Choose a spell of level 5 or lower that you can cast, that has a casting time of an action, and that can target you. You cast that spell—called the contingent spell—as part of casting Contingency, expending spell slots for both, but the contingent spell doesn’t come into effect. Instead, it takes effect when a certain trigger occurs. You describe that trigger when you cast the two spells. For example, a Contingency cast with Water Breathing might stipulate that Water Breathing comes into effect when you are engulfed in water or a similar liquid.
The contingent spell takes effect immediately after the trigger occurs for the first time, whether or not you want it to, and then Contingency ends.
The contingent spell takes effect only on you, even if it can normally target others. You can use only one Contingency spell at a time. If you cast this spell again, the effect of another Contingency spell on you ends. Also, Contingency ends on you if its material component is ever not on your person.
* - (a gem-encrusted statuette of yourself worth 1,500+ GP)
"material" in material component should be capitalized.
If I have the Cartomancer feat (from The Book of Many Things), can I use the spell selected for the hidden ace feature of that feat as the contingent spell (assuming of course that it is level 5 or lower and can target me)?
If you mean that whatever spell you've placed into the card could be used as your contingent spell when casting contingency, it may be possible. Using contingency in that way would ultimately be up to your DM, but I don't see why it wouldn't be allowed. It seems like it would be something wasteful to me since you have to cast that spell anyway. I guess if you had a spell you could cast innately, that you also had slots at an equivalent level as your innate spell then putting it into the card would make sense. But it still wouldn't make sense to me to use it in that manner since you still have to cast it with contingency. I'm not trying to criticize, just understand. Am I missing something?
However if you mean if you can use contingency to trigger the casting of the spell that you have in the card, no you can't. The contingent spell must be cast at the same time that you cast contingency.
How is this Not an artificer spell? It sounds amazing but I don't think it's worthy of a 6th level slot +another
Could be used with Reincarnate to revive yourself after your death + a permanent disguise with your new race/species. You could also combine it with the metamagic adept feat with subtle magic to always have it.
Artificers don't get 6th level spell slots.