Mirror image questions

[mvincent]

Yes, but only if you can see them.

Excellent humor. Thank you for the summation.

"When you and the mirror image separate, observers can’t use vision or hearing to tell which one is you and which the image."

I've been forced to interpret that as: the images don't make sound, but that is not enough to separate them from the original unless you don't reply on vision (this also seems to work well with the "all in one quare" treament).

 

[Krafen]

Technically, the images should be spread out. Practically, treating it that way is a huge pain to adjudicate. I have nearly always seen them treated as clustering in the caster's square. I think mirror image would benefit from a change in flavor text. The mechanic is reasonable and useful.

 

[npiccini]

I could be completely out on a limb here but when attacking an enemy who has cast MI, aren't you supposed to decide first whether the perceived target is the real enemy or just one of its images FIRST?

I bring this up in reference to the scenario above where the invisible sorceror with MI has been located and attacked.

The AC for a targeted image is much lower potentially than the actual target, right? So if I were a player, and Im not, I would be pissed if I went through all the "stress" of trying to hit that sorceror with the buffed 25AC only to be told "sorry, that was in fact an image, so you only needed a 10AC" to hit.

Am I wrong about the spell?

 

[szilard]

::sigh::

This spell is problematic.

I am tempted to try and create a house-ruled revision.

-Stuart

 

[szilard]

Here's a slightly-reworked version that not everyone will like, but which is much clearer....

Enjoy. or send me hate-e-mail. Whichever.

-Stuart

Mirror Image
Illusion (Figment)
Level: Brd 2, Sor/Wiz 2
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal; see text
Target: You
Duration: 1 min./level (D)

Several illusory duplicates of you pop into being, making it difficult for enemies to know which target to attack. The figments stay near you and disappear when struck.

Mirror image creates 1d4 images plus one image per three caster levels (maximum eight images total). These figments separate from you and remain in a cluster shaped by you. Each image in the cluster must be in its own 5-foot square which must be adjacent to the square of at least one other figment or you. You must keep track of your location separate from those of the images. If there is not enough space for all of the images, then you only create as many images as can fill the space.

On your turn, you may move each of your images up to your normal movement. You can move into and through a mirror image. When you and the mirror image separate, observers can’t use vision or hearing to tell which one is you and which the image. The figments may also move through each other. The figments mimic your actions, pretending to cast spells when you cast a spell, drink potions when you drink a potion, levitate when you levitate, and so on.

Enemies attempting to attack you or cast spells at you must select from among indistinguishable targets. Generally, roll randomly to see which target is selected. Any successful attack against an image destroys it. An image’s AC is 10 + your size modifier + your Dex modifier. Figments seem to react normally to area spells (such as looking like they’re burned or dead after being hit by a fireball). An attack that targets only living creatures fails if it is used against an image.

While moving, you can merge with and split off from figments so that enemies who have learned which image is real are again confounded.

An attacker must be able to see the images to be fooled. If you are invisible or an attacker shuts his or her eyes, the spell has no effect. (Being unable to see carries the same penalties as being blinded.)

 

[MarkB]

Here's a slightly-reworked version that not everyone will like, but which is much clearer....

Enjoy. or send me hate-e-mail. Whichever.

-Stuart

I can't say I'm too keen on the images being under caster control, especially with no Concentration requirement. It opens up too many cheesy possibilities, like stacking them down a corridor in front of you, or sending them all into flanking positions opposite your allies. With random movement, that's a lot harder to do deliberately.

However, I'm having a hard time thinking of a more practical implementation of the spell that still achieves everything the current version does.

 

[szilard]

I can't say I'm too keen on the images being under caster control, especially with no Concentration requirement. It opens up too many cheesy possibilities, like stacking them down a corridor in front of you, or sending them all into flanking positions opposite your allies. With random movement, that's a lot harder to do deliberately.

However, I'm having a hard time thinking of a more practical implementation of the spell that still achieves everything the current version does.

Ugh. Can figments flank? They don't threaten squares, do they?

-Stuart

 

[MarkB]

Ugh. Can figments flank? They don't threaten squares, do they?

-Stuart

No, but that won't stop players trying, with the cry of "But if he doesn't know it's a figment...!" Best to mention it explicitly in the spell description.

Having tried to come up with an alternative - my initial thought was a mirror-like displacement field that actually moves the subject's apparent position at random rather than creating duplicates, but it's too similar to some other spell effects - I think yours is a good compromise after all.