kind or an illusory landscape. A victim who fell into a phantom pit, for instance, would take damage as per the phantom's ST and thrust damage. They didn't actually take real falling damage; the phantom "punches" them in the course of the illusory falling to mimic the damage of a fall.

You could eat a phantom meal. It wouldn't nourish you, but you'd taste it and feel it as you swallowed it.

Again, that's just what I get from the text. If it was really meant only for illusory attacks, not general, touchable illusions, it really should have said so.

[AlexanderHowl]

The text says that the phantom "may proceed to strike, grapple, shove, and so on as if it were real (Magic, p. 97)." Where does it say that it only deals crushing damage? Is it in the Errata? If it does act as if it were real, then broadsword of a phantom soldier would need to deal cutting and impaling damage while the flame breathe of a dragon would need to deal burning damage in order to preserve the reality of the phantom.