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Would the Disguise Self spell be able to reveal hidden birthmarks/tattoos (of the person they're disguised as) to a character?

What is the source of the “spells do only what they say they do” rules interpretation principle?Is Alter Self strictly better than Disguise Self as at-will invocations?Can disguise self give advantage in attacksDoes the Disguise Self spell change the caster's voice?How to disguise a Devil as a HumanCan you create an illusion of empty space?Taking 5th Edition D&D Spells into 4th Edition D&DCan the effects of Alter Self and Disguise Self be combined to make you look like a specific person?If you cast Disguise Self and then Project Image, is the illusory copy from Project Image disguised?Is there an item or spell to see through the Disguise Self spell?What are the consequences of playing a non-combat-oriented bard in an underdark campaign?

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7

$begingroup$

I wanted to know in case I had ever wanted to have an NPC that has a hidden birthmark and I didn't want the players to just guess it.

Waybe what I really wanna know is if the illusion in Disguise Self is based on what the player sees or what they say.

If they said "I appear as Lady Morticia," would they be able to know that Lady Morticia has (for example) a third nipple?

dnd-5e spells illusion disguise

share|improve this question

edited May 1 at 20:27

V2Blast

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pizzadogpizzadog

361

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  Welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour if you haven't already, and check out the help center for more guidance.
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  – V2Blast
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add a comment | 

7

$begingroup$

I wanted to know in case I had ever wanted to have an NPC that has a hidden birthmark and I didn't want the players to just guess it.

Waybe what I really wanna know is if the illusion in Disguise Self is based on what the player sees or what they say.

If they said "I appear as Lady Morticia," would they be able to know that Lady Morticia has (for example) a third nipple?

dnd-5e spells illusion disguise

share|improve this question

edited May 1 at 20:27

V2Blast

28.7k5103174

asked May 1 at 20:18

pizzadogpizzadog

361

New contributor

pizzadog is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

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• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  Welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour if you haven't already, and check out the help center for more guidance.
  $endgroup$
  – V2Blast
  May 1 at 20:27
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

$begingroup$

I wanted to know in case I had ever wanted to have an NPC that has a hidden birthmark and I didn't want the players to just guess it.

Waybe what I really wanna know is if the illusion in Disguise Self is based on what the player sees or what they say.

If they said "I appear as Lady Morticia," would they be able to know that Lady Morticia has (for example) a third nipple?

dnd-5e spells illusion disguise

share|improve this question

edited May 1 at 20:27

V2Blast

28.7k5103174

asked May 1 at 20:18

pizzadogpizzadog

361

New contributor

pizzadog is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

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share|improve this question

edited May 1 at 20:27

V2Blast

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asked May 1 at 20:18

pizzadogpizzadog

361

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pizzadog is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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share|improve this question

edited May 1 at 20:27

V2Blast

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asked May 1 at 20:18

pizzadogpizzadog

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edited May 1 at 20:27

V2Blast

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edited May 1 at 20:27

V2Blast

28.7k5103174

asked May 1 at 20:18

pizzadogpizzadog

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asked May 1 at 20:18

pizzadogpizzadog

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No, disguise self doesn't grant the caster any knowledge.

The disguise self spell description says:

You make yourself--including your clothing, armor, weapons, and other belongings on your person--look different until the spell ends or until you use your action to dismiss it. You can seem 1 foot shorter or taller and can appear thin, fat, or in between. You can't change your body type, so you must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs. Otherwise, the extent of the illusion is up to you.

Spells do what they say they do. No part of the spell description tells you that you gain any knowledge - it simply says you can make yourself look different.

You can choose exactly what you look like within the limits of the spell description, so you could emulate the appearance of any roughly humanoid (in terms of body type) creature of relatively similar height to the best of your knowledge - but people can't copy things they don't know about.

share|improve this answer

answered May 1 at 20:33

V2BlastV2Blast

28.7k5103174

$endgroup$

• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  I feel like the key line is "the extent of the illusion is up to you". You control the illusion (outside of certain restrictions) - there's no special spell intelligence that can shape the illusion beyond what you choose
  $endgroup$
  – divibisan
  May 1 at 20:47
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  @divibisan: Pretty much. It doesn't magically copy someone else's appearance completely; it magically disguises you in ways that you specifically choose.
  $endgroup$
  – V2Blast
  May 1 at 20:48
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  It is also Illusion not Divination, I know schools took a serious backseat in this edition but they are still there even if they break those rules with Polymorph and Goodberry.
  $endgroup$
  – Slagmoth
  May 1 at 23:22
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  While I agree with the ruling, it's interesting that often people short-hand it like the example "I appear as Lady Morticia" in OP's question when the spell designates "The extent of the illusion is up to you". It's an interesting precedent to set that the magic can be the exact same spell that a different person casts, but the effects are based entirely on each caster's perception of the thing they're conjuring. Basically only important here to bring it up with whatever specific circumstances OP might be able to use with it.
  $endgroup$
  – Tyler Mackey
  May 2 at 0:11
  
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

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14

$begingroup$

No, disguise self doesn't grant the caster any knowledge.

