Shrink Item uses

[OverdrivePrime]

While browsing here the other day, I got turned on to the immense utility of the Shrink Item spell.

Now, to my simple mind, it's not clear what happens if something is contained by the item targeted by the spell.

If I cast the spell on a large banded treasure chest, do all the items contained inside get shrunken as well, or do they burst through the chest as it shrinks?

Same scenario for a large bucket of water. Does the water spill out the top of the bucket, or does the water shrink with the bucket?

It seems this spell has great uses for carrying equipment, removing obstacles (goodbye adamantine portcullis), thievery and practical jokes without end.

I particularly like Shrink Item when combined with permanency. Paladin: "Oh no, we don't have a way to get all these refugees across the lake before the orc army gets here!" Heroic Wizard: "Never fear guys, I brought along my plushie schooner!"


One further question. Can you put a shrunken item into an item targeted by shrink item? I don't see why you couldn't but it seems to border on abuse.
I'm thinking of said example of the shrunken schooner going into a large chest to be targeted by Shrink Item.

[Emperor Tippy]

All up to your DM. The rules are less than clear.

[OverdrivePrime]

All up to your DM. The rules are less than clear.

Hurrah for real life full ranks in diplomacy! Might have to start putting more ranks in bluff though...

As a DM, I'd personally halve the duration of both shrink spells if you've got a one-inside the other situation . But, if you've paid the XP cost for permanency, I'm A-Okay with rewarding that sort of investment. Start stacking things 3 or 4 deep though, and I might start to roll on random tables for magical mishaps.

This is a great spell for the cat burglar wizard, I think. Get in, shrink the item targeted into a tiny cloth duplicate, cast magic aura to remove any stink of magic on the item, and walk out clean as a whistle. Great for portable shelters and the like as well...

What are other people's favorite uses?

[jcsw]

Giving poor defenseless children "doll houses", waiting a few hours, then dismissing it?

[streakster]

Throw a ship/bonfire/boulder/plushy lump of acid at a foe. Insane if used in a throwing build.

Enemies chasing you up an incline? Toss a boulder or two behind you.

As has been said, carry a boat at all times. Also don't leave home without a wagon.

In jail? Walk out with the bars in your pocket.

Carry shrunken plushy water with you. A use will present itself. (Not least: Putting it in someone's pants, then whispering the code word.)

Profit!!! Take the dungeon with you as loot. No need to leave that huge statue or ornate altar behind, after all.

Shrink traps and deploy them about the battlefield.

With high enough Sleight of Hand checks, you can place items on an enemy. The uses are endless. (Campfire in their pocket, obviously...)

Have some plushy lava. Spend the XP to make it permanent. Never worry about locks, doors, items, pursuers, or enemies ever again.

Make a tiny fort and unshrink it in combat. Then just hide inside and snipe at your enemies. Hooray Improved Cover!

Carry corpses about, then animate when an army is needed. Great for keeping useful corpses about until needed. ("Oooh, that has a burrow speed? That could be handy..."

Your shrunken items cannot be magical, but they can have spells placed on them. Go wild.

[mabriss lethe]

I've done something similar with an ogre mage character.

Since, as part of an OM's powers, equipment resizes itself whenever he changes shape, it's a great way to create some really nasty tricks.

Have a weapon made for a very tiny creature. and have it mounted as jewelry. only put it on after you've assumed whatever form you plan on keeping for a while. If you're ever disarmed, draw your jewelry sword and shapeshift. viola! as soon as you change shape, the weapon resizes to fit your new form. It'll return to normal as soon as you drop it.

The reverse of this was great for a thrower. Have a bunch of daggers made for as big of a freaking critter as you can. put your hands on them and then change shape. they'll scale down to your size category for as long as they're in your posession. Carry lots of them. go crazy.

[kbk]

We caused Faerun to enter a long dark age in one campaign with Shrink item:


High level wizard sells a lot of his possessions to get a Wish spell and other materials to pull this off:

Casts shrink item on a 100 or so boulders.

