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Blur

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Blur
  • Level: 2
  • School: Illusion
  • Class: Sorcerer, Wizard
  • Casting Time: Action
  • Range: Self
  • Components: V
  • Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Your body becomes blurred. For the duration, any creature has Disadvantage on attack rolls against you. An attacker is immune to this effect if it perceives you with Blindsight or Truesight.

Tactical Usage​

When to Choose Blur:

  • Excellent defensive option for fragile spellcasters
  • Strong choice when expecting multiple attack rolls
  • Valuable for maintaining concentration on other spells
  • Essential protection when AC is insufficient

Defensive Strategy:

  • Cast before engaging in dangerous encounters
  • Maintain concentration while using other spells
  • Position to avoid detection-based counters
  • Combine with positioning for maximum protection

Limitations Awareness:

  • Blindsight and Truesight bypass the effect completely
  • Area effects and saving throw spells unaffected
  • Concentration requirement limits magical flexibility
  • Self-only targeting restricts party applications

Spell Combinations​

Layered Defense:

  • Mirror Image: Stack illusion defenses
  • Shield: Emergency AC boost when needed
  • Misty Step: Escape when defenses fail
  • Counterspell: Protect against magical attacks

Concentration Stacking:

  • Spiritual Weapon: Non-concentration offense
  • Eldritch Blast: Consistent damage option
  • Cantrips: Maintain offense without concentration
  • Bonus Action Spells: Efficient action economy

Material Component Details​

Verbal Only:

  • Simplicity: Only verbal component required
  • Stealth: No visual indicators during casting
  • Accessibility: Can cast when restrained
  • Efficiency: Quick casting for emergency defense

Roleplay Opportunities:

  • Describe body becoming indistinct and wavering
  • Reference shifting outline that confuses attackers
  • Use voice to convey the blurring effect
  • Emphasize visual distortion around caster

Creator Notes​

Adjudication Guidance:

  • Disadvantage applies to all attack rolls against caster
  • Blindsight and Truesight completely negate the effect
  • Area effects and saves not affected by blur
  • Visual effect is obvious to observers

Encounter Impact:

  • Significantly reduces incoming attack damage
  • Forces enemies to consider alternative tactics
  • May encourage focus on other party members
  • Creates tactical decisions about resource allocation

Balancing Considerations:

  • 2nd-level slot cost appropriate for defense
  • Concentration requirement creates opportunity cost
  • Self-only limitation prevents group protection
  • Specific counters prevent absolute defense

Environmental Interactions​

Visual Effects:

  • Caster appears constantly shifting and indistinct
  • Outline wavers and shifts like heat distortion
  • May create minor optical illusions nearby
  • Obviously magical to any observer

Detection Considerations:

  • Easily identified as magical illusion
  • Blindsight creatures unaffected by visual distortion
  • Truesight sees through illusion completely
  • May affect social interactions due to disturbing appearance

Combat Dynamics:

  • Attackers may switch to area effects
  • Intelligent enemies might target allies instead
  • Creates psychological effect beyond mechanical benefit
  • May influence enemy tactical decisions

Common Rulings & Clarifications​

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Does Blur affect spell attack rolls? A: Yes, all attack rolls against you have disadvantage.

Q: What about attacks that don't rely on sight? A: Only Blindsight and Truesight specifically bypass the effect.

Q: Does Blur protect against area effects? A: No, only attack rolls are affected, not saving throws.

Q: Can enemies tell I'm using Blur? A: Yes, the visual distortion is obvious to observers.

Alternative Applications​

Non-Combat Uses:

  • Social Disguise: Obscure facial features during interactions
  • Performance Art: Create dramatic visual effects
  • Intimidation: Appear otherworldly or supernatural
  • Privacy: Make detailed observation difficult

Creative Problem-Solving:

  • Confuse identification by witnesses
  • Create uncertainty about exact positioning
  • Demonstrate magical capability as deterrent
  • Obscure hand movements for sleight of hand

Defensive Illusions:

  • Mirror Image: Multiple false targets
  • Invisibility: Complete concealment
  • Displacement: Positional misdirection
  • Major Image: Environmental illusion

Alternative Defenses:

  • Shield: AC bonus against attacks
  • Mage Armor: Baseline AC improvement
  • Blink: Planar evasion defense
  • Stoneskin: Damage resistance

2nd-Level Alternatives:

  • Mirror Image: Illusion defense alternative
  • Misty Step: Mobility defense
  • Invisibility: Concealment defense
  • Web: Area control defense

Scaling Analysis​

Level Progression:

  • Early Game: Significant survival improvement
  • Mid Game: Useful but competes with other defenses
  • Late Game: Situational value against multiple attackers

Defensive Value:

  • Disadvantage roughly equivalent to +5 AC
  • Most effective against multiple weak attacks
  • Less valuable against single strong attacks
  • Scales with number of attacks faced

Long-Term Viability:

  • Attack roll protection always relevant
  • Higher-level enemies may have sight abilities
  • Concentration cost increases with other options
  • Useful for specific defensive strategies

Narrative Flavor​

Extended Description: As you speak the word of blurring, your form begins to shift and waver like a mirage in desert heat. Your outline becomes indistinct and constantly changing, making it nearly impossible for attackers to land precise blows. From your perspective, the world remains clear, but you can see the confusion in your enemies' eyes as they struggled to target something that seemed to slip away from their perception even as they watched.

Sensory Details:

  • Visual: Constant wavering and shifting outline
  • Perceptual: Difficulty focusing on exact position
  • Magical: Sense of illusion magic surrounding body
  • Psychological: Confusion and uncertainty in observers

Cultural Context: Different magical traditions may interpret blur differently—some as bending light, others as shifting between multiple realities simultaneously. The spell represents the illusionist's mastery over perception and the malleable nature of visual reality.