What it says in the subject line. Thank you.
Mirror Strike
School: transmutation
Level: magus 1, sorcerer/wizard 1
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, M (a shard of mirror)
Range: personal
Targets: you
Duration: see text
You briefly alter the flow of time to split a melee attack into two attacks. Before the end of your next turn, when you make your next melee attack roll, compare the result to the AC of two opponents within your reach. If the selected opponents are flanking you, you gain a +2 bonus on your attack roll (and confirmation attack roll, see below). If you hit both enemies, you can deal half damage to each. Hitting only one opponent allows you to deal that opponent normal damage for your attack. On a critical threat, you can make only one attack roll to confirm the critical hit against both opponents. If you confirm against both, you deal half your critical hit damage to each. Your hit is a normal hit rather than a critical if you confirm against only one opponent. If you fail to use the effect before the end of your next turn, the spell ends.
I think it works like this... Let's pretend that you are flanked by an Orc with a 17 AC and Goblin with a 15 AC. You cast Mirror Strike (defensively of course) so next round when you attack, you roll one d20 and compare the result (+ your attack bonus) to both ACs. Let's say you have a +6 to hit. You roll an 8 which becomes a 16 (remember the +2 for them flanking you). That means you do full damage to the Goblin since you "missed" the Orc. If you had rolled a 9 or higher, you would roll damage and split it evenly between the Orc and the Goblin. If you had rolled a critical threat, roll once for confirmation. Again, if you roll a 9 or higher you would roll out your critical damage and split it evenly between the Orc and Goblin. 8 or less and you just split normal damage between the two since the confirmation failed against the higher AC.
It's a terrible spell. That's basically it.
Also, it's written by that guy on the team who still hasn't learned how crit confirmation works. same guy who wrote Death or Glory, I suppose.
Best case, facing two enemies, it's kinda like having a re-roll for your standard action single attack. Which is a terrible use of a spell slot and a standard action. If this spell was a swift action, it would probably be just about right - "never taking this, but you only have to ban like 5 1. level spells before i'd consider it".
"But a Magus could cast this with spell combat" you might say. And you'd be a terrible person, banished to the corner, wearing the dunce cap for the rest of the week. A Magus doing that loses: An attack from spell strike this turn. The effect of a 1. level spell this turn. The opportunity to use spell combat next turn.
Whooever wrote this doesn't understand action economy either.
It's a terrible spell. That's basically it.
Also, it's written by that guy on the team who still hasn't learned how crit confirmation works. same guy who wrote Death or Glory, I suppose.
Best case, facing two enemies, it's kinda like having a re-roll for your standard action single attack. Which is a terrible use of a spell slot and a standard action. If this spell was a swift action, it would probably be just about right - "never taking this, but you only have to ban like 5 1. level spells before i'd consider it".
"But a Magus could cast this with spell combat" you might say. And you'd be a terrible person, banished to the corner, wearing the dunce cap for the rest of the week. A Magus doing that loses: An attack from spell strike this turn. The effect of a 1. level spell this turn. The opportunity to use spell combat next turn.
Whooever wrote this doesn't understand action economy either.
That's the basic impression I was getting. Just wanted to be sure I wasn't overlooking something.
I have used that spell a little differently;I cast it before going into combat with more than 1 enemy, move into combat, then next round make my attack vs 2 enemies. Sometimes you can move to where not only are you flanked but you are also flanking.
Sure. But if you had a round to buff before engaging, you could have cast True Strike, Shocking Grasp, Shield or Vanish instead, at the very least.
Why does the author not understand crit confirmation?
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Maybe this spell would be useful if... You were taking bleed damage, had only a few hit points left and nothing in your spell arsenal except Mirror Strike and Shocking Grasp for some reason, and you were praying that you'd get lucky and crit with your shocking grasp through your keen scimitar to finish the two opponents who are the only thing left on the field? But then, why not just have 2 Shocking Grasps prepared since Mirror Strike is a standard action anyways...?
I really can't think of a solid reason to take this spell. It would be pretty sweet as a swift action spell though.
The really sad thing is that the spell has such cool imagery. I think it would be worthwhile if it let you do full damage to both targets and let you roll two attacks but applied the best roll to both targets.
So, it is PF Cleave feat as a spell, but weaker.
Never seen a spell weaker than feat before... (although no AC penalty)
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So, it is PF Cleave feat as a spell, but weaker.
Never seen a spell weaker than feat before... (although no AC penalty)
It's worse than cleave even beyond the reduction in damage done, you also have to burn a standard action getting ready to "cleave" with Mirror Strike. It's a party trick more than anything functional.
