Illusion Sphere

^{Source: Expanded Spheres: Baron's Lost Apocrypha}

As a standard action, you may make a single weapon attack in conjunction with using a [glamer] or [trick] effect. This casting cannot be reduced below a standard action, and does not provoke attacks of opportunity, unless as usual if making a ranged attack. If the target is struck by the attack, it is also affected by the [glamer] or [trick]. If using a scatter weapon, the [glamer] only applies to a single target, chosen at the time of attack.

When creating a glamer on a target you may have the target use their action to maintain concentration of the glamer instead of yourself. In all other ways the glamer still behaves as if cast by you. You may only have one creature concentrating in your place at any time. The number of creatures that can simultaneously concentrate in your place improves by an additional 1 per 10 caster levels.

As a trick you may designate a single 5-foot cube as a figment that distorts perception. This distortion lasts for one round per caster level. Any effect originating from a source whose line of sight begins inside or crosses this area incurs a 20% miss chance + 5% per caster level (maximum 50%) due to concealment. Any creature may attempt a Will save as a free action once per round to ignore this miss chance for 1 round. You may only have one such disruption at a time. Using this trick a second time immediately end the duration of the previous casting of this trick.

As an illusion you may create a distorting figment. This creates a figment that causes a distortion as described above.

As an illusion you may create a distorting glamer. This functions in all other ways as the trick except it does not allow for a Will save to ignore the miss chance and has the duration of a standard illusion. As a glamer, the miss chance only applies to attacks made against the target.

Author's Note: Blurs created with this talent do not need to be visual, or purely visual; They can incorporate elements that distort other forms of perception based upon what (sensory) talents you possess. A creature can ignore the miss chance granted by blur if they lack senses for every (sensory) effect you incorporate into the effect; A purely visual blur can have its miss chance ignored by a creature that closes its eyes. To determine if a sense is sufficiently possessed by a creature when determining if they can ignore the miss chance provided by the blur effect, they must be capable of pin-pointing the space of a creature only using that sense; For example, humans do not normally qualify as possessing the necessary senses to pin-point a creature by smell or taste alone (unless they gain other senses such as scent, keen scent, or some forms of blindsense).

You may increase the casting time of an illusion by one step to reduce its total spell point cost by one (minimum 0).

^{Source: Baron’s Uncanny Gateway}

If at least one creature has already failed their save to disbelieve your illusion, other creatures suffer a -1 penalty to checks and saves made to disbelieve the illusion. If at least three creatures have already failed their save, this penalty increases to -2.

When creating a figment, you may spend an additional spell point to divide the figment into multiple, independent components. The combined size and range of these figments must still be within your maximum illusion size, but each component can appear differently and behave differently. While each component can be given its own set of programmed instructions, you can only actively control one component at a time. For example, when creating an illusion of a tavern, a creature with this talent could create a bustling group of people inside the tavern as part of the same illusion.

The caster could only control one such illusionary person at a time though; and the rest would only perform their last set of instructions. Giving a component a new set of instructions is a move action. If a creature succeeds at its saving throw against a complex illusion, it sees through the entire figment rather than only one component part.

When creating glamers, you may spend an additional spell point to affect multiple different targets with the same glamer so long as they are all within your illusion range and the combined size of affected targets does not exceed your maximum illusion size. For example, if your maximum illusion size is Large, you could affect with this talent 2 Medium-sized targets or 4 Small-sized targets with your glamer. Once created, each glamer is considered a separate sphere effect.

As a full-round action you may attempt a magic skill check against the magic skill defense of the controller of an existing figment. If successful you gain control of the figment and may command it as if it was your effect. Treat the figment in all ways as if it was cast by you except this does not change any of the original variables related to caster level, Illusion sphere talents, class abilities or spell points. You however must remain within the maximum range that you may control illusions to maintain this effect as normal.

As a trick, you may designate a 5-foot cube within your illusion range as a flanking partner for you and your allies. This partner remains for one round per caster level. You may only have one phantasmal flanking partner at a time. Creating a new cube causes the previous one to immediately dissipate.

