Mirror Image is a 2nd-level illusion spell that creates three duplicates of you for 1 minute, with no concentration. Under the 2014 rules, when a creature targets you with an attack, you roll a d20 to see if it targets a duplicate instead: 6 or higher with three duplicates, 8 or higher with two, 11 or higher with one. In the 2024 rules, when an attack hits you, you roll a d6 for each duplicate left, and any roll of 3 or higher means a duplicate takes the hit instead.
Mirror Image is a 2nd-level illusion spell that makes attacks against you likely to hit an illusion instead. In the 2014 rules, sorcerers, warlocks, and wizards can learn it at 3rd level. The 2024 rules add bards.
Three illusory copies appear in your space and move with you. Each time an attack would affect you, there is a chance it goes to a duplicate, which is destroyed if hit. When all three are gone, the spell ends.
Its best feature is that it needs no concentration. You can cast it, then concentrate on Hold Person, Haste, or Fly. It does nothing against saving throws or area damage, and creatures that do not rely on sight ignore it.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Level | 2 |
| School | Illusion |
| Casting Time | 1 action |
| Range | Self |
| Components | V, S |
| Material | None |
| Duration | 1 minute |
| Concentration | No |
| Ritual | No |
| Save/Attack | None |
| Classes | Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard |
| Metric | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Slot Efficiency | High against attack-heavy enemies. One slot can stop several hits. |
| Action Economy | Costs your action, but no concentration, so your other spells keep running. |
| Opportunity Cost | Competes with Misty Step, Hold Person, and Invisibility for 2nd-level slots. |
When worth the slot: Fights against archers, multiattacking brutes, or any enemy that will target you with many attacks.
When NOT worth the slot: Fights dominated by area spells, saving throws, or creatures with blindsight.
Why it works: Mirror Image costs no concentration, so it stacks with whatever spell you are holding. Fewer hits reaching you also means fewer concentration saves.
This avoids the mistake of: Choosing between Blur and Haste when Mirror Image plus Haste is possible.
Why it works: In 2014, each duplicate's AC is 10 + your Dexterity modifier. A higher AC means attacks that switch to a duplicate miss more often, so the duplicates last longer.
This avoids the mistake of: Losing a duplicate to every redirected attack.
Why it works: Oozes, bats, and many underground creatures have blindsight. The spell does nothing against them.
This avoids the mistake of: Burning the slot against a creature that cannot be fooled.
Why it's bad: The duplicates ignore every effect except an attack that hits them. Area damage and saving throws affect you normally.
Do this instead: Spread out from allies and keep Counterspell ready for enemy casters.
Why it's bad: The 2014 version rolls a d20 when you are targeted. The 2024 version rolls d6s only after you are hit. The odds and the duplicate AC rules are different.
Do this instead: Agree with your DM on which version you use before the fight.
Why it's bad: The spell says the images shift so it is impossible to track which one is real. An attacker cannot simply choose you.
Do this instead: Point to the spell text if this comes up. Creatures that cannot be fooled, like those with truesight, are already covered by the spell.
The 2024 Player's Handbook reworked Mirror Image. The trigger moved from being targeted to being hit by an attack roll. Instead of one d20 against a table, you roll a d6 for each remaining duplicate, and any 3 or higher sends the hit to a duplicate, which is destroyed. Duplicates no longer have their own AC, and misses no longer cost you a duplicate.
The result is a stronger spell in most fights. With three duplicates, a hit reaches you only 1 in 27 times. Each duplicate reliably absorbs one hit, so the spell stops about three hits over its minute.
Two smaller changes: bards gain the spell, and the list of creatures it does not fool is now precise: Blinded, Blindsight, or Truesight. The 2014 wording also excluded creatures relying on other senses, such as tremorsense. The action to dismiss the duplicates is gone.
It creates three duplicates of you for 1 minute. In 2014 rules, each time a creature targets you with an attack, a d20 roll may send the attack to a duplicate instead. In 2024 rules, each time an attack hits you, d6 rolls may make a duplicate take the hit. A duplicate that is hit is destroyed.
No. It lasts 1 minute without concentration in both the 2014 and 2024 rules, so you can still concentrate on another spell.
You now roll only when you are hit, using a d6 for each remaining duplicate. Any 3 or higher means a duplicate is hit instead. Duplicates no longer have an AC, misses no longer destroy them, and bards can now cast the spell.
In 2014 rules, it is 10 plus your Dexterity modifier. In 2024 rules, duplicates have no AC. They are only destroyed when a hit is redirected to them.
Only against spells that use attack rolls, such as Fire Bolt or Scorching Ray. The duplicates ignore all other damage and effects, so saving throw spells like Fireball hit you normally.
No. A creature with blindsight or truesight is unaffected in both editions. In 2014, a creature that relies on any non-sight sense, or cannot see, is also unaffected.
They do different jobs. Blur gives disadvantage on attacks but needs concentration. Mirror Image needs none and can soak several hits. Many casters prefer Mirror Image because it leaves concentration free.
You can recast it to get a fresh set of three duplicates, but two castings do not stack. Effects of the same spell do not combine, so you never have more than three duplicates.
Citations: SRD 5.1 (Mirror Image); SRD 5.2.1 (Mirror Image)
Includes SRD 5.1 and SRD 5.2.1 content per CC BY 4.0.
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