Any non-damaging effect will affect both targets. Poison, bleed, critical feats. Any combat maneuver that can be used in place of a melee attack, as well. Double Trip.
It's a 1st level spell for crying out loud, it shouldn't bring down the house. It's up to you to make it useful. How useful is Obscuring Mist? Great! Now no one can attack anything! Pretty bad, unless you know how to use it.
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Any non-damaging effect will affect both targets. Poison, bleed, critical feats. Any combat maneuver that can be used in place of a melee attack, as well. Double Trip.
It's a 1st level spell for crying out loud, it shouldn't bring down the house. It's up to you to make it useful. How useful is Obscuring Mist? Great! Now no one can attack anything! Pretty bad, unless you know how to use it.
This right here is what makes this spell great (not all combats are about direct HP damage). I personally like to use this with my reach trip attempts. SpellCombat this and reach out and trip (or sunder) 2 different targets with 1 attack and get a nice bonus on each try.
The spell is useful when used as part of a team. That is if your Magus is the Tank in your group. Not all Magus are the Burst damage hitters all the time.
Yes use those intisified empowered shocking grasps.
But when you run out, or for the little fights, be the tank and cast mirrior image, shield, then mirrior strike and then stand in the middle and let your friends eat them alive from the outside as they all try and dog pile you for running into the middle of a group.
This spell also lets you go at people of different ac's and still hit them. Fighter/wizard combos perhaps. Who has the higher ac? well try hitting both if you roll average and hit only one of them ... well there you go there is mister squishy. Next round flatten mister squishy... o yeah as a magus doing this put shocking on your weapon if it doesn't look like the electricity hurt one of them .... don't waist your burst spell on them.
Imagination will be the death of nonversital role plaiers... o yeah we call those gamers or min maxers.
YOUR SPELLING IS BAD!!!!!
YOU MUST BE BURNT!!!!!*angry noises*
Are you sure invisibility wouldn't drop for 1st attack? The spell sadly doesn't mention that interaction.
Not sure what you mean here. Of course invisibility drops after the "first attack". The spell makes that attack hit up to two opponents.
Actually, I think I'll write up a higher-level version that allows you to hit more foes with it, perhaps with a range of Touch. Imagine that cast on the invisible party Rogue.
Any non-damaging effect will affect both targets. Poison, bleed, critical feats. Any combat maneuver that can be used in place of a melee attack, as well. Double Trip.
It's a 1st level spell for crying out loud, it shouldn't bring down the house. It's up to you to make it useful. How useful is Obscuring Mist? Great! Now no one can attack anything! Pretty bad, unless you know how to use it.
I figured it to be pretty neat for a 1st lvl magus spell for the purpose of maneuvers, the +2 bonus vs flanking opponents is nice.
I am not sure on things like poison that is supposed to 'discharge' after a hit.
Are you sure invisibility wouldn't drop for 1st attack? The spell sadly doesn't mention that interaction.Not sure what you mean here. Of course invisibility drops after the "first attack". The spell makes that attack hit up to two opponents.
Actually, I think I'll write up a higher-level version that allows you to hit more foes with it, perhaps with a range of Touch. Imagine that cast on the invisible party Rogue.
Why I ask? He said: "With mirror strike, you could hit two enemies flatfooted before losing invisibility"
But invisibility drops before second attack nullifying his statement. So what did he mean. Unless you are saying attacking both counts as one attack.
Why I ask? He said: "With mirror strike, you could hit two enemies flatfooted before losing invisibility"
But invisibility drops before second attack nullifying his statement. So what did he mean. Unless you are saying attacking both counts as one attack.
What second attack?
The spell allows you to make a single attack which can hit two enemies. You don't roll for each foe. You don't hit one first, then the other. You hit two foes simultaneously, which means that invisibility won't drop until after both foes are hit (or missed. The point is after).
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 8
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Why I ask? He said: "With mirror strike, you could hit two enemies flatfooted before losing invisibility"
But invisibility drops before second attack nullifying his statement. So what did he mean. Unless you are saying attacking both counts as one attack.
That's exactly what the spell does, Starbuck. :D
One attack roll = one attack.
So like Prone Shooter, the editors mess with the stuff and make it not as good too often?
I really didn't mean to give that impression. I think the changes they made to mirror strike were mostly for the better, and the final result is certainly a better written, more balanced spell.
Like I said, it was never a great spell to begin with. That doesn't mean I think it's a bad spell, then or now.
My question is since it works off your next "attack roll" not attack action could this actually be a decent use of Vital Strike? Allowing you to spilit the total rolled between the two targets?
I would assume same as with my vital strike query you would split the total.