Illusionist Displace Image spell - proposed clarifications

[True Neutral]

I appreciate the acknowledgement of the problems in general with the Illusionism spell list. And I acknowledge as well that making a balanced illusionist class is a difficult proposition. As a writer friend of mine pointed out recently, it is often an easier fit to a villian character, a one shot who is virtually helpless once their tricks are up, even though you may never be exactly sure if you defeated them. . . ;^)

I have to disagree with you on the playtesting though. I can't imagine any game designer I've known looking at the talent progression, spell list and karma ritual and agreeing that it makes perfect sense that every single Illusionist in a fantasy setting should be a David Copperfield wannabe stage act. And even if they did, no-one with any sense would put the most basic of stage magic at the Journeyman. An illusionist can kill people with gouts of flame, or lightning bolts, but they can't force a card, palm a coin or anything that would characterize a stage show. Not to mention that unlike any other discipline, an illusionist is dead out of karma if they don't have a willing assistant (that has to be different every time) and an audience. And of course, in Earthdawn, you are by definition nerfing yourself by gaining Legend points. Every rank of status you gain makes it more likely that anyone you meet will be able to ignore half of your abilities. But what's game life without some challenge?

Let's talk game play. Illusionists are by definition those that craft the reality around them. They are the ones that seek to manipulate and control what others see and hear so not having the ability to do so is patently ridiculous. Unseen Voices is the notable exception. If the arc of illusion creating spells built off of that, it could have made something fun. But let's return to your running through magic users. To be an apt comparison, you would ask the question, how many spells allow an adept to do something central to their discipline?

How many Elementalist spells allow elementalists to make significant personal choices on how their spells work? Are you kidding??? Elementalists are the best fed Adepts anywhere because whatever you feed them, for a year afterward, they can make the most expensive meal in the world out of twigs. Every elemental spell they can choose between five entirely different elements to suit their fancy. They can choose any plant they want and make it grow a week's worth in seconds. Permanently.

How many Nethermancer spells let them summon spirits of their choice? Rank one. Bone Circle. They can summon a spirit with Aid Summoner, Confusion, Durability, Evil Eye or Manifest. At will. And you can know there's a bone circle, you can try as hard as you want to break it, and it will laugh at you. Even the strongest magic user is forced to *touch* the bone circle to dispel it and face attack from the spirit. Rank One. They can summon any Nightflyer they like, give it a message and then send it anywhere within flight distance over an entire night. At Rank One, an Illusionist can make a piece of paper appear in your pocket, if they can see you. For a few seconds. The chance you could even find a message sent by an illusionist in time is negligible. At Rank one a nethermancer can repel freakin' Horrors. At Third Circle, they can send any message they want to anyone they want, anywhere in the *world* where "spirits are active". And, oh yeah, at Fourth Circle the *novice* Nethermancer can raise the freakin' dead.

Wizards, whose central goals are investigation and argument, can they investigate any magical object or effect they want? Of course. At rank one, they can Astrally Sense things through walls and detect all astral presences around them. They can perform a full pattern diagnostic on any living creature.They can read a shelf of mystic books in minutes and perfectly recall all of them. And of course full magical analysis on anything they want at Circle three.

Okay, rant over. I don't disagree with a lot of your points about balance, but please don't try to convince me anyone playtested an Illusionist and came out smiling.

Also, while I agree with the point about game balance, I don't find you're counter argument compelling. If the Displaced Image leaves footprints then a Monstrous Mantled target should leave similarly clawed, larger, etc, footprints. Horns would brush on branches and leaves and all the rest of the unprogrammable interactions necessary to be 'believeable'. Ah, but illusions make you believe them regardless, which makes the same argument. If it works for a Circle One spell, it should work for a Circle Two spell that is even easier. After all, there is no programming necessary for Displaced Image, it just mimics exactly what the target does, apparently. You don't need to make it appear a swing missed a Displaced Image any more than the dumb programmed Monstrous Mantle needs to make the entire namegiver seem to dodge for you to have missed those massive horns. Phantom Warrior makes up entirely new movements of a character continuously, times *three*, with no concentration needed.

To be clear, I don't think of it as a useless spell. My point is that when someone plays an illusionist there are certain basic things one expects to be able to do. Making duplicates to confuse the enemy. Distracting them with things that aren't there. Making the meathead warrior charge through you to land in the mud (or off a cliff if you plan ahead ;^). And once you survive everything to get to the promised land of Journeyman, you can make an illusion of a wall, maybe with a flag as long as it doesn't move very much. Oh, and pull a rabbit out of a hat. If I pay 1,300 Legend points for the privilege of doing so. So excuse me for trying to make one spell do something that would make my character seem like an Illusionist.

Your two scenarios are well noted, though the first relies on the almost never occurring "we know exactly what's around the next corner" scenario. And yes, if you know exactly what you are fighting and when, there are a number of spells that can be very useful. If you know you are going to fight creatures with a fear affect, Assuring Touch is brilliant, too. That hasn't happened in the last two years, but when it does, I'll be ready. :^)

[Lursi]

I agree that some key spells like the karma step manipulators miss.
Clarion call and nobody here however have saved many groups from big trouble or gave them just the extra 5 rounds to get ready for it.

[True Neutral]

Agreed. I've use Clarion Call to end a few combats by clearing out surviving attackers and to prevent a siren type bird from luring us into a battle with it's protective carnivorous tree (Shhhhhh...).

Part of it too is that with so few matrices, every spell has to be that much more functional to deserve loading it.