Illusion • Sound-Supported Figment
Minor Image
Minor Image is the classic bridge between Silent Image and more complete illusions: the visual figment can make simple sounds, but not understandable speech. Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e publish the spell directly. The site’s 5.5e material below is a conversion, not an official SRD spell.
Minor Image at a Glance
| 5.5e / 2024 | No official SRD 5.2.1 spell by this name; the detailed 5.5e section below is a site conversion. |
|---|---|
| 5e / 2014 | No core spell by this name; use edition-appropriate illusion magic. |
| Pathfinder 1e | Bard 2, Sorcerer/Wizard 2; concentration + 2 rounds. |
| D&D 3.5e | Bard 2, Sorcerer/Wizard 2; concentration + 2 rounds. |
| Legacy Witch archive | Listed at Witch 2; this does not make it an official Pathfinder Witch spell. |
Spell Rules by Edition
Minor Image — 5.5e / 2024
Status: there is no official Minor Image spell in SRD 5.2.1. The site’s detailed 5.5e rules farther down this page are a house conversion inspired by the older spell, not official SRD material.
| School | Illusion in the site conversion |
|---|---|
| Level | 2 in the site conversion |
| Casting Time | See the site-conversion panel below |
| Components | See the site-conversion panel below |
| Range | See the site-conversion panel below |
| Target/Effect | Visual figment with limited sound |
| Duration | See the site-conversion panel below |
| Saving Throw | Use the conversion’s illusion-interaction rule |
| Spell Resistance | Not used in this edition |
Minor Image — 5e / 2014
Status: no official core 2014 spell by this name. Do not silently import the 3.5e concentration + 2 rounds duration or figment statistics.
Minor Image — Pathfinder 1e
| School | Illusion (figment) |
|---|---|
| Level | Bard 2, Sorcerer/Wizard 2 |
| Casting Time | 1 standard action |
| Components | V, S, F |
| Range | Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level) |
| Effect | Visual figment, as Silent Image, with minor sounds |
| Duration | Concentration + 2 rounds |
| Saving Throw | Will disbelief, if interacted with |
| Spell Resistance | No |
The spell functions as Silent Image except it can also produce minor sounds. Those sounds cannot include understandable speech.
Minor Image — D&D 3.5e
| School | Illusion (Figment) |
|---|---|
| Level | Bard 2, Sorcerer/Wizard 2 |
| Casting Time | 1 standard action |
| Components | V, S, F |
| Range | Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level) |
| Effect | Visual figment, as Silent Image, with minor sounds |
| Duration | Concentration + 2 rounds |
| Saving Throw | Will disbelief, if interacted with |
| Spell Resistance | No |
As in Pathfinder, Minor Image adds simple sound to the visual figment but cannot create intelligible speech.
What Changed?
- 5.5e / 2024: no official SRD spell named Minor Image; the site’s version is a conversion and is labelled as such.
- 5e / 2014: no core spell by this name.
- PF1e and 3.5e: Minor Image is a published 2nd-level figment that adds simple sound to Silent Image.
Using Minor Image in Play
Minor Image is strongest when the sound supports what observers already think they see: claws on stone, armour shifting, a door creaking or a beast breathing. The spell does not create touch, smell, heat or physical force, and the published legacy versions cannot create understandable speech.
Counterplay and Related Magic
Interaction can allow a Will save to disbelieve the legacy figment. Physical contact exposes the lack of substance. Compare Silent Image and Major Image. Dispel Magic interacts with ongoing magic according to the edition being used.
Rules Sources and Licensing
Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e mechanics are preserved as edition-specific legacy rules. The site’s 5.5e conversion is original campaign material and is not presented as SRD 5.2.1 content.
Advanced Uses
Support the visual lie with sound. Footsteps, breathing, armour movement, animal noises and doors opening can make a visual illusion much more convincing. Use sound to reinforce what observers expect rather than trying to make the spell do what it cannot.
Control attention. Minor Image can suggest that a threat is approaching from one direction while allies move elsewhere, make an empty room appear occupied, or give a Silent Image-style decoy enough sound to delay inspection.
DM Rulings and Illusion Limits
The published Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e versions remain figments: they do not create physical force, heat, scent or touch. Direct physical interaction can expose the illusion and can allow the edition’s normal disbelief save.
The simple sounds created by the legacy spell are not understandable speech. If a player wants full dialogue, multiple sensory effects or a more autonomous illusion, use a higher-level illusion such as Major Image or another edition-appropriate spell.
Minor Image in the World
Entertainers, spies, thieves and ritualists prize Minor Image because it can add enough sound to make an otherwise static deception feel alive. In courts and cities, the spell is as useful for misdirection and theatre as it is for combat.
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