Hi,
I have a doubt about Shadow Jaunt spell from Villain Codex:
The reference to "shadow" in the description would mean "area of dim light", right?
If one used Quicken Spell with this spell, he would be able to use it in combat?
And, if using it in combat, if the character move on the opposite side of his opponent, the shadowy image left at his place (if not disbelieved) would allow him to flank the opponent?
In theory, there is no need of a line of effect to the target location, right? So, in theory, even if in short range, it would potentially allow to move from one floor to another and even to locations which are physically disconnected with each other (such as the other side of the wall that sounds "empty")?
Thanks,
Skarm
1. Since the spell references the dim-light-equivalent concealment granted by the shadowy envelope, yeah, I'd go with dim light.
2. Sure. You can use it in combat even without Quicken Spell, though.
3. No. There's no actual creature there to threaten the opponent, so no flanking bonus occurs. The flanking rules do not care whether the flanked creature can see or is even aware of its flankers.
3a. I'm not sure what you mean by "(if not disbelieved)"--do you mean in the colloquial sense? There's no saving throw to disbelieve the effects of this spell.
4. You need line of effect:
You must have a clear line of effect to any target that you cast a spell on or to any space in which you wish to create an effect. You must have a clear line of effect to the point of origin of any spell you cast.
1. Since the spell references the dim-light-equivalent concealment granted by the shadowy envelope, yeah, I'd go with dim light.
2. Sure. You can use it in combat even without Quicken Spell, though.
3. No. There's no actual creature there to threaten the opponent, so no flanking bonus occurs. The flanking rules do not care whether the flanked creature can see or is even aware of its flankers.
3a. I'm not sure what you mean by "(if not disbelieved)"--do you mean in the colloquial sense? There's no saving throw to disbelieve the effects of this spell.
Yes...I mean in colloquial sense. The point is linked to what is written below:
"Creatures that fail opposed Perception checks typically aren’t aware that you are no longer at your former location unless they are familiar with this spell and identify the effects. Any attack on your former location causes the shadows to disperse, allowing any creature that can see your former location to immediately notice your disappearance."
From the text creatures who fail an opposed Perception check aren't aware that you are no longer there...and in fact might even try to attack you! Moreover, I have checked...the shadow is a shadow effect...not even a shadow effect (which is partly real) will count as threat?
4. You need line of effect:
You must have a clear line of effect to any target that you cast a spell on or to any space in which you wish to create an effect. You must have a clear line of effect to the point of origin of any spell you cast.
Ok...with my target.
But my target is "personal" and that should be the point of origin if I am understanding correctly. Given this premise, the travel between different floors would be possible? :-?
Skarm
P.S.: I have checked better because after you told me this I ended up wondering how could "Teleport" work...it is a similar situation since the effect is on the creature you are teleporting, not on the location where you want to move it.
Teleport doesn't create an effect at the destination--it just sends you there. Note the range of "personal and touch" rather than "100 miles per caster level". It's a pretty lame justification, true, but that's Pathfinder.
If you really want an example of where this stuff falls apart, take a look at nightmare. Range is unlimited, spell is definitely intended to just work no matter where the target is, but by the book it ought to only work if you have both line of sight and line of effect. Crazy, right?
If you have more questions about shadow jaunt, the closest analog I can find is dimension door, and there are a lot more threads on that topic than there are on shadow jaunt. Now that I check, a few of them seem to indicate that dimension door does not require line of effect, though I haven't found a rationale to support it other than "because teleportation wouldn't work otherwise". It's worth noting that shadow jaunt isn't a teleportation spell, though.
I've probably muddied the waters more than I've helped in this thread, so my apologies. : D