Test my Knowledge (Arcana)

[Kae'Yoss]

OK, let's work out a Merak's Puzzle #3:

You are a 1st level wizard. One of your 1st level companions has been duplicated by several dopplegangers and now there are five identical people looking like your companion.

Determine which of the identical people is your companion using a single first level spell.

Spoiler

Sleep's the ticket

apsuman:
use the command "spoiler" in the usual brackets ("]"). Of course, you have to end it with /spoiler in more brackets. They did describe that further up in the thread...

 

[MerakSpielman]

Would Detect Magic help in this situation? What alignment is your friend? Detect Good/Evil might help as well...

These spells might help, but they're not 1st level wizard spells!

Re: apsuman and KaeYoss -

Spoiler

Color Spray and Sleep were indeed what I had in mind.

Curses! Foiled again!

 

[Al]

Doppleganger Puzzle:

Spoiler

This one is easy. Use the 0th level Detect Magic- since dopplegangers use Alter Self, then this will automatically register; alternately, you can cast an alignment-detecting spell if you know what alignment your friend is (and it's different to doppleganger alignment)!

 

[Li Shenron]

You're a 5th (optional: 1st) level Wizard, you have been catched and imprisoned, all your stuff (including the spellbook and spell components) has been taken away. All your spells are used up. Get out there!

I thought it was a joke. Like: hold your breath until you die. Then someone will surely come and get you out from there once the stench becomes unbearable.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Doppleganger Puzzle:

Spoiler

alternately, you can cast an alignment-detecting spell if you know what alignment your friend is (and it's different to doppleganger alignment)!

Spoiler

This way isn't sure to work: Dopplegangers can be of any alignment, and they are usually neutral. So they could well be the same alignment as the character.

 

[Frostmarrow]

Spoiler

Sleep's the ticket

Spoiler

Not necessarily. The doppelgangers read your mind (all the time) and might very well decide to feign sleep in order to fool you. Darn clever though.

 

[Rashak Mani]

Its only marginally related to the doppleganger puzzle... but some EN thread had the story of a barbarian entering a room and his reflection taking shape and fighting him. Both were identical. The wizard knocked them both out with a spell.... so how to determine which was the original one ?

Well he walked bare foot... so the one with the really dirty feet was the true one !!! The 'reflection' hadnt had time to get his feet dirty enough.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Its only marginally related to the doppleganger puzzle... but some EN thread had the story of a barbarian entering a room and his reflection taking shape and fighting him. Both were identical. The wizard knocked them both out with a spell.... so how to determine which was the original one ?

Well he walked bare foot... so the one with the really dirty feet was the true one !!! The 'reflection' hadnt had time to get his feet dirty enough.

So the reflection didn't get the dirt, too? What a lousy copy.

 

[Rashak Mani]

So the reflection didn't get the dirt, too? What a lousy copy.

Yep... I doubt the dirt was so skin deep it was "part" of the barbarian... sad to say that polymorph/copying doesn't have the dirt included in the package.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Yep... I doubt the dirt was so skin deep it was "part" of the barbarian...

He was pretty low-level then, eh?

sad to say that polymorph/copying doesn't have the dirt included in the package.

Aren't minor features inlcuded? Well, you have to give the players a clue, after all (are do you? )