Magic Mirror (spell)

Magic mirror is a spell that transforms an ordinary mirror into a scrying device, functioning much like a crystal ball. This can also serve as a channel through which comprehend languages, ESP, tongues, infravision and ultravision can serve, as the "window" into the other side of the mirror is opened. It is possible also to employ detect magic, illusion or malevolence through the mirror, as well as send a message through the conduit the mirror creates.

Magic Mirror

Range	touch
Duration	1 round per level
Area of Effect	1 mirror
Casting Time	2 rounds
Saving Throw	none
Level	mage (4th)

Any mirror will serve for this purpose, though it will give a view equal to the cleanliness and dimensions of the mirror. As the spell takes hold, the mirror ceases to reflect and begins to function as an aperture into whatever scene the caster wishes to see through it. In effect, a line-of-sight is opened through the mirror, so that whatever is on the other side becomes immediately and clearly visible. The effect is one-way; while the caster's "presence" cannot be detected, the caster is effectively "there," being able to hear and see whatever the mirror is pointing at.

Movement

Although the spell opens upon a single scene, the caster is not confined to one fixed view of it. By shifting the mirror to the left or right, or by turning bodily while looking through it, the caster may examine the surrounding features of that place. In effect, the mirror remains the frame of the opened window, but the caster may re-angle that window by physical movement.

For example, if the caster chose to view the interior of a shop, the caster could turn the mirror to inspect each wall, look toward the front or rear entrance, or even advance physically while continuing to gaze through it. In this way, the caster could use the mirror to navigate through the viewed location for the duration of the spell, moving through doors, around corners, or out into the street beyond. Solid obstructions such as doors or walls would not block this sight, since the opened window is not halted by physical barriers in the intervening space. However, such navigation would require the caster to move in the real world while maintaining the spell, so the exploration of the scene would be limited by the caster's ability to walk, turn, and keep the mirror properly aligned.

Limitations

If the mirror were large but mounted to a wall, it would give a wide panorama for viewing but it would be difficult to turn or adjust the mirror unless some apparatuses were created that allowed the mirror to be moved. The caster must concentrate wholly upon the spell to maintain their sight through it. This offers some concern due to the simple fact that if the caster is moving forward through a scene in the mirror, concentrating upon it, they may stumble into a wall or off a cliff doing so, not realising that their physical body is moving through a different space from what the mirror is showing. It is important to recognise that a literal one-to-one body mapping exists between the movement the caster makes through the mirror and their movement through real space.