Mirror image questions

[Evilhalfling]

how is MI affected by spells Prismatic Spray and horrid wilting?
I ruled that prismatic spray was an area effect and hit the principle without destroying images
but HW could target each image individually and destroy them all.

thoughts?

 

[moritheil]

This comes up all the time, and people usually disagree with the majority (whichever side it happens to be on.) For example, Hail of Stone is an area effect spell. However, it requires individual attack rolls. Does it or does it not dissipate images?

 

[Mort]

how is MI affected by spells Prismatic Spray and horrid wilting?
I ruled that prismatic spray was an area effect and hit the principle without destroying images
but HW could target each image individually and destroy them all.

thoughts?

I'll agree with prismatic spray not affecting the images (though they act like they are affected).

Horrid Wilting's target, however, is "living creature" so the images are clearly not affected IMO.

 

[RangerWickett]

I have a few questions on this as well.

First, do the mirror images make sounds?

Second, do they occupy their own spaces, or do they all just cluster in your own space?

Third, how would you have handled this situation?

There's a sorcerer. We kill his bodyguards, so he casts invisibility and flees. We have animal companions with scent (and people with high Listen checks) roughly locate him, and so we start swinging at where he is. He then casts mirror image. When I finally do manage to locate the square he is in (by beating his Move Silently check by more than 20, which allows you to pinpoint what square he's in), I attack, and I manage to beat the 50% miss chance. The GM then says that I have to randomly determine which of the images I hit.

 

[ThirdWizard]

First, do the mirror images make sounds?

It doesn't specifically say, but I would venture a cautious "yes."

Figments can make noise, but it does say this about it:

A figment that includes audible effects cannot duplicate intelligible speech unless the spell description specifically says it can.

And mirror image does not specifically allow noise. It does, however, call them "indistinguishable targets," and if they didn't make noise, they would be very distinguishable, I would think.

Second, do they occupy their own spaces, or do they all just cluster in your own space?

That's a fun debate I haven't seen around here for a while. There are people who argue that they must be in the same space as the caster, but I think that ignores the "These figments separate from you and remain in a cluster, each within 5 feet of at least one other figment or you." part of the text, which specifically allows figments to be in other squares.

Third, how would you have handled this situation?

There's a sorcerer. We kill his bodyguards, so he casts invisibility and flees. We have animal companions with scent (and people with high Listen checks) roughly locate him, and so we start swinging at where he is. He then casts mirror image. When I finally do manage to locate the square he is in (by beating his Move Silently check by more than 20, which allows you to pinpoint what square he's in), I attack, and I manage to beat the 50% miss chance. The GM then says that I have to randomly determine which of the images I hit.

Since I have images that are in separate squares who make noise, they would all be invisible targets all making noise. If the person targeted the right square, he hits the right one. If he targets the wrong square, he hits an image and it poofs.

 

[Scharlata]

I have a few questions on this as well.[...]

Hi!

Don't know if you know that there existsome explanations in the FAQ:

For all intents and purposes, the figments from a foe's mirror image spell are your foes.

The use of the Cleave feat is valid.

All figments occupy the same square(s) as the caster of the spell.

Hope that helps.

 

[MarkB]

The FAQ suggests having the images occupying the same square as the caster simply as a matter of book-keeping convenience - the spell description clearly indicates that they can be more spread out. In a situation such as invisibility, where having them all occupy the same square would clearly disadvantage the caster, the DM should adjust matters accordingly.

I'd suggest, rather than having each image make its own sounds, having the spell 'de-focus' sounds made by the caster, so that they could equally be coming from any image.

It's not quite RAW, but when I DM I consider such figments as 'pseudo-creatures', and allow effects which only target living creatures to target and damage them. It saves an awful lot of headaches when ruling what can or cannot target images and what happens if one attempts to target them and fails.

 

[Hypersmurf]

First, do the mirror images make sounds?

Yes, but only if you can see them.

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

Since you cannot use hearing to tell them apart, the implication is that they are making the same sounds as the original.

"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."

So if the images are invisible, as in your example, there was no need for you to randomly determine which you hit; the spell had no effect for you, since you could not see the images. And since the spell had no effect for you, you could not hear the sounds they make, which cause them to be indistinguishable via hearing.

-Hyp.

 

[frankthedm]

The FAQ suggests having the images occupying the same square as the caster simply as a matter of book-keeping convenience - the spell description clearly indicates that they can be more spread out.

Seriously, I think it is for the best to treat the images as if all in one square. It solves a lot of hastles, notably AoOs, by the caster and against the caster along with attmpts to move through the caster's space to determine if a given image is the caster or not. The each image has a square is begging for AoO aggravation, not that Mr. Combat Reflexes Vrock will mind that situation.

 

[mvincent]

The each image has a square is begging for AoO aggravation, not that Mr. Combat Reflexes Vrock will mind that situation.

Nor would a great-cleaving ally who you convinced that the images are dopplegangers (and so must be treated as opponents and killed... with AoO's... in-between swings against the BBEG).