Disguise Self

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. The changes wrought by this spell fail to hold up to physical inspection. If you use this spell to add a hat, objects pass through it.

At a Glance

Level
1st
School
Illusion
Casting Time
1 action
Range
Self
Duration
1 hour
Concentration
No

How Disguise Self Works

Casting Time1 action
RangeSelf
ComponentsV, S
Duration1 hour

Available to:

BardSorcererWizard

Common Mistakes

Common Mistake
Thinking it changes your actual body - it's an illusion that fails to physical inspection
Common Mistake
Changing body type dramatically (humanoid to quadruped, etc.)
Common Mistake
Forgetting the 1-foot height limit
Common Mistake
Not having NPCs make Investigation checks when they have reason to doubt the disguise

DM Tips

DM Tip
Use Investigation checks (against your spell save DC) when NPCs are suspicious
DM Tip
Physical contact should give away the illusion - describe touching someone's 'beard' and feeling smooth skin
DM Tip
The spell is great for social infiltration but shouldn't trivialize all security
DM Tip
Consider how voice, mannerisms, and knowledge factor into maintaining the disguise

Sources & Further Reading