The Shadow-Traced Creature template interests me, but I've got a few questions about how it works. Would be nice to get them answered.
At will a shadow-traced creature may create three independent semi-real copies of itself as an immediate action. Shadow traces act on the base creature's initiative and each has half the base creature's hit points. Traces have duplicates of the base creature's abilities, magic, and equipment, but such equipment is semi-real: weapons disarmed from a trace vanish after 1 round and ammunition fired by a trace vanishes after use. If any of the traces are reduced to 0 hit points it is destroyed. Destroyed traced cannot be recreated unless all of the traces are dismissed or destroyed. If all traces are destroyed, the shadow-traced creature is staggered for 1 round and he cannot create more traces for 24 hours; otherwise, they last until the end of combat or until the creature takes a full-round action to dismiss them.
1. Surely, a Shadow-Traced creature can't have more than 3 traces active at the same time? The ability doesn't forbid the creation of 3 traces every turn, but I truly believe that's not the intent. Might as well ask, though.
2. Where does the traces appear? In the same square(s) as the "parent creature"? In adjacent squares?
3. Are the traces easily distinguishable from the parent creature, or is there a risk of confusing real and trace creatures with each other?
While at least one trace is active shadow traces mirror but weaken the spellcasting ability and spell-like abilities of the base creature. All magical effects from the traces or their base creature are considered illusion effects with the shadow subschool and are only 50% real if affected creatures make a Will save to disbelieve the illusion.
4. How does the change of magic school work? Say a Shadow-Traced creature casts Dominate Person on an Elf. Normally an Enchantment, the Elf would get a +2 bonus to resist due to Eleven Immunities. But it's now an Illusion, not an Enchantment, so the Elf doesn't benefit from Elven Immunities, right? Or is the spell treated as both an Enchantment and an Illusion?
5. What does 50% real mean? I suppose it's possible to halve spell damage, but there are a lot of spells out there that I have no idea how to make less "real".
1) It doesn't SPECIFICALLY say you can only have 3, but only a particularly cruel GM would rule it otherwise. XD Also, arguably, you could say that it's not the kind of thing you can have multiple instances of.
Yeah, I figured =)
2) In the same square.
3) They're distinguishable. Figure that it's kind of like Mirror Image.
Do you mean that they're indistinguishable? Because that's how Mirror Image works.
I assume you take the »in the same square« conclusion from Mirror Image too.
Anyway, I doubt that Mirror Image is the right analogue for the Shadow Traces ability. I thought about it, but it doesn't make complete sense. Mirror Image is purely a defensive spell, giving you chances of effectively dodge incoming attacks. Your images don't do anything, except confuse your enemies.
But the traces are creatures in their own right. They have an initiative score to act on, a set number of HP. The template specify how they can cast spells and who they each roll saves, individually. And creatures normally don't take up each-others squares.
Although, the Shadow Traces are created via an immediate action (which, by the way, I find a bit odd). I can sort of imagine how all the traces and the base creature occupy the same square at creation, and then move out in subsequent turns.
4) They're completely changed to illusions.
5) That's a Shadow descriptor thing. XD See Shadow Conjuration for more on how it works.
Ah, right. I sort of remembering something about shadows mimicking other spells, but I just looked up the Illusion school and Shadow subschool and found nothing general. For newbies such as me, it wouldn't have hurt to have the shadow-traced template mention shadow-conjuration. Thanks.