Displacement - a bit wussy eh? Mirror image too...

[HeinorNY]

It's not. It's possible to have a higher Reflex than AC, from previews we've seen. Defenses, and attacking a defense, are just random numbers that don't really correspond to any specific game reality.

Agreed, I saw it coming.
So howcome a mirror image makes your AC higher? How does it make harder for the attacker to hit you, since it's just basically a hologram?

 

[Imban]

Agreed, I saw it coming.
So howcome a mirror image makes your AC higher? How does it make harder for the attacker to hit you, since it's just basically a hologram?

Because it's got "+6 to AC" written in its description.
Because it gives you +6 AC.

EDIT: To be clear, I hate the new Mirror Image, but it works because it's written that it does. It makes no less or more sense than if it gave you +6 to Will defense.

 

[Thyrwyn]

I think it makes sense. It gives you a higher AC for the same reason DEX, INT, and Armor give you a higher AC - because it makes you harder to hit.

Compare to 3.5: Enemy rolls to hit, then rolls to see if they hit you or your hologram. Wait, so my hologram has an AC? it's a hologram. . .

In 4e, they decided to roll all of the effects into one roll so it plays faster and is more in line with a 1st lvl spell.

 

[HeinorNY]

I think it makes sense. It gives you a higher AC for the same reason DEX, INT, and Armor give you a higher AC - because it makes you harder to hit.

YEs, buy if it makes harder for an arrow to hit the wizard, why doesn't it make harder also for an Eldritch Bolt to hit the wizard? Or any other non-magical attack that targets the Wizards Reflex.

What if the attackeris blind? Based on the spell description, it also works against blinded characters. So the images are actually physical. It's like conjuring 3 large shields around you.

Compare to 3.5: Enemy rolls to hit, then rolls to see if they hit you or your hologram. Wait, so my hologram has an AC? it's a hologram. . .

But the hologram there has an AC that is 10 + size mod + DEX. No armor included. It clearly lets us understand the Image is a hologram, that is there to confound the enemy, and the enemy needs to "hit" the image in order to see it's just an illusion.

The way 4E Mirror Image works it could be just called Magic Shield. Just weaker, since it starts to break appart everytime someone swings a weapon near you, or throws a rock at you but hit the ceilling, or if someone throws a bag of rabid rats on you...

 

[keterys]

I'll note that the 3.5 version pretty much disintegrates under rabid rat attack as well.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

The way 4E Mirror Image works it could be just called Magic Shield. Just weaker, since it starts to break appart everytime someone swings a weapon near you, or throws a rock at you but hit the ceilling, or if someone throws a bag of rabid rats on you...

A bag of rats is a suboptimal attack strategy. Better to save them for healing or teleports.

 

[Puggins]

Mirror Image Wizard Utility 10
Three duplicate images of you appear, imitating your actions perfectly and confusing your enemies.
Daily * Arcane, Illusion
Minor Action Personal
Effect: Three duplicate images of yourself appear in your space, and you gain a +6 power bonus to AC and Reflex defense. This bonus does not apply to area attacks. Each time a non-area attack misses your AC or Reflex defense (but would have hit you without the power bonus from this spell), one of your duplicate images disappears and the bonus granted by this power decreases by 2. When the bonus reaches 0, all your images are gone and the power ends. Otherwise, the effect lasts for 1 hour.

There, fixed. That wasn't so hard.

Ahem...

Check out Force Orb and acid arrow. Not as easy as it sounds, unfortunately.

 

[Daniel D. Fox]

The print of Mirror Image is far too exploitable by bad players and DMs. Here's how I'd impliment it.


Mirror Image Wizard Utility 10
Three duplicate images of you appear, imitating your actions perfectly and confusing your enemies.
Daily * Arcane, Illusion
Minor Action Personal
Effect: Three duplicate images of yourself appear in your space. You gain a +6 power bonus to AC and Reflex defense. This bonus does not apply to area attacks. Each time a non-area attack hits your AC or Reflex, one of your duplicate images disappears and the bonus granted by this power decreases by 2. When the bonus reaches 0, all your images are gone and the power ends. Otherwise, the effect lasts for 1 hour.

 

[HeinorNY]

I'll note that the 3.5 version pretty much disintegrates under rabid rat attack as well.

No. The rats would need to bypass your image's AC. In 4E, all the rats need to do is to open and close their mouths near you.

A bag of rats is a suboptimal attack strategy. Better to save them for healing or teleports.

I have to agree. It's better to just wave your sword like crazy near the wizard to scare his images away.
Save the rats for some buffings and cleavings.