As a trick, you also may create a harmless sensory disruption around a target. The target must succeed at a Will save or this triggers any readied actions the target may have regardless of their actual trigger.

As a trick you may create an illusionary creature in the same square as a real creature, called a decoy. A decoy may perform any of the following actions.

Coaxing Decoy: The decoy immediately moves up to the speed of your figments in any direction unimpeded. The coaxing decoy is immune to damage and vanishes at the end of your turn. If the movement of the coaxing decoy would provoke an attack of opportunity from a creature, that creature must succeed at a Will save or use it on the coaxing decoy.

Defensive Decoy: The decoy follows and occupies the same square as the target. Anyone attempting to attack the target must succeed at a Will save or suffer a 50% miss chance. On a miss caused by this effect the attacker targets the illusionary creature instead, dissipating it. The decoy is unaffected by area attacks. Defensive decoys last 1 round per two caster levels (minimum 1) or until struck with a single target effect.

Additionally, as an illusion you may create a glamer that surrounds a target with a number of defensive decoys equal to 2 +1 per 3 caster levels. As long as one or more defensive decoys remain, the target gains a 50% miss chance.

If you possess the Complex Illusions talent, one or more of the defensive decoys granted by the glamer may act as the coaxing decoy trick. Once per round as a free action you may instruct one or more decoys to move up to 5 feet per 2 caster levels independently of the original target, provoking attacks of opportunity as a coaxing decoy, then disappearing.

Increase your illusion’s maximum size by one size category.

When you create an illusion, the illusion remains for 2 rounds after you stop concentrating, and you may maintain it through concentration for up to 10 minutes per caster level. If you possess Lingering Illusion, spending a spell point with that talent allows an illusion to remain for 10 minutes per caster level without concentration.

When creating an Illusionary Disguise, you gain a +4 circumstance bonus to your Disguise check, +2 per (sensory) talent you possess (other than Manipulate Aura, which does not affect the normal senses).

You can create glamers that affect the wearer. Targets of a Hostile Glamer may attempt a saving throw to disbelieve in addition to the saving throw granted to resist the glamer being applied to them, and are considered to be ‘interacting’ with the glamer every round as if it were a figment. For example, if you created an Illusionary Disguise of someone turning into an animal, that person might believe in their own transformation unless they, like others, made their Will save to disbelieve.

Hostile Blur: If you possess the Blur talent, the miss chance only affects attacks the target would make.

Hostile Glamer: You may apply a glamer to a target that impedes it.

If you may create visual or audible illusions, you may create a glamer that blinds and/or deafens the target respectively (for example, by putting their head in a box).

If you possess Illusionary Touch, you may make a glamer that entangles the target (for example, by creating illusionary ropes to tie them up).

If you possess Illusionary Touch x2, you may create an illusion that hurts them (for example, an illusion of them on fire).

Each of these options count as their own unique hostile glamer.

Hostile Decoy: If you possess the Decoy talent, you may create hostile decoys as a trick or glamer; these function the same as a defensive decoy, except instead of granting a miss chance to attacks against the creature, they grant a miss chance to the creature itself. Any attack it makes has a 50% to strike one of the hostile decoys instead of the intended target. The wearer may intentionally strike a hostile decoy, but anyone other than the wearer attempting to target an hostile decoy has a 50% chance to instead hit the wearer.

Hostile Masque: If you possess the Masques talent, you may create a Masque glamer that grant a penalty instead of a bonus to the selected skills.

As a trick, you may choose to perform a reposition maneuver on any target within your illusion range using your (caster level + your casting modifier -5) in place of your CMB. When creating a figment you may spend an additional spell point to require anyone that has failed to disbelieve the effect to succeed at an additional Will save when attempting to move from or through the area of your figment or immediately end their movement and remain in the first space occupied by the figment that they also occupied.

As a trick, you may designate a single cube (no larger than your maximum illusion size) as difficult terrain for one round per caster level. A Will save to disbelieve is allowed by all who enter the cube. On a successful save they treat the area as normal. This difficult terrain applies to all travel through the area regardless of type of movement.

You may treat the area of your figments as difficult terrain regardless of the type of movement for those who fail to disbelieve.

