How to use Programmed/Mischievous/Malicious Image spells?

[Steve]

This might also be a "why use a..." Image spell from the Line, but anyway....

Has anyone tried these out? Malicious Image. Its a weird thing, that you cast the spell, there is a DC Will to disbelieve, then afterwards, this: "When it is hit you roll a concentration check vs DC 11 + 60% of the damage."

So essentially, these spells are designed for an Illusionist to conjure an Image, and this image acts as a "distraction" of X number of mobs, but the Illusionist essentially cannot do anything else, or risk an Auto Fail on the concentration DC, and have the Image disappear?

So an Illusionist would cast this so others in his party—or his Summons(es)—could beat the crap out of the Target? All the while standing off the side of the fight, sort of thing?

I'm also thinking about how the AI decides who/what to attack, concerning mobs/bosses. Usually, the AI will have a mob/Boss attack whatever Attacker has done the most recent/highest damage, against it. Or, the highest Character Level PC in the group—it totally metagames you. So, what would the HD/CL of the Images be calculated under? CL + Spell level of the Caster, maybe? The same HD/CL of whatever is the source of the Image target?

Help?!?!

[Steve]

*bump for primetime*

I can see now that Illusionists are a dime a dozen around here...NOT!!!

[Babuguuscooties]

Lol, im curious about the answer to this as well! Never used these spells.

[Tsidkenu]

Love programmed image. Complete copy of self to tank damage while I stand back a bit and cast spells? Yes please!

[Aspect of Sorrow]

The AI isn't anything to write home about, but you can, through a few rounds of simple planning, cause tremendous grief to your opposition. My surface main has 68 HP, and runs amok in Avernus generally untouched, carefully positioning her illusion based summons and moving the pieces on the chess board to her benefit. In the three situations she used them during PvP, I convinced someone to shoot their arrows at a casted mislead, just behind them a orb of darkness and a simulacrum coming into play that immediately sent arrows into the assailant, the second PvP I used a programmed image, Scry, and Whisper Wind, watching the PI die from the effort of the tiefling while it bought time to cast the phantasmal killer from the nearby bushes unseen, and the third was the entrapment of a programmed image behind a wall of ice stuck in a corner, with dancing lights and PoA to give off the idea that the hostile actor was going to cast while I teleported away the two I arrived to save.

On it's face, PI/MI isn't worthwhile to bother with, but with careful planning and lucky timing, it can work wonders that people talk about many months after.

[Babuguuscooties]

That's pretty cool, Aspect of Sorrow!

I'm always curious about the various ways mages use individually to handle both PVP and PVM situations. That's the fun of playing a wizard, after-all: The ability to prepare for different situations. There are definitely staple mage spells, but like I've never even used an image spell. So it's pretty cool to hear stories about them being used to maneuver dangerous areas, and to thwart enemies in pvp.

[Steve]

Thanks for the use responses.

So I'm reading here that the Concentration check on damage really isn't an issue? And, that the AI of mobs are "guided" to attack your Image, over bypassing it for your real self? That's cool.

Thus the Illusionist type gains a footing!