The Old Shell Game! [Spheres Of Power]

[Afgncaap5]

How would you go about using Spheres of Power's spellcrafting system to make a magical "shell game" that someone could use to quickly ensconce a McGuffin, be it an object, a person who's being kidnapped, or even oneself in the event of an emergency?

The problem I'm running into is that there's, at a glance, several ways to go about this, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, but none of the ways I'm toying with really feel "fluid" mechanically, and some of them feel like I'm cheating. Like, the solution to just use creation to have three massive cups, along with Warp to move them to a final destination while Illusion looks like they're being moved is, frankly, way too fake. Telekinesis mixing them up feels better, but also potentially taxing on resources. Theoretically, the Destruction Sphere might provide a surprising answer via Energy Leap, but the limitation of it being a straight line would make it way too easily visually trackable.

Not truly necessary to know for the base project, but ideally, whatever the "Base" spell is, there could be another theoretical variation on the spell added to it to provide some consequence so that someone could have a number of these; ran to the wrong one? Sorry, it detonates! Didn't run to the right one? Looks like the countdown to the teleportation effect in the correct one had enough time to build up and let me get away! That kind of thing.

[NomGarret]

What about Death, and you hide the object inside the zombie?

[Afgncaap5]

What about Death, and you hide the object inside the zombie?

Heh. That could make a sort of macabre take on it, I suppose, but I'm trying to go for something a little more classic. I feel like Creation/Telekinesis or Creation/Warp or Illusion/(Something?) is the better all-purpose approach for creating the cups and then moving them, though I confess that making the cups be zombies(?) who could just run around together and mix themselves up might have a certain elegance to it.

[Psyren]

This sounds like a combination of Emergency Force Sphere, Mislead/Fool's Teleport, and Dimension Door. Convert each of those to spheres and then figure out a way to combine them, would be my suggestion.

[stack]

There are multiple paths to get there, as you noted. Using the spellcrafting rules straight up will be excessively costly though, since you are looking at multiple base sphere effects and additional talents. Given the limited nature of the end result, I would tack on some arbitrary cost reducers.

Unless you want to be able to drop giant cups over enemies and shake them around also; in that case it should cost more.:smallbiggrin:

Basic version: TK+Creation

Telekinesis (divided mind, finesse) + creation (divided creation)

Create three cups within reach, each large enough to hold a fine object (@ CL1, scale up to diminutive @ CL2, tiny @ CL4).

Make a sleight of hand or performance (street art or something like that) check opposed to observer's perception. May use CAM in place of skill modifier. Take -5 to the check from finesse talent.

You can maintain it with concentration, making a new check each round. Can continue it with a spell point for CL rounds. Any creature failing 1 check does not know the position of the hidden object. Probably rule that the cups have to stay adjacent to each other and all three end their move in one of the three original spaces (cost reducer). Can't be used to cover or strike a creature (cost reducer).

I wouldn't make that cost more than 1 SP regardless of the guidelines. And for an SP I would be inclined to add CL to the skill check.

Warp + Illusion would get you the same place. Wouldn't be inclined to change the cost.

[Afgncaap5]

Make a sleight of hand or performance (street art or something like that) check opposed to observer's perception. May use CAM in place of skill modifier. Take -5 to the check from finesse talent.

This is almost definitely involved (although it's making me come across the weird not-quite-disparity between the specifics of Spells and Rituals and the specifics of casting traditions in a world.) I'm almost considering a secondary level of it; not only does it require a Performance (Legerdemain?) check, but possibly a specific DC to work before it even gets the "and your opponent can thwart it with their Spot check" qualifier. Having said that, both on top of each other feels potentially needless.

And on that note, you may be right about the "arbitrary cost reducers". I generally don't like doing things just for the sake of reducing costs of things, but this might be one of those cases where it's better for story purposes to artificially make it cheaper (just as the DMG has a few magic items that cost less than their formula might suggest.)