Places Invisibility on the shrunken boulders.

Invisibility and nondetection on himself. Mindblank too.

Wish: I want no one to ever find out the identity of the attackers of my upcoming attack on Zhentil Keep. He's a lot more precise than that, but you get the idea.

Casts Fly on himself.

Flies high enough for terminal velocity and flies over zhentil keep and drops the boulders.

Cancels shrink item.

Boom.


Now, no one ever did figure out who did this, but they learned that it was really easy to do, so it was like a bombing escalation and all the major cities of Faerun were destroyed before magic was rewritten to stop this.

[Flickerdart]

Well, a pretty good way to get back at some guy would be to shrink his item, if you know what I mean.

[Ent]

We caused Faerun to enter a long dark age in one campaign with Shrink item:


High level wizard sells a lot of his possessions to get a Wish spell and other materials to pull this off:

Casts shrink item on a 100 or so boulders.

Places Invisibility on the shrunken boulders.

Invisibility and nondetection on himself. Mindblank too.

Wish: I want no one to ever find out the identity of the attackers of my upcoming attack on Zhentil Keep. He's a lot more precise than that, but you get the idea.

Casts Fly on himself.

Flies high enough for terminal velocity and flies over zhentil keep and drops the boulders.

Cancels shrink item.

Boom.


Now, no one ever did figure out who did this, but they learned that it was really easy to do, so it was like a bombing escalation and all the major cities of Faerun were destroyed before magic was rewritten to stop this.

Ah, old Faerun.

[FMArthur]

A friend of mine once shrank a Fighter BBEG's flying machine that he was using to escape off of a tower, causing him to fall to his death. Our BBEGs were of full caster classes from then on, as any caster worth his salt is usually prepared to survive a fall in several different ways.

[Fax Celestis]

Disposal of corpses.

Dead bodies are considered objects by spells, so cast shrink item on them to hide the bodies.

[charl]

The applications are limitless. Just think of the uses in a modern fantasy setting. Forget the suitcase nuke, they now come in pocket varieties!

Or for the more medieval setting? Who needs a crossbow, when you can have a ballistae in your backpack.

[Flickerdart]

The applications are limitless. Just think of the uses in a modern fantasy setting. Forget the suitcase nuke, they now come in pocket varieties!

Or for the more medieval setting? Who needs a crossbow, when you can have a ballistae in your backpack.

Hm. Launch Bolt a Colossal crossbow bolt that was shrunk...you'd need a few days to prepare enough, and it's not effective, but it's fun.

[Fax Celestis]

Disposal of corpses.

Dead bodies are considered objects by spells, so cast shrink item on them to hide the bodies.

I forgot to mention: if you're really into the macabre, do this: cast shrink item on a body, select the clothlike option, cast permanency, then make yourself a cloak of charisma or something out of it.

[streakster]

I always meant to make a PrC that focused on this spell, ala the Master of the Unseen Hand.

And yes, siege weapons are a great idea.

Also, carry a wooden mannequin dressed like you about. When you need a getaway, just resize and animate it!

Just as question, if I were to Arcane Reach shrink item and shrink an opponent's necklace, would that then decapitate them?

[kbk]

Just as question, if I were to Arcane Reach shrink item and shrink an opponent's necklace, would that then decapitate them?

Shrink item allows a will save for negation (objects). So an attended object such as a worn necklace means the wearer gets a will save. After that it is probably up to the DM exactly what happens.

Personally I wouldn't say a 3rd level spell could decapitate (save or death at 3rd level?!) Maybe make it like a weaker version of a strangulation-like effect. Its also much more likely (depending on the necklace) that the necklace will break than that a head will come off. So the duration would not be very long.

[shadow_archmagi]

I forgot to mention: if you're really into the macabre, do this: cast shrink item on a body, select the clothlike option, cast permanency, then make yourself a cloak of charisma or something out of it.

