Spell of the Week: Mirror Image

Mirror Image is a cunning little spell which, for the expenditure of a mere single power point, renders the caster almost entirely immune to physical attacks for a short time. It achieves this by surrounding the caster with a number of completely indistinguishable mirror images of the caster. Whenever someone attacks the caster, these images cannot be distinguished from the caster herself, and the target of the attack is determined randomly. As soon as an image is struck it disappears, but a spell-caster can create up to 8 images at the start of spell-casting. This makes a successful attack highly unlikely for the duration of the spell.

Because the images are a phantasm which do not affect the mind of other creatures, no saving throw or spell resistance can cause the spell to disappear. The only way to overcome this spell is to cast Dispel Magic, or to attack the images until they are all gone. If no spell-breaking magic is available, the quickest way to do damage to the caster is to use area effect spells (like fireball ) or spells which always affect the correct target (like magic missile). Any spell or physical attack which requires an attack roll will have a very high chance of hitting an image rather than the target, but area effect spells, and magic attacks which do not require an attack roll, will always hit the target, though the target may still get a chance to resist them with a saving throw.

This spell is a cheap, sure way to gain temporary near-invulnerability in combat. It is particularly useful for fighter/wizards who lack strong armour but regularly enter combat. It is worth remembering as a tool, and being aware of as a defense used by others.