Creative Spellcasting [Archive] - Wizards Community

Creative Spellcasting [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
dndgamer08
04-23-08, 11:34 PM Here's a thread for creative, interesting and imaginative ways to cast spells and prayers. Take any listed spell or prayer and give us a unique twist on it's casting that may not have been forseen, or might differ from its original intent.

There is also plenty of room for readers to offer variations and rulings on these unorthodox castings.

So all you players, DMs, evil warlocks and lurkers out there, feel free to ponder, post, and take notes.
dndgamer08
04-23-08, 11:55 PM I'll begin. It's more of a question, and I'd like to get the opinion of other folks on this.

Mirror Image

1. Can the caster control the placement of the mirror images?

2. If cast on another, can the caster differentiate between the images and the spell's recipient?

3. Can the spell be cast on an opponent (with a save)? Bear with me here.

As a DM, I say yes to all of these.
1. The caster would have to concentrate.
2. The caster would know the mirror images from the original.
3. The opponent gets a save.

This is why I ask:
The adventuring party is in melee with a group of goblins.

The party's wizard is in combat with a single goblin. And, to no one's surprise, there are more goblins coming down the hall. If any more goblins enter the room, the wizard is likely to be outnumbered.

The wizard casts Mirror Image on the goblin opponent. The new goblins enter the room. They 'see' a group of goblins already surrounding the wizard. And since the wizard is outnumbered, they move to attack other opponents.

The wizard is left with a single goblin opponent. If need be, the wizard can cancel the spell.

Of couse, the wizard isn't going to concentrate on shifting the images around, but in the confusion of the battle, that shouldn't matter very much. The new goblins will see some of their own already surrounding the wizard and simply move on to better pickings.

Any thoughts?
LadyAlaria
04-24-08, 12:22 AM Mirror Image is personal. You can't cast it on your buddy, let alone the goblin. Also, it's fairly obviously a magical effect. The goblins arriving would see several *identical* goblins surrounding you. (I know that all goblins look the same to you and me, but I guarantee that goblins can tell each other apart.) If the goblin moves, the images move as well in a way that will make it obvious that they are magic.

A common gripe of DnD is that the spells are deliberately "nerfed", stifling creativity. There is no particular logical reason that a Blade Barrier has to be vertical. I would think that if Pelor wants his clerics to have a horizontal Blade Barrier, by gum he'll grant them a horizontal Blade Barrier! But the game designers didn't like folks casting Blade Barrier at the bottom of every pit trap or Force Cage to make big Cuisinarts. There is a general admonition that spell do exactly what they say they do in the description and not a jot more. And if you come up with something truly creative, figure the next edition will rewrite the spell to make it impossible.
dndgamer08
04-24-08, 12:37 AM Ahh, yes, Personal Range.

It's been brought to my attention.

You can tell I haven't had the opportunity to cast the Mirror Image spell in quite some time (otherwise, this thread would have been started long ago).

So, to confuse things even more, the wizard has first cast Alter Self and now looks like any other goblin.

Hopefully this new group will help our altered wizard(s) combat his single opponent.

And as far as goblins being able to tell one another apart, they would still have a hard time figuring out which one was the real goblin.

I think I've just cast Confusion on myself.
dndgamer08
04-24-08, 01:10 AM There is a general admonition that spell do exactly what they say they do in the description and not a jot more.

If a different use of a particular spell would prove more effective, it would then have to be a spell of a higher level. That is why we often see 'Improved' versions. Take, for example, Lightning Bolt versus Chain Lightning. Lightning Bolt fires off in a straight line (more or less) and CL arcs directly to specified targets.

And therein lies the trick -- to find a creative use of a spell that works within its confines and parameters. Bouncing a Lightning Bolt off the walls so that it comes to an end in the square right in front of you is one use of the spell (acutally happened), while 'powering up' an allied Shambling Mound is another.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
dndgamer08 04-23-08, 11:34 PM	Here's a thread for creative, interesting and imaginative ways to cast spells and prayers. Take any listed spell or prayer and give us a unique twist on it's casting that may not have been forseen, or might differ from its original intent. There is also plenty of room for readers to offer variations and rulings on these unorthodox castings. So all you players, DMs, evil warlocks and lurkers out there, feel free to ponder, post, and take notes.
dndgamer08 04-23-08, 11:55 PM	I'll begin. It's more of a question, and I'd like to get the opinion of other folks on this. Mirror Image 1. Can the caster control the placement of the mirror images? 2. If cast on another, can the caster differentiate between the images and the spell's recipient? 3. Can the spell be cast on an opponent (with a save)? Bear with me here. As a DM, I say yes to all of these. 1. The caster would have to concentrate. 2. The caster would know the mirror images from the original. 3. The opponent gets a save. This is why I ask: The adventuring party is in melee with a group of goblins. The party's wizard is in combat with a single goblin. And, to no one's surprise, there are more goblins coming down the hall. If any more goblins enter the room, the wizard is likely to be outnumbered. The wizard casts Mirror Image on the goblin opponent. The new goblins enter the room. They 'see' a group of goblins already surrounding the wizard. And since the wizard is outnumbered, they move to attack other opponents. The wizard is left with a single goblin opponent. If need be, the wizard can cancel the spell. Of couse, the wizard isn't going to concentrate on shifting the images around, but in the confusion of the battle, that shouldn't matter very much. The new goblins will see some of their own already surrounding the wizard and simply move on to better pickings. Any thoughts?
LadyAlaria 04-24-08, 12:22 AM	Mirror Image is personal. You can't cast it on your buddy, let alone the goblin. Also, it's fairly obviously a magical effect. The goblins arriving would see several identical goblins surrounding you. (I know that all goblins look the same to you and me, but I guarantee that goblins can tell each other apart.) If the goblin moves, the images move as well in a way that will make it obvious that they are magic. A common gripe of DnD is that the spells are deliberately "nerfed", stifling creativity. There is no particular logical reason that a Blade Barrier has to be vertical. I would think that if Pelor wants his clerics to have a horizontal Blade Barrier, by gum he'll grant them a horizontal Blade Barrier! But the game designers didn't like folks casting Blade Barrier at the bottom of every pit trap or Force Cage to make big Cuisinarts. There is a general admonition that spell do exactly what they say they do in the description and not a jot more. And if you come up with something truly creative, figure the next edition will rewrite the spell to make it impossible.
dndgamer08 04-24-08, 12:37 AM	Ahh, yes, Personal Range. It's been brought to my attention. You can tell I haven't had the opportunity to cast the Mirror Image spell in quite some time (otherwise, this thread would have been started long ago). So, to confuse things even more, the wizard has first cast Alter Self and now looks like any other goblin. Hopefully this new group will help our altered wizard(s) combat his single opponent. And as far as goblins being able to tell one another apart, they would still have a hard time figuring out which one was the real goblin. I think I've just cast Confusion on myself.
dndgamer08 04-24-08, 01:10 AM	There is a general admonition that spell do exactly what they say they do in the description and not a jot more. If a different use of a particular spell would prove more effective, it would then have to be a spell of a higher level. That is why we often see 'Improved' versions. Take, for example, Lightning Bolt versus Chain Lightning. Lightning Bolt fires off in a straight line (more or less) and CL arcs directly to specified targets. And therein lies the trick -- to find a creative use of a spell that works within its confines and parameters. Bouncing a Lightning Bolt off the walls so that it comes to an end in the square right in front of you is one use of the spell (acutally happened), while 'powering up' an allied Shambling Mound is another.