Enter Image - A Wonderful PF Spell With A Thousand Uses

[g3taso]

Enter Image is a Pathfinder spell, on various lists as level 2 or 3 (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/e/enter-image) and is open-source content. The spell has a range for certain things, and not for others. The "unlimited range" portion is what concerns us below.

In essence, with a duration of concentration the caster can leave his body and monitor the area around anything that bears his/her image (specially minted coins, pictures, statues and so forth). "Each such image has the full range of your normal senses (sight, hearing, smell, etc.) and you can make a Perception check to notice anything occurring nearby. The DC of this check is always 10 greater than what it would be if you were actually present at that location, so even if you would normally notice something automatically (such as talking, normally a DC of 0), you would need to make a DC 10 Perception check to notice it. "

This spell has so many applications! Here are a small number that immediately spring to mind:
1. Cast on a specially minted coin for your familiar to wear like a "dog tag", allowing you to variously scout out the local landscape by land or air while being able to pass instructions along.
2. It's better than a Sending spell! Have an hour-long chat with your split party members so long as they are within a reasonable distance, and even if they are far away you can make sure you know what's going on.
3. Put an Arcane Mark on that goblin or two who survived their ambush of your party, knowing as they run back to their warren you will be watching the route and how to bypass their traps.
4. A couple of small statues built onto the outer walls of your residence let you know when someone is climbing the walls to rob you.
5. Alternately, a well-placed image of you lets you know when the sentries guarding the Evil Overlord's walls have moved, allowing you to Dimension Door/Teleport in and breach their defenses. Remember that for Teleport, "studied carefully" is a place you know well, either because you can currently physically see it or you've been there often.
6. Get your image on coins into the local underworld, and trace the route to the thieves guild hideout.
7. Find out once and for all if someone is visiting your daughter while you are out fighting evil!

I was hoping you all might have other wonderful uses for this spell, whether on the "unranged" or "ranged" capacities of the spell. Got any ideas?

[Afgncaap5]

I might be misreading it, but I'm not seeing where the spell has an unlimited range for some effects.

[avr]

I think Afgncaap's right. It has a range (quite a nice one, 50'/level) and nothing saying that it doesn't apply to some part of the spell. If you're saying that the Effect line overrides it, remember 'a spell's range is the maximum distance from you that the spell's effect can occur'.

It could have some interesting interactions with contingencies. "Burn" says the painting and a fireball explodes around you.

[LarwisTheElf]

Is it bad that the first idea I got after reading the spell description is to put images of yourself all over a dungeon so that you can watch/mock the adventurers as they struggle through your traps and guardians? (Bonus points if the BBEG of the dungeon acts just like Handsome Jack)

"Hey guys! How's it going? Oh wait, your still stuck in this room? Man! That is sad! You guys really are stupid. I mean I knew you were stupid but not that stupid. Oh oh look at that you triggered the trap. Haha this is like, the best entertainment I've had in ages. Oh keep it up guys, I need some more laughs before this is over."

[Psyren]

The point of the spell is for vain/eccentric spellcasters to spy on or troll people that enter their domains. Like an egotistical wizard having dozens of portraits of himself all over his manor might not be out of the ordinary, then you notice each time you walk past one of them, the eyes seem to be following you...

Concerning the uses suggested in the OP:

1) Share Senses has a much better range and doesn't require concentration so I would suggest using that instead.
2) Telepathic Bond is a much better option for letting a split party stay in contact; it works over any distance once established, can be made permanent, doesn't rely on the away team keeping a polaroid of you handy, and of course, no nearby enemies will hear your polaroid suddenly start gabbing in the rogue's pocket while he's trying to be sneaky.
3) I'm not totally sure that an Arcane Mark that looks exactly like your face is possible, though it's certainly vainglorious! Assuming it's allowed, you'd have to be dealing with some pretty dumb enemies who let scouts wearing your mug back into the base, especially if said mug starts looking around at all the decor.
4) This is a nonstarter - you'd have to be inhabiting one of those statues at the exact moment that something is sneaking up for it to do any good. An alarm system that requires you to be actively watching/concentrating on the area already isn't a very good alarm system.
5) If you can get somewhere to put a portrait of yourself up, then you've already visited it and can teleport there. If you haven't seen it, there are better scrying spells to remedy that.

6) This one is actually pretty funny - a wizard who gets his face put on the local currency has potentially millions of eyes and ears all over the city. Granted, you can only concentrate on a single coin at a time and you have to be somewhat close by, but still.

7) Yes, your daughter is totally going to do it with a portrait of dad in the room staring disapprovingly at the proceedings :smalltongue: More likely, she'll throw a sheet over it (blinding you) or hanky-panky elsewhere.


Is it bad that the first idea I got after reading the spell description is to put images of yourself all over a dungeon so that you can watch/mock the adventurers as they struggle through your traps and guardians? (Bonus points if the BBEG of the dungeon acts just like Handsome Jack)

"Hey guys! How's it going? Oh wait, your still stuck in this room? Man! That is sad! You guys really are stupid. I mean I knew you were stupid but not that stupid. Oh oh look at that you triggered the trap. Haha this is like, the best entertainment I've had in ages. Oh keep it up guys, I need some more laughs before this is over."

