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The Mirror of Life Trapping is one of the most fascinating and simultaneously dangerous magic items in Dungeons & Dragons. This 4-foot-tall mirror may appear like an ordinary wall mirror at first glance, but closer inspection reveals its true nature: looking at it indirectly, one can make out faint images of creatures – the prisoners in its twelve extradimensional cells.

Function and Activation

The mirror must hang on a vertical surface and can only be activated by its owner. With a command word, the harmless piece of furniture transforms into a deadly trap. Any creature (except the activator) that sees its reflection in the activated mirror while within 30 feet must succeed on a DC 15 Charisma saving throw or be trapped along with their equipment in one of the twelve cells.

Particularly insidious: creatures that know the mirror’s nature gain advantage on the saving throw, but few will get this opportunity. Constructs are immune to the trap – an important detail for Dungeon Masters employing mechanical guardians.

The Extradimensional Prisons

The mirror’s cells are endless, mist-shrouded spaces with only 10 feet of visibility. Prisoners don’t age, need no food, drink, or sleep – a kind of timeless limbo. Escape is only possible through powerful magic that enables travel between planes. This makes the mirror a perfect prison for powerful enemies or important NPCs.

The owner can communicate with prisoners by calling their names or stating a cell number. The creature’s image then appears on the mirror’s surface. With a second command word, prisoners can also be freed – they appear facing away from the mirror in the nearest unoccupied space.

Important Changes in the 2024 Edition

The new version brings some significant improvements: the mirror is now immune to poison and psychic damage, making it more resistant to certain attacks. The biggest change, however, is the warning about extradimensional spaces: placing the mirror in a Bag of Holding or Portable Hole destroys both items and opens a gate to the Astral Plane – a catastrophic effect that sucks all creatures within 10 feet into the Astral Plane.

Use at the Gaming Table

For Dungeon Masters, the Mirror of Life Trapping offers countless possibilities: as a trap in a dungeon, as a villain’s prison for important NPCs, or as a moral dilemma – what does the group do with captured enemies? The Dungeon Master’s Guide 🛒 contains further details about this fascinating item.

The twelve-cell limitation creates dramatic decisions: when the mirror is full and traps a new creature, a random prisoner is released. This can lead to unexpected twists when suddenly an old enemy or long-forgotten NPC reappears and influences events.

This article was created using AI, based on data from the 5e-database project (D&D 5e System Reference Document, licensed under CC BY 4.0).

The post Mirror of Life Trapping: The Dangerous Mirror That Traps Souls was first posted at Dice Scroller.