The disguise self spell description says:

You make yourself--including your clothing, armor, weapons, and other belongings on your person--look different until the spell ends or until you use your action to dismiss it. You can seem 1 foot shorter or taller and can appear thin, fat, or in between. You can't change your body type, so you must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs. Otherwise, the extent of the illusion is up to you.

Spells do what they say they do. No part of the spell description tells you that you gain any knowledge - it simply says you can make yourself look different.

You can choose exactly what you look like within the limits of the spell description, so you could emulate the appearance of any roughly humanoid (in terms of body type) creature of relatively similar height to the best of your knowledge - but people can't copy things they don't know about.

share|improve this answer

answered May 1 at 20:33

V2BlastV2Blast

28.7k5103174

$endgroup$

• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  I feel like the key line is "the extent of the illusion is up to you". You control the illusion (outside of certain restrictions) - there's no special spell intelligence that can shape the illusion beyond what you choose
  $endgroup$
  – divibisan
  May 1 at 20:47
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  @divibisan: Pretty much. It doesn't magically copy someone else's appearance completely; it magically disguises you in ways that you specifically choose.
  $endgroup$
  – V2Blast
  May 1 at 20:48
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  It is also Illusion not Divination, I know schools took a serious backseat in this edition but they are still there even if they break those rules with Polymorph and Goodberry.
  $endgroup$
  – Slagmoth
  May 1 at 23:22
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  While I agree with the ruling, it's interesting that often people short-hand it like the example "I appear as Lady Morticia" in OP's question when the spell designates "The extent of the illusion is up to you". It's an interesting precedent to set that the magic can be the exact same spell that a different person casts, but the effects are based entirely on each caster's perception of the thing they're conjuring. Basically only important here to bring it up with whatever specific circumstances OP might be able to use with it.
  $endgroup$
  – Tyler Mackey
  May 2 at 0:11
  
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

14

$begingroup$

No, disguise self doesn't grant the caster any knowledge.

The disguise self spell description says:

You make yourself--including your clothing, armor, weapons, and other belongings on your person--look different until the spell ends or until you use your action to dismiss it. You can seem 1 foot shorter or taller and can appear thin, fat, or in between. You can't change your body type, so you must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs. Otherwise, the extent of the illusion is up to you.

Spells do what they say they do. No part of the spell description tells you that you gain any knowledge - it simply says you can make yourself look different.

You can choose exactly what you look like within the limits of the spell description, so you could emulate the appearance of any roughly humanoid (in terms of body type) creature of relatively similar height to the best of your knowledge - but people can't copy things they don't know about.

share|improve this answer

answered May 1 at 20:33

V2BlastV2Blast

28.7k5103174

$endgroup$

• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  I feel like the key line is "the extent of the illusion is up to you". You control the illusion (outside of certain restrictions) - there's no special spell intelligence that can shape the illusion beyond what you choose
  $endgroup$
  – divibisan
  May 1 at 20:47
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  @divibisan: Pretty much. It doesn't magically copy someone else's appearance completely; it magically disguises you in ways that you specifically choose.
  $endgroup$
  – V2Blast
  May 1 at 20:48
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  It is also Illusion not Divination, I know schools took a serious backseat in this edition but they are still there even if they break those rules with Polymorph and Goodberry.
  $endgroup$
  – Slagmoth
  May 1 at 23:22
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  While I agree with the ruling, it's interesting that often people short-hand it like the example "I appear as Lady Morticia" in OP's question when the spell designates "The extent of the illusion is up to you". It's an interesting precedent to set that the magic can be the exact same spell that a different person casts, but the effects are based entirely on each caster's perception of the thing they're conjuring. Basically only important here to bring it up with whatever specific circumstances OP might be able to use with it.
  $endgroup$
  – Tyler Mackey
  May 2 at 0:11
  
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

$begingroup$

No, disguise self doesn't grant the caster any knowledge.

The disguise self spell description says:

You make yourself--including your clothing, armor, weapons, and other belongings on your person--look different until the spell ends or until you use your action to dismiss it. You can seem 1 foot shorter or taller and can appear thin, fat, or in between. You can't change your body type, so you must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs. Otherwise, the extent of the illusion is up to you.

Spells do what they say they do. No part of the spell description tells you that you gain any knowledge - it simply says you can make yourself look different.

You can choose exactly what you look like within the limits of the spell description, so you could emulate the appearance of any roughly humanoid (in terms of body type) creature of relatively similar height to the best of your knowledge - but people can't copy things they don't know about.

share|improve this answer

answered May 1 at 20:33

V2BlastV2Blast

28.7k5103174

$endgroup$

share|improve this answer

answered May 1 at 20:33

V2BlastV2Blast

28.7k5103174

answered May 1 at 20:33

V2BlastV2Blast

28.7k5103174

answered May 1 at 20:33

V2BlastV2Blast

28.7k5103174