Are Glamour Prisms Meta or Lore?

[Ginal]

As the title reads, this is something I'm unsure of. Does anyone have any answers?

[Kallera]

they are lore, with additional applications for residences as well.

[Ginal]

I'm not sure I understand this, though. If glamour prisms and the things they can do exist in lore, then why would anybody ever actually want to look like they're wearing what they're really wearing? For example, why don't bandits use glamours to look like unarmored merchants and take everyone by surprise? Why don't soldiers use glamours to make they're armor and weapons look bigger, bulkier and more fearsome?

[Suirieko]

Considering that there's an NPC that deals with glamouring and "Taught" us how, it's lore.

[WellFooled]

Their existence in lore is established, but their avaliblility in lore is probably much different than in our video game. Those bandits you mentioned might not have the skills to make glamour prisms themselves or the money to afford them.

[Kyan]

If I remember correctly, Rowena warns us in the dialogue that Wiscard has used glamour prisms on his own self to make his item level look more impressive than it is, as a way of us distrusting him?

Don't you be taken in by his peacockin'. All his finery's just so much flim-flam. Pastes himself o'er with glamours like he's rollin' a turd in em'ralds

[Ultimatecalibur]

If you talk to one of the NPCs in the Diadem they explain that all the Mistfall, Deepmist and Mistbreak gear was glamoured by its previous owners.

[Elecrom]

Also in the Hildibrand questline the Phantom uses glamour powder to pose as different people.
I don´t remember 100% if it is true but I think they even said it was maid of grounded glamour prisms

[WhiteArchmage]

They also need Master books to even learn how to make them so regular bandit Joe and robber Sally don't exactly have access to them. Lorewise, only the Guildmasters (and possibly Ishgardian crafters) are able to buy them (nevermind that, even if they are Master recipes, they don't need a minimun control or craftmanship).

[zaviermhigo]

I'm not sure I understand this, though. If glamour prisms and the things they can do exist in lore, then why would anybody ever actually want to look like they're wearing what they're really wearing? For example, why don't bandits use glamours to look like unarmored merchants and take everyone by surprise? Why don't soldiers use glamours to make they're armor and weapons look bigger, bulkier and more fearsome?

Because the lore is not everyone can make glamour prisms. So while they technically lore wise could use them, they don't have crafters who can make them, they aren't hanging out in main cities Market Ward's buying them.

Its a master book craft, the lore behind that is that "only certain people can use these" (high level crafters)