Copy Image

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== Description ==
 Copy Image is a beneficial status effect that provides shadowy simulacra to absorb enemy attacks until it wears off or is removed. Benefiting characters gain a number of copy images that absorb normal attacks, most spells, some monster abilities, and are more effective than the shadow images given by Blink. Once an image absorbs an attack, it is spent.
 
== How to remove the effect ==
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*The effect can be manually removed.
*The effect wears off on its own after 15 minutes has passed.
*The effect expires once all copy images are gone.
**Attacks, spells, and abilities can remove zero or more images at a time.
**Previous to the September 14, 2004 update, Utsusemi was more resilient and consistent against enemy's attacks; Whirl of Rage, for example, always removed one copy image prior to the update. Post update, Utsusemi interacts with attacks by foes as follows:
=====Loses no copy image, and takes no damage=====
*The caster successfully evades or parries a physical attack.
=====Loses one copy image=====
*The caster is hit by a single physical hit or WS.
*The caster is hit by a single-target spell.
=====Loses a variable number of copy images, and can take damage=====
*The caster is hit by a multiple-attack WS, such as Jet Stream, or by a physical AoE attack, such as Condemnation or Whirl of Rage.
*In the case of multi-hit attacks, the caster will always lose as many shadows as the number of hits the WS is "supposed" to do, regardless of the actual number of hits in the attack or the likelihood of landing them. For example, Fast Blade is always absorbed by 2 shadows, even if it should be doing 3+ hits due to Dual Wield, Double Attack, or Triple Attack, and even if the attacker's accuracy is so low that he/she probably would've only landed 1 or no hits in the first place. Likewise, Goblin Rush will always remove 3 shadows from player characters, even if the player could've evaded all 3 hits easily.
**If the caster doesn't have that many shadows, then the attacker loses as many hits as the caster has shadows left, again, regardless of whether or not those hits could've missed; then the WS continues as usual. Oddly enough, the hits that only return 1 TP are subtracted first. Continuing the Fast Blade example, if an attacker does a dual-wielded Fast Blade against a target with only 1 shadow, then the last hit in Fast Blade will be removed. Then, the WS will be performed normally, with the main hand hit striking first, and the offhand hit striking second, both of which may miss.
**In the same way that the extra swing from Dual Wield does not make Weapon Skills remove an extra shadow, the offhand hit in Hand-to-Hand Weapon Skills doesn't count towards how many shadows the WS will remove. For example, Shoulder Tackle removes 1 shadow and Combo removes 2.
*For AoE attacks, the number of shadows lost and the damage taken by the caster are determined by the potency of the attack as well as the player's Ninjutsu skill level, though to what extent these factors play are unknown.
=====Loses all copy images, and takes damage and/or becomes enfeebled=====
*The caster is hit by an AoE magical WS such as Blood Saber, or an AoE spell such as Firaga.
*The caster is hit by an AoE enfeebling spell like Breakga.
*Note: Some spells (e.g. Diaga) and WS's (e.g. Negative Whirl) can strip copy images, damage, and enfeeble at the same time.
=====Loses all copy images, but takes no damage.=====
*The caster is hit with the bard song Maiden's Virelai.
=====Loses no copy image, but takes damage=====
*The caster is hit by a breath (e.g. Heat Breath), Self-Destruct type, or Throat Stab like attack.
=====Loses no copy image, but becomes enfeebled=====
*The caster is hit by certain enfeebling WS's, such as Chaotic Eye or Jamming Wave. 
*Note that this does not apply to spells:
**Single-target enfeebling spells are treated the same as any other single-target spell and will remove one copy image. 
**Multi-target spells such as Breakga will strip all copy images and enfeeble the caster.
== How the effect is inflicted/gained ==
=== Spells ===
*Ninjutsu 
**Utsusemi: Ichi: Gives the caster three copy images, four if Iga Kyahan +2 is equipped.
**Utsusemi: Ni: Gives the caster four copy images if Ninja is currently the main job, five if Iga Kyahan +2 is equipped.
***Gives three shadows instead if Ninja is the support job.
*Notes: 
**Utsusemi: Ni overwrites both Utsusemi: Ni and Utsusemi: Ichi. 
**Utsusemi: Ichi overwrites Utsusemi: Ichi, but does not overwrite Utsusemi: Ni. 
***Casting the Ichi version while the Ni version is still on results in no effect; the player is left with however many copy images still on the Ni. 
***Players can manually cancel the effect of Ni before or during the casting of Ichi in order to successfully complete the casting of Ichi.
** A player cannot have both the Copy Image and the Blink status effect at the same time.
***Copy Image has higher priority than the Blink status effect. Both Utsusemi: Ichi and Utsusemi: Ni overwrite the Blink status effect, while Blink and similar spells (e.g. Aerial Armor, Zephyr Mantle) do not overwrite the Copy Image effect. 
category:Status Effects