But... at 1/16th the size, you'd need quite a few bodies. It'd make an amazing villain though; a master leatherworker artificer who makes clothes out of the villages he slaughters.

[charl]

Could also be very useful for the smuggler spellcaster. No city guard thinks of confiscating miniature plush weapons because they could be considered contraband.

[Glyphic]

But... at 1/16th the size, you'd need quite a few bodies. It'd make an amazing villain though; a master leatherworker artificer who makes clothes out of the villages he slaughters.

This sounds like Fun with tessellations!

[Ravens_cry]

Could also be very useful for the smuggler spellcaster. No city guard thinks of confiscating miniature plush weapons because they could be considered contraband.

Well. . .if the spell was common enough, they would. After the 16th time the ruler was assassinated by a plushie crossbow, they would start to get suspicious. Ugh, they may even start cavity searches.

[Person_Man]

Build a massive harpoon (64ish feet long).
Use Shrink item on it, so that it's the size of a normal harpoon.
Throw it into your enemy.
Say the command word so that it expands to full size.
Profit!!!

[Meat Shield]

Kinda surprised no one has mentioned Hank Pym and the 'Pym particles' and his always having whatever item he needs in his pocket.

BTW, the strategic bombing in Faerun post is probably the best thing I will read about today. Thanks!

[kbk]

Kinda surprised no one has mentioned Hank Pym and the 'Pym particles' and his always having whatever item he needs in his pocket.

BTW, the strategic bombing in Faerun post is probably the best thing I will read about today. Thanks!

Your Welcome

This was done by the same "Neutral" mage who had built a massive tower and filled it with expensive traps, which routinely killed rogues and small adventuring parties seeking fortune and glory. He even paid bards to spread word of the massive secret treasure his tower held, when it was really just a tower of traps. He rationalized that he was simply executing criminals.

Needless to say, the bombing finished his perilous journey to evildom, and he was adopted by certain devils who found out what he did (his wish forbade anyone on Faerun finding out about his bombing, nevermind other planes).

Since my Mage had witnessed him setting up the bombing, I already knew he was going to do it, but couldn't find conclusive proof it was him. I got to lead the campaign into hell to avenge Faerun.

[save da chicken]

We caused Faerun to enter a long dark age in one campaign with Shrink item:


High level wizard sells a lot of his possessions to get a Wish spell and other materials to pull this off:

Casts shrink item on a 100 or so boulders.

Places Invisibility on the shrunken boulders.

Invisibility and nondetection on himself. Mindblank too.

Wish: I want no one to ever find out the identity of the attackers of my upcoming attack on Zhentil Keep. He's a lot more precise than that, but you get the idea.

Casts Fly on himself.

Flies high enough for terminal velocity and flies over zhentil keep and drops the boulders.

Cancels shrink item.

Boom.


Now, no one ever did figure out who did this, but they learned that it was really easy to do, so it was like a bombing escalation and all the major cities of Faerun were destroyed before magic was rewritten to stop this.

Awesome, could i sig' this?

[kbk]

Awesome, could i sig' this?

Just leave credit where its due :-)

[save da chicken]

will do =] and shrink kinda sounds overpowered (not that i care)

[D Knight]

you know you could make mini iron golem that you could throw or drop and say command word for major damage. now i know you might say thats imposable but it is i have done the math just do not have out in front of me.

[chronoplasm]

Cook a huge cauldron of soup. Like, enough to feed a village.
Cast shrink item on the soup.
Feed the soup to your enemy.
Make the soup return to its normal size.

[aaron_the_cow]

In a 1st/2nd edition world that I played in there was a mage/archer who used the spell on a barrel with a shield in front and full of arrows.

Another mage dipped a rug in oil, lit it on fire, then cast the spell...awsome missle wepon...

[quick_comment]

Cook a huge cauldron of soup. Like, enough to feed a village.
Cast shrink item on the soup.
Feed the soup to your enemy.
Make the soup return to its normal size.

BEST use of any spell EVER