As a swift action, you may spend 2 spell points to force all creatures that currently disbelieve any of your figments to re-roll their Will saves to disbelieve. Failure indicates that they believe the illusion is real regardless of the results of previous Will saves.

You may combine real effects and illusionary effects to effectively confuse targets as to which are real and which are not. Anyone who successfully saves against your figments takes a -1 penalty to all saving throws and MSD against your other non-Illusion sphere effects and abilities for the next minute or until they attempt a save against one of your non-Illusion sphere effects. This penalty increases by an additional one per 5 caster levels you possess.

As a standard action you may touch a small container of liquid and instill a glamer inside it, which functions as a potion or oil. The glamer cannot have a duration of concentration, and cannot be augmented by Committed Deception. You must spend an additional spell point to instill a trick.

An instilled liquid remains potent until you rest to regain spell points. If you have equipment on hand (such as an alchemy lab), the cost of bottles and water is considered negligible. You may target food but not an already-magical item, such as a potion. All spell points must be spent and all variables of the sphere effect must be chosen at the time the instilled liquid is created. You cannot instill multiple effects in a single liquid, nor create multiple instilled liquids with a single action.

You may spend a spell point to allow the illusion to remain for 1 minute per caster level without the need for concentration. When a figment is not maintained through concentration, it performs whatever set of actions it was last commanded to do, and cannot move beyond medium range of where it was placed. Giving a figment a new series of programmed activities is a move action.

As a trick, you may force a target to succeed at a Will save or lose their Dexterity bonus to armor class until their turn. This trick is treated as a feint for feats, talents, and effects that trigger off of a feint.

As a trick, you also may use the aid another action on attack or defense within range of your illusions. Instead of an attack roll the target is allowed a Will save to ignore this effect.

You may create glamers that subtly change the way someone is perceived, aiding in their social interactions. Choose two of the following skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, or Perform. You may take this talent a second time to be able to choose all four skills.

As a trick, you may aid another on any target within your illusion range with the selected skills.

As a glamer, you may grant an enhancement bonus to skill checks with the selected skills equal to half your caster level.

As a standard action, you may pretend to cast an Illusion sphere effect and attempt a Bluff check. Making a Bluff check in this manner does not provoke attacks of opportunity and does not count as casting a spell. Any creature observing you must attempt a Sense Motive or Spellcraft check (whichever skill that target has a higher bonus with) against a DC equal to your Bluff check or be convinced you cast an illusion. For the next 10 minutes, the next time a creature who failed its check would make a saving throw against one of your illusions, they must roll twice and take the lower result. For every 8 caster levels you possess, creatures must roll twice on an additional saving throw against your illusions during this duration. Creatures who succeed at their check know you were bluffing and are unaffected.

This is an extraordinary effect; you can only attempt to deceive the same creature with this talent once every 24 hours.

Note: If it would be impossible for the caster to cast magic, such as while in an anti-magic field, creatures automatically succeed their Sense Motive or Spellcraft check to see through your deception.

When applying a glamer to a target, you may choose to do so subtly, such that they might not even realize they have been affected by one. If the target fails their saving throw against the glamer, they must attempt an additional Will saving throw. On a failure they do not realize they have been glamered. Glamers that damage or impede the target (for example, lighting someone on fire with a hostile glamer) cannot be done subtly in this fashion.

As a trick you may force a target to succeed at a Will save or suffer extreme sensation for one round per two caster levels (minimum 1). Select one of the effects on Table: Overwhelming Sensations based on what sensory talents you possess.

You may create disorienting and impossible forms and sensations with your figments. Targets who interact with your figments and fail their Will save to disbelieve suffer a penalty on Perception checks equal to your caster level for one round.

Whenever you create an illusion, you may add a specific circumstance that, when met, changes the nature of the illusion immediately. You may create an additional circumstance per 5 caster levels. For example, you could create an illusion that only activates when a humanoid comes within 10 feet of it, at which point it becomes a high pitched siren and flashing bright lights. See the Contingency feat for more examples.

Increase the distance by which you may manifest an illusion or trick by one category (close to medium, medium to long). You may take this talent multiple times. The effects stack.

