"sleeper" spells you didn't realize were so good

[Darklone]

Dismissing a spell that you cast (in this case web) is a standard action... not "at will".

 

[apsuman]

You were initially laying out a situation where a large group of people were being misled for hours by the spell. I'll grant that the issue of concealing something like the sun with what would appear to be a low-flying cloud is a bit subjective (you certainly couldn't block all of the light cast by the sun, or the resulting direction of the shadows). However, the main reason it doesn't work is because once the spell is cast the figment can only move within a relatively small area of effect (a certain number of 10-foot cubes). So right there it's not traveling with you for any significant distance.

Assume the following:

Your campaign world is the size of earth with a moon the size of Earth's moon and at the same distance. Also, the sun is the same size and distance from your world as it is from Earth.

Also, assuming that my math is correct...

The moon has a mean diameter of 3476 KM. It's mean distace from the earth is 384000 KM. If my trig is correct, if you could make a a copy of the moon that was 8.53m in diameter it would have to be 942.32m distant to look like the real moon.

Just to flesh out those numbers a bit... an 8th level caster can make a silent image that occupies 4 +1/level so 4+8 or 12 10 foot cubes. Imagine a square made of 16 10 foot squares, 4 to a side. Now remove the corner squares, you have something like a great big plus "+" sign, this is how to arrange those 12 10foot cubes. In that space an illusionist could place a 28 foot diameter (8.53m) flat image of the moon. If he did so 942.32m distant, it would look exactly like the moon.

And that is for a full moon. Imagine that you only had one third (or less) of a moon visible, creativley arranging those 12 cubes you could make the illusion of a moon that would be say 30 or more feet in diameter, you could be even further away to make that image.

Further, even though they are different sizes the sun and moon appear as the same size because the moon is closer. Proof of this is that during an eclipse, the moon completely blocks out the sun. So all the math I did above applies to making an illusion of a sun as well.

True the real sun would make shadows contrary to the illusionary sun, but moving the sun say 10 degrees could make a person, group, army walk in a different direction for a significant amount of time.

 

[Eraslin]

I'm going with shatter. You can break weapons, doors, binding ropes, etc.

I'm going to have to second this one. Especially when you combine it with the chain spell feat. It's a will save to prevent your held weapons/armor from being shattered, and fighters have a low will save... :-D

Equally fun is a chained blindness/deafness, or chained greater magic weapon, or chained keen weapon, or pretty much chain spell with any single target spell.

-Eraslin

 

[Storminator]

Assume the following:

Your campaign world is the size of earth with a moon the size of Earth's moon and at the same distance. Also, the sun is the same size and distance from your world as it is from Earth.

Also, assuming that my math is correct...

But once you've walked a quarter mile, you'll be out of the illusionary sun/moon, and you'll likely notice that the sun suddenly jumps to the left.

And if it's an army, the column could easily be a half mile long. How are you going to get the angles right to cover the sun for each person individually?

PS

 

[apsuman]

But once you've walked a quarter mile, you'll be out of the illusionary sun/moon, and you'll likely notice that the sun suddenly jumps to the left.

And if it's an army, the column could easily be a half mile long. How are you going to get the angles right to cover the sun for each person individually?

PS

true, but if you are marching with the sun to your left...

The point is that you could make the sun look like it is in another place.

A level 17 sorcerer could make a sun large enough to place 1.6Km away.

Even if the army marches only 1/4 of a mile, if it is 1/4 of a mile toward that ambush you are the hero.

 

[I'm A Banana]

*shrug* The armies IMC use druids or rangers to navigate....not so reliant on the sun anyway.

 

[Storminator]

true, but if you are marching with the sun to your left...

The point is that you could make the sun look like it is in another place.

A level 17 sorcerer could make a sun large enough to place 1.6Km away.

Even if the army marches only 1/4 of a mile, if it is 1/4 of a mile toward that ambush you are the hero.

But couldn't that 17th level sorcerer just cast Horrid Wilting on the army?

PS

 

[Rashak Mani]

I am a big fan of Glittering Dust... so very versatile.

Another spell a bit higher but very practical is Ghost Form from Tome and Blood. Anti-Energy, pass through Objects, Immune to non magical weapons... great stuff.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I'm going to have to second this one. Especially when you combine it with the chain spell feat. It's a will save to prevent your held weapons/armor from being shattered, and fighters have a low will save...

As long as it is non-magical weapons, at least.

Cheers

 

[shadoe]

I have to go whith silence. Cast it on a copper piece and drop it in a pouch of copper pieces that you toss near some enemy spell casters and just try to figure out which one it is coming from.

Pure evil.