Please let me know if I'm in the incorrect forum. It's a complicated question.
Channel Divinity: Invoke Duplicity
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to create an illusory duplicate of yourself.
As an action, you create a perfect illusion of yourself that lasts for 1 minute, or until you lose your concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell). The illusion appears in an unoccupied space that you can see within 30 feet of you. As a bonus action on your turn, you can move the illusion up to 30 feet to a space you can see, but it must remain within 120 feet of you.
For the duration, you can cast spells as though you were in the illusion’s space, but you must use your own senses. Additionally, when both you and your illusion are within 5 feet of a creature that can see the illusion, you have advantage on attack rolls against that creature, given how distracting the illusion is to the target.
Part 1:
We're in a dragon's lair.
Dragon is 20' away
Cleric wants to move illusory duplicate beside dragon
Cleric wants to cast Command (see below) on the dragon through the illusory duplicate
Cleric wants to tell the dragon to Approach
Approach. The target moves toward you by the shortest and most direct route, ending its turn if it moves within 5 feet of you.
5. Dragon fails the saving throw
Question: If unspecified by the player character / player, who does the dragon approach -- the cleric or the illusory duplicate?
Part 2: We're in a dragon's lair.
Dragon is 20' underwater
Cleric is on land and wants to move illusory duplicate underwater beside the dragon
Cleric wants to cast Command through the underwater illusory duplicate
Question: If the cleric must use its own senses when casting a spell through an illusory duplicate, could the illusory duplicate cast any spells underwater? If yes, would the sound travel?
Command
You speak a one-word command to a creature you can see within range. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or follow the command on its next turn. The spell has no effect if the target is undead, if it doesn't understand your language, or if your command is directly harmful to it.
Some typical commands and their effects follow. You might issue a command other than one described here. If you do so, the GM determines how the target behaves. If the target can't follow your command, the spell ends.
Approach. The target moves toward you by the shortest and most direct route, ending its turn if it moves within 5 feet of you.
Drop. The target drops whatever it is holding and then ends its turn.
Flee. The target spends its turn moving away from you by the fastest available means.
Grovel. The target falls prone and then ends its turn.
Halt. The target doesn't move and takes no actions. A flying creature stays aloft, provided that it is able to do so. If it must move to stay aloft, it flies the minimum distance needed to remain in the air.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, you can affect one additional creature for each slot level above 1st. The creatures must be within 30 feet of each other when you target them.
For part 1 I’d say it approaches the illusion. You cast as if you were in that square, so that’s the square it would go to.
For part 2, yes, the illusion can cast the spell underwater no problem. The issue would be, basically how clear the water is. My understanding of “using your own senses” is basically you need to be able to see the target. that you couldn’t, say, have the illusion look around a corner for you. I guess maybe you could get away with hearing or smelling it, since it says senses and not sight specifically. But in general it would mean you need to look around the corner yourself. So in this case, if the water is clear enough for you to see the dragon yourself, then you could cast it from the illusion’s position. But if the water were too murky and you couldn’t see the dragon, you couldn’t.
As written, you are you, not your illusion. A strict interpretation of rule would say that the creature behaves exactly as the command says: it says it approaches YOU, not the point from which the spell was cast.
That said, if I were DMing and ever did my players like that, I'd feel dirty. I think that's a great use of your ability, I'd allow it to work as you obviously intend, and I'd probably give you inspiration the first time you tried it.
As far as part 2 goes, I believe that you can cast spells underwater. I'd have to look it up specifically, but I am pretty sure you can do it. I'd rule it as irrelevant though. YOU are casting the spell, not your illusion. YOU are not underwater, so the spell goes off as expected.
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Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Please let me know if I'm in the incorrect forum. It's a complicated question.
Channel Divinity: Invoke Duplicity
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to create an illusory duplicate of yourself.
As an action, you create a perfect illusion of yourself that lasts for 1 minute, or until you lose your concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell). The illusion appears in an unoccupied space that you can see within 30 feet of you. As a bonus action on your turn, you can move the illusion up to 30 feet to a space you can see, but it must remain within 120 feet of you.
For the duration, you can cast spells as though you were in the illusion’s space, but you must use your own senses. Additionally, when both you and your illusion are within 5 feet of a creature that can see the illusion, you have advantage on attack rolls against that creature, given how distracting the illusion is to the target.
Part 1:
We're in a dragon's lair.
Approach. The target moves toward you by the shortest and most direct route, ending its turn if it moves within 5 feet of you.
5. Dragon fails the saving throw
Question: If unspecified by the player character / player, who does the dragon approach -- the cleric or the illusory duplicate?
Part 2: We're in a dragon's lair.
Question: If the cleric must use its own senses when casting a spell through an illusory duplicate, could the illusory duplicate cast any spells underwater? If yes, would the sound travel?
Command
You speak a one-word command to a creature you can see within range. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or follow the command on its next turn. The spell has no effect if the target is undead, if it doesn't understand your language, or if your command is directly harmful to it.
Some typical commands and their effects follow. You might issue a command other than one described here. If you do so, the GM determines how the target behaves. If the target can't follow your command, the spell ends.
Approach. The target moves toward you by the shortest and most direct route, ending its turn if it moves within 5 feet of you.
Drop. The target drops whatever it is holding and then ends its turn.
Flee. The target spends its turn moving away from you by the fastest available means.
Grovel. The target falls prone and then ends its turn.
Halt. The target doesn't move and takes no actions. A flying creature stays aloft, provided that it is able to do so. If it must move to stay aloft, it flies the minimum distance needed to remain in the air.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, you can affect one additional creature for each slot level above 1st. The creatures must be within 30 feet of each other when you target them.
For part 1 I’d say it approaches the illusion. You cast as if you were in that square, so that’s the square it would go to.
For part 2, yes, the illusion can cast the spell underwater no problem. The issue would be, basically how clear the water is. My understanding of “using your own senses” is basically you need to be able to see the target. that you couldn’t, say, have the illusion look around a corner for you. I guess maybe you could get away with hearing or smelling it, since it says senses and not sight specifically. But in general it would mean you need to look around the corner yourself. So in this case, if the water is clear enough for you to see the dragon yourself, then you could cast it from the illusion’s position. But if the water were too murky and you couldn’t see the dragon, you couldn’t.
Thank you.
As written, you are you, not your illusion. A strict interpretation of rule would say that the creature behaves exactly as the command says: it says it approaches YOU, not the point from which the spell was cast.
That said, if I were DMing and ever did my players like that, I'd feel dirty. I think that's a great use of your ability, I'd allow it to work as you obviously intend, and I'd probably give you inspiration the first time you tried it.
As far as part 2 goes, I believe that you can cast spells underwater. I'd have to look it up specifically, but I am pretty sure you can do it. I'd rule it as irrelevant though. YOU are casting the spell, not your illusion. YOU are not underwater, so the spell goes off as expected.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
Thank you.