Image Spell

[JohnPaulB]

Images can also be useful for non-combat situations.

The wizard has met Joe previously. Now his party, who don't know Joe, has to search for him. Rather than describing Joe, however poorly, the wizard creates an IMAGE of Joe (to the wizard's best recollection and ability) and now the search party knows what Joe looks like.

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How about the scene in Star Wars where Luke tries to hit the practice sphere with his lightsaber. The wizard can create an image of a big hummingbird and have the sword student try and hit the darting bird. If he hits it, it disappears.

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Create a wall lantern that is on. It lights up the area until touched or one minute passes.

[hcobb]

Image duplicate your buddy so she gets an instant side or rear shot on the big bad. If you actually cast Illusion then this duplicate also attacks next turn.

[Shostak]

Originally Posted by TippetsTX

A wizard in my game loves to create a simple gold piece (worth $100 in our campaign) which just rolls wherever he wants. Who wouldn't chase that?

Given that illusions and images are supposed to behave like the real thing, I’d not allow an animate gold coin.

[TippetsTX]

Originally Posted by Shostak

Given that illusions and images are supposed to behave like the real thing, I’d not allow an animate gold coin.

Coins roll. He doesn't make it change direction like a RC car... but he can make it appear to bounce off obstacles as long as it remains in sight.

[Steve Plambeck]

Originally Posted by Shostak

Given that illusions and images are supposed to behave like the real thing, I’d not allow an animate gold coin.

Originally Posted by TippetsTX

Coins roll. He doesn't make it change direction like a RC car... but he can make it appear to bounce off obstacles as long as it remains in sight.

I have to agree with Shostak on this one -- the image of an inanimate object has to behave... inanimately!

Recall any creation of even something animate (a wolf, a bear, a dragon) cannot move on the same turn it's created, be it image, illusion, or summoned. None of those can move until their second turn of existence. They can walk or fly beginning on turn two, but on turn one they are stationary. So certainly any creation of an inanimate thing couldn't move on it's first turn either. It too is stationary on appearance.

The only way to put an inanimate object into motion is to touch it. Touch an image, and it evaporates. Images just don't interact with the environment.

No, the caster of an image or illusion of an inanimate object can't simply will it to move, or we'd have Wall, Shadow, and Fire hexes dashing around everywhere. (Sure, that would fun, but it would also be total chaos!)

[Axly Suregrip]

A gold coin just laying there in the street will also get some attention. The rolling bit sounds like good fun, but even without it you should have a good distraction that is still believable enough for a guard not to think it is odd. More like his lucky day.

[hcobb]

Here was my attempt to use an image against a dragon because it is high IQ and low DX. https://youtu.be/fHKaUPd9cLk

[TippetsTX]

I guess I'm a little surprised at the rigid thinking here. I thought the player's creativity deserved to be rewarded. As long as the image behaves in a realistic way, it should work. A coin placed on it's edge may roll. Sure, the image has to start in a static state on the first round (which wasn't visible to the intended viewer), but after that the caster can make it move as one would expect.

[Bill_in_IN]

Originally Posted by TippetsTX

I guess I'm a little surprised at the rigid thinking here. I thought the player's creativity deserved to be rewarded. As long as the image behaves in a realistic way, it should work. A coin placed on it's edge may roll. Sure, the image has to start in a static state on the first round (which wasn't visible to the intended viewer), but after that the caster can make it move as one would expect.

Nothing wrong with creative thinking on the part of a player. Something like rolling the image of a coin is definitely pushing boundaries of the rules. If the conditions are as you say, then I think that it could be allowed as a GM house rule. But, I see it getting out of hand as described in earlier posts if you don't keep it under tight wraps.

It seems to me that an illusion would be more suited for such a ruse.

[hcobb]

A change that would make images much more powerful would be if they could step through whatever it was that they were duplicating.
So on turn one you cast the image to split off from your fighter and then the fighter attacks. On step two fighter and image exchange places with a shift, or do they?