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Thief Skill: Detect Illusion

moody_magemoody_mage Member Posts: 2,054
Can someone give me the lowdown on exactly how this thief skill works and what it actually does? Does it work as a sort of True Sight if you pump it enough or is it much more limited? How many points do you actually need in it to make it useful?

I've had a quick look around and there doesn't really seem to be much in the way of verifiable clarification available. I did learn you have to have Detect Traps turned on to use it which I didn't know before...

Comments

  • CheesebellyCheesebelly Member Posts: 1,727
    It works quite literally as true sight, it simply dispels all illusion. Which is GREAT of course, but problem is - I have no idea how much skill you need for it to work 100% of the time (probably 100) and second problem is - among all spellcasters, divine or not : there are so many true seeing spells or options that it can easily become obsolete (remembering that True Sight doesn't require you to stand still, while detect illusion does)
  • kamuizinkamuizin Member Posts: 3,704
    it's good for you to become invisible and behind a mage that used any phantasm/illusion spell, click on detection and will take a while before your invisibility vanish, probally you will detect the illusions of the mage before and will be able to backstab him then.
    Quartz
  • TJ_HookerTJ_Hooker Member Posts: 2,438
    Do you actually have to stay still for it to work? I was under the impression that it was on anytime you had detect traps on and therefore worked like any modal action; walking around is fine as long as you don't do anything else. I could easily be wrong though, seeing as how I never actually used detect illusion...
  • CheesebellyCheesebelly Member Posts: 1,727
    But you can't attack before you detect them, and by the time you can actually attack, the mages will have Stoneskin anyway :/
  • ryuken87ryuken87 Member Posts: 563
    It is a really awesome and under-used ability, but inevitably it's one of the later things to put points in behind the necessities (locks and find traps) and the power options (stealth and set traps).
  • JaxsbudgieJaxsbudgie Member Posts: 600
    If I'm not playing a stabby stabby Thief, but more of a utility Thief (this applies to NPCs too), I'll pump up Detect Illusions sometimes even before Traps and Locks because they can be temporarily increased with potions. It's perfect for stabby stabby Thieves though, if an enemy spellcaster is sitting comfortably with mirror image running, simply go invisible (spell, potion, stealth) sit behind him, detect illusion, as soon as the mirror image is dispelled -stabby stabby time!
  • MoomintrollMoomintroll Member Posts: 1,498
    I really like detect illusion, you can have your thief doing that rather not not hitting anything, so that when invisibility is dispelled on a mage your casters can go to work using their targeted abjuration spells without having to wait.
  • Permidion_StarkPermidion_Stark Member Posts: 4,861
    Mortianna said:

    I can see the value in starting out as a Thief, putting all skill points into detect illusion until you reach 100% (5th level), and then dualling to Conjurer. That would solve the Divination school restriction. Edwin might not like the competition though.

    There should be an ability score bonus to detect illusion for high intelligence.

    I think it should be wisdom rather than intelligence that affects your detect illusion score.

    RAM021
  • Permidion_StarkPermidion_Stark Member Posts: 4,861
    @Mortianna
    I didn't realise that. It does make sense in game terms then. (But personally I think they chose the wrong attribute. I think seeing through an illusion - discovering the hidden truth - has got more to do with wisdom than intelligence)
    HaHaCharadelethaltoconcreteRAM021
  • moody_magemoody_mage Member Posts: 2,054
    I think the INT based illusion immunity is based around the fact that due to your towering intellect you easily spot inconsistencies within lower level illusions therefore becoming immune to them.

    Plus Wisdom has a whole raft of spell immunities available. Not fair to load up with illusion immunities as well.
    MortiannaRAM021
  • sarevok57sarevok57 Member Posts: 5,975
    i remember that party at the door in the underdark that you have to fight to go to the surface used that ability on my team and failed over the evil thief it said " detect illusion failed" or some such because i had mass invisibilty on and i killed the mage right away, and i was like wooooooooooooah nutty mc nut nut jam
  • AHFAHF Member Posts: 1,376

    It works quite literally as true sight, it simply dispels all illusion. Which is GREAT of course, but problem is - I have no idea how much skill you need for it to work 100% of the time (probably 100) and second problem is - among all spellcasters, divine or not : there are so many true seeing spells or options that it can easily become obsolete (remembering that True Sight doesn't require you to stand still, while detect illusion does)

    For the skill level, it is a bit like find trap. People who have had high level thieves are probably familiar with the idea that the higher the skill the faster the traps are located most of the time. If you are going to go down this road with a thief, it is probably worth pumping to very high levels due to all the enemy illusions in BG2/TOB. Blowing the illusions away quickly can be very nice compared to sitting there for a full round waiting for it to kick in.

    RAM021
  • kamuizinkamuizin Member Posts: 3,704
    @RomulanPaladin if that's true mayhaps they don't with luck :)!
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  • MortiannaMortianna Member Posts: 1,356
    @thespace I have Hexxat's DI at 130% and I've found it still takes a while for illusions to be dispelled/detected. As for FT and OL, there are a few places that require scores above 100% in ToB.
    RAM021grisbossk
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