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The 14th-level School of Illusion wizard feature, Illusory Reality, can make an object in an illusion spell real for one minute (PHB, p. 118):

When you cast an illusion spell of 1st level or higher, you can choose one inanimate, nonmagical object that is part of the illusion and make that object real. You can do this on your turn as a bonus action while the spell is ongoing. The object remains real for 1 minute. For example, you can create an illusion of a bridge over a chasm and then make it real long enough for your allies to cross.

The object can’t deal damage or otherwise directly harm anyone.

If the illusion spell ends before that minute is up, either through the spell's duration finishing, the spell being Dispelled, or the caster losing concentration, does the "real" object persist for the full minute?

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2 Answers 2

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The specific Illusory Reality duration beats the general spell duration.

The overarching rule in D&D 5e is that specific beats general:

Remember this: If a specific rule contradicts a general rule, the specific rule wins.

So while in general an illusion created by a spell lasts exactly as long as the spell lasts, the Illusory Reality class feature has a specific statement about the duration of its effects.

This means that if an illusionist casts a major image of a blacksmith's forge, with a duration of 10 minutes, they can use Illusory Reality to make the anvil from the forge real. If they do this up to nine minutes after casting the major image, after one minute the anvil will stop being real and revert to being an illusion for the remainder of the spell's duration.

If the illusionist uses Illusory Reality immediately before major image ends (because of its duration, or because the illusionist willingly or unwillingly dropped concentration on the spell), the anvil will remain real while the rest of the illusion fades away. After the one minute of reality afforded to the anvil by Illusory Reality, it will neither real nor illusory, and thus cease to exist.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I've already accepted this answer - but any chance you could add what happens if the IR-ed object gets hit with Dispel Magic? From the rest of the answer it seems that the spell would be dispelled but the object would remain real for the duration of IR. But it would be nice to have that explicit. :) \$\endgroup\$
    – Vigil
    Commented Nov 22, 2018 at 14:35
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Illusory reality persists after the end of the spell of origin.

As Marq wrote in his answer, specific beats general. The illusory reality states that the illusion made real will stay real for a full minute. Unless the object itself is targeted of dispelling it will remain there for the full duration.

Even the fluff description, for whatever is worth, support this: "you have learned the secret of weaving shadow magic into your illusions to give them a semireality". Your ability Illusory Reality sustain the now real object with shadow magic that has nothing to do with the rest of the spell.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ @Vigil Yeah... My old answer were made completely useless after the edit and I don't have much to add after Marq's answer. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Aug 22, 2018 at 17:04
  • \$\begingroup\$ Actually "into your illusions" to "give them semireality" implies that the illusion being there is key to the semireality. When the illusion disappears, the shadow magic has nothing to "give semireality". I'm just saying that argument is pretty weak. \$\endgroup\$
    – Yakk
    Commented Aug 22, 2018 at 17:21

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