That's exactly the sort of thing this spell is meant for, so no, don't feel bad :smalltongue:

[zergling.exe]

7) Yes, your daughter is totally going to do it with a portrait of dad in the room staring disapprovingly at the proceedings :smalltongue: More likely, she'll throw a sheet over it (blinding you) or hanky-panky elsewhere.

This is why you tattoo your face somewhere on her body instead. :smalltongue:

[torrasque666]

This is why you tattoo your face somewhere on her body instead. :smalltongue:
Oh god I'm now imagining this as a tramp stamp.

>get frisky
>move to the deed
>tramp glares stares at you and booms "NOT WITH MY DAUGHTER YOU DON'T!"
>crap self and leave humiliated.

[oxybe]

i can see it being useful if you can have a small picture that your familiar can carry around in a locket or something. have a rat, racoon, monkey or other familiar with some sort of hand or near-hand carry it around it's neck or belly and have them explore in areas you can't necessarily go and when you want to check out an area you can just whisper to them to stand up or poke it outwards.

more exotic familiars that can go invisible like imps, quasits, etc... can simply stay invisible, fly to where they want to be while carrying your likeness.

what's nice about this spell is that it's low level. while there are better spells that do the same effect at higher level, i would much rather use one of my 2nd level spell slot rather then 4th level ones to do some remote viewing if possible and keep those 4th level spells to solve encounters rather then prepare for them.

[Psyren]

Yeah, the "familiar carrying your locket to scout" isn't a bad use. It is risky though; if he gets caught, it'll be pretty obvious not just that he's a familiar, but who he belongs to.

But while Share Senses is higher level, it also "runs in the background." You can actually have your familiar scouting the next encounter while you're fighting the current one, or recovering/buffing/etc.

[atemu1234]

Yeah, the "familiar carrying your locket to scout" isn't a bad use. It is risky though; if he gets caught, it'll be pretty obvious not just that he's a familiar, but who he belongs to.

But while Share Senses is higher level, it also "runs in the background." You can actually have your familiar scouting the next encounter while you're fighting the current one, or recovering/buffing/etc.

It's a pretty good way to keep an eye on your mooks, though. Send a goblin into an area with an item with your face on it. Tattoo it onto a sleeping minotaur. Something.

[Psyren]

It's a pretty good way to keep an eye on your mooks, though. Send a goblin into an area with an item with your face on it. Tattoo it onto a sleeping minotaur. Something.

Minotaur: "You're sure this will be a flaming skull with snakes coming out of its eyes, right?"
Wizard: "Oh totally man, totally. I've been in the business for years. Here, drink this."

I still think something like Clairvoyance would perform this function better though.

[atemu1234]

Minotaur: "You're sure this will be a flaming skull with snakes coming out of its eyes, right?"
Wizard: "Oh totally man, totally. I've been in the business for years. Here, drink this."

I still think something like Clairvoyance would perform this function better though.

More fun if the Wizard in question is a Lich who uses Prestidigitation to look like Ghost Rider.

[g3taso]

I might be misreading it, but I'm not seeing where the spell has an unlimited range for some effects.

"This spell allows you to leave your body and subconsciously monitor the immediate area around any depiction of your image whether one, hundreds, or even thousands. Each such image has the full range of your normal senses (sight, hearing, smell, etc.) and you can make a Perception check to notice anything occurring nearby. The DC of this check is always 10 greater than what it would be if you were actually present at that location, so even if you would normally notice something automatically (such as talking, normally a DC of 0), you would need to make a DC 10 Perception check to notice it."

I interpret this to mean that I can do this whether it is a statue on my mantelpiece over 100 miles away, or a specially minted coin with my face that I took the trouble to cover with a permanent illusion which is now in a cutpurse's pocket several blocks away, or even an invisible arcane mark that I slipped on someone's forehead (Reach, and possibly Chain Spell) during combat. It does not mention range in this paragraph at all.

"You may, at any time, choose to fill one specific image within range with your consciousness. While inside an image you lose the ability to monitor any other images within range but remain fully aware of your own body's surroundings. "

I interpret this to mean that within that (rather nice) range, I have the additional ability to enter a specific image within range and do the other nice things (speaking, etc) that the spell goes on to describe.

[khadgar567]

Guys did you forget this papi allows you to look concubine quarters what ever you want (perverted or black mail sake) when ever you want just let your familiar drop locked with picture to room and enjoy the darkside

[Psyren]

I interpret this to mean that I can do this whether it is a statue on my mantelpiece over 100 miles away, or a specially minted coin with my face that I took the trouble to cover with a permanent illusion which is now in a cutpurse's pocket several blocks away, or even an invisible arcane mark that I slipped on someone's forehead (Reach, and possibly Chain Spell) during combat. It does not mention range in this paragraph at all.

The spell itself has a range entry - thus the "likeness" that you're projecting to must be within 50ft./lvl, not "over 100 miles away."

"A spell's range is the maximum distance from you that the spell's effect can occur, as well as the maximum distance at which you can designate the spell's point of origin."

"Effect: transfer consciousness to any object bearing your likeness"