By spending an additional spell point at the time you create an illusion, you may designate any number of targets to be immune to the illusion. This allows you to, once per round per illusion as a free action, allow any number of targets to be treated as automatically disbelieving the illusion or completely suppress the effect without ending it (but must still concentrate if the effect is being maintained via concentration). While this allows the creature to be treated as if they disbelieved the illusion, this does not actually force them to gain knowledge of the illusion.

Example 1: When under the effects of Suppression or an Illusionary Disguise, you may allow your allies to see you as if you had no concealment or disguise while still maintaining the effect against everyone else.

Example 2: When creating a figment of a tree, you could designate a creature with greensight to ‘disbelieve’ the illusion, allowing them to see through the tree just as they normally would be able to.

Anyone you designate as unaffected is still aware of the effect just as if they had disbelieved it, allowing them to appropriately react in the case of a ruse or the need to make tactical decisions. Illusions that have effects regardless of belief or disbelief, such as a shadow illusion, still have their effects unless you opt to suppress them. Suppressing and reactivating an illusion does not force those whom already successfully disbelieved the illusion to re-roll their saves.

When using an Illusion sphere effect you may spend an additional spell point to render the illusion quasi-real, granting it the shadow descriptor. If you have a shadow pool you may use a shadow point instead of a spell point. Illusions that you grant the (shadow) descriptor to with the Shadow Infusion talent are modified in the following ways:

If you possess Illusionary Touch x2, you may transform the damage dealt by the illusion to either acid, bludgeoning, cold, fire, electricity, piercing, or slashing (chosen when the illusion is created but can be altered with the illusion), and may make it either lethal or nonlethal. If you also possess Illusionary Sound you may create shadow effects that deal sonic damage. If you also possess Manipulate Aura you may spend an additional spell point each round to create shadow effects that deal force, positive energy, or negative energy damage.

If an illusion would have a negated effect if disbelieved, a shadow version of that illusion instead has its effectiveness reduced by half (rounded down). For saving throws, this changes the saves to Fort (partial) or Will (partial) instead of Fort (negates) or Will (negates) as applicable. Creatures with the Stalwart ability (or similar) features may choose to treat shadow illusions as normal illusions upon successfully disbelieving the illusion.

As a standard action, you may move any number of your glamers still within your maximum illusion range to new targets also within your maximum illusion range.

As an illusion, you may create glamers that suppress and eliminate sensation rather than creating their own. Suppressions cannot be negated or disbelieved through a Will save. You may suppress any sense that you can affect when creating illusions, but each such Suppression is considered a separate glamer.

Note: If you suppress every sense required to fool a complex or exotic sense, that sense cannot automatically detect that creature.

Invisibility: When suppressing vision, you allow the target to attempt Stealth checks to hide even while being observed. This does not grant the invisible condition, but counts as invisibility for effects that interact with it (such as spells that negate it), and therefore does not stack with the invisibility spell or other, similar effects. The target also gains a +1 circumstance bonus to Stealth checks per caster level (maximum 20). Objects cannot attempt Stealth checks, but become difficult to see, requiring a Perception check to find with a DC equal to 10 + their size bonus + your caster level. If you are undetected by a creature, you gain total concealment against it, as well as a +2 bonus to attack rolls against it, and you may ignore its Dexterity bonus to AC.

Silence: When suppressing sound, you cause the creature to become muffled. The target loses its armor check penalty to Stealth and reduces the penalty associated with sniping by 1 per caster level (minimum 0). However, the target also suffers a 5% chance of arcane spell failure per caster level (maximum 100%) when using magic that requires verbal components or is language-based.

Touchless: When suppressing touch, it becomes difficult to detect the target by feel. If the target touches or makes a melee attack against a creature from Stealth, that creature must succeed at a Perception check to even feel that they have been touched or attacked (DC 10 + 1 per caster level, -1 per point of damage dealt). The target also gains a +1 circumstance bonus per caster level (maximum +20) to Sleight of Hand checks made to pick pockets.

Odorless: When suppressing taste and smell, the affected target inflicts other creