Illusion · False Identity

Disguise Self Spell

Spellcaster using Disguise Self to assume a convincing false appearance — A false face can open doors that force never could.

Disguise Self changes your visible appearance and the appearance of worn or carried belongings. Touch can expose a false detail; deliberate examination uses the check or saving throw specified by the edition.

It is a spell of infiltrators, fugitives, spies and impostors: a visual lie that works best when confidence and context do the rest of the work.

At a Glance

5.5e / 2024	Level 1 Illusion; Action; Self; 1 hour; apparent height ±1 foot; Study action and Intelligence (Investigation) against spell save DC.
5e / 2014	1st-level Illusion; 1 action; Self; 1 hour; apparent height ±1 foot; action and Intelligence (Investigation) against spell save DC; action to dismiss.
Pathfinder 1e	1st-level Illusion (glamer); standard action; Personal; 10 minutes/level (D); +10 Disguise; interacting creatures receive a Will save; creature type unchanged.
D&D 3.5e	Bard 1, Sorcerer/Wizard 1, Trickery 1; standard action; Personal; 10 minutes/level (D); +10 Disguise; interacting creatures receive a Will save; body type unchanged.

Disguise Self by Edition

5.5e / 20245e / 2014Pathfinder 1eD&D 3.5e

Disguise Self — 5.5e / 2024

Edition source.

Level	1st-level Illusion
Classes	Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard
Casting Time	Action
Range	Self
Components	V, S
Duration	1 hour

You make yourself and your worn or carried belongings look different. You can appear up to 1 foot shorter or taller and heavier or lighter, but must keep the same basic arrangement of limbs.

The illusion does not survive physical inspection. A creature must take the Study action to inspect your appearance and succeed on an Intelligence (Investigation) check against your spell save DC to identify the disguise.

Disguise Self — 5e / 2014

Edition source.

Level	1st-level Illusion
Classes	Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard
Casting Time	1 action
Range	Self
Components	V, S
Duration	1 hour

Your appearance, clothing, armour, weapons and other belongings on your person can look different. Your apparent height can vary by up to 1 foot, and you can appear thinner or heavier. Keep your body type and basic arrangement of limbs. The disguise lasts 1 hour unless you use an action to dismiss it.

A creature can use its action to inspect you and make an Intelligence (Investigation) check against your spell save DC. Physical contact still exposes impossible details such as illusory clothing or body shape.

Disguise Self — Pathfinder 1e

Edition source.

School	Illusion (glamer)
Level	Alchemist 1, Antipaladin 1, Arcanist 1, Bard 1, Inquisitor 1, Investigator 1, Medium 1, Mesmerist 1, Occultist 1, Psychic 1, Red Mantis Assassin 1, Skald 1, Sorcerer 1, Wizard 1
Casting Time	1 standard action
Components	V, S
Range	Personal
Target	You
Duration	10 minutes/level (D)

You make yourself and your equipment look different. You can appear 1 foot shorter or taller, change apparent build, and even appear as another subtype, but you cannot change creature type.

The spell grants a +10 bonus on Disguise checks. It does not grant the chosen form’s abilities or mannerisms, and it does not alter tactile or audible properties. A creature that interacts with the glamer receives a Will save to recognise the illusion.

Disguise Self — D&D 3.5e

Edition source.

School	Illusion (Glamer)
Level	Bard 1, Sorcerer/Wizard 1, Trickery 1
Casting Time	1 standard action
Components	V, S
Range	Personal
Target	You
Duration	10 minutes/level (D)

Your clothing, armour, weapons, equipment and personal features can look different. Appear up to 1 foot shorter or taller and change your apparent build, but keep your body type. You may conceal a minor feature or resemble a different person. Using the spell for a disguise grants a +10 bonus on Disguise checks.

The glamer changes appearance only: touch and sound are not altered, and the chosen form’s abilities and mannerisms are not supplied. A creature that interacts with it receives a Will save to recognise the illusion.

What Changed?

2024 uses the Study action to inspect the disguise; 2014 uses a generic action.
2024 removes the explicit action-to-dismiss sentence from the 2014 wording.
PF1e/3.5e use Disguise checks and grant a +10 bonus instead of a spell-save-DC Investigation check.
Legacy duration is 10 minutes per level; modern duration is a flat 1 hour.

Using Disguise Self

Infiltration: pass as a servant, courier, official, guard or courtier long enough to move through controlled spaces before anyone thinks to inspect you closely.

Escape: break pursuit by changing the face, clothing and apparent station witnesses are looking for.

Impersonation: a plausible minor official is often safer than a famous noble. The spell gives you appearance, not mannerisms, memories or authority.

Concealment: hide recognisable features, heraldry, wounds or suspicious equipment when passing through public or hostile spaces.

Tactics and Limits

The illusion is strongest where people look quickly and assume faster: checkpoints, corridors, crowded halls, markets, processions and moments of confusion. Behaviour, vocabulary and confidence must support the false appearance.

Physical familiarity is the spell’s natural enemy. A guard who waves you through is safer than a servant who adjusts your cloak. Touch can reveal where the apparent body, clothing or equipment does not match reality.

Choose disguises that explain themselves and leave before prolonged scrutiny turns a visual lie into a test of identity.

Good Combinations

Charm Person — smooths over social suspicion.
Silent Image — creates supporting visual misdirection.
Minor Illusion — adds a small sound or object to support the performance.
Invisibility — provides an escape once the disguise is compromised.
Alter Self — better when the disguise may be tested physically.
Bard Spells — return to the spell lists by edition.

Running the Spell

Let the spell create opportunity without turning every scene into automatic success. Suspicion should come from context, contradiction, familiarity and physical contact rather than from every NPC behaving as a trained illusion examiner.

The best scenes are layered: the disguise gets the caster through the first door, but conversation, protocol and personal knowledge determine whether the role survives.

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System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, John D. Rateliff, Thomas Reid, James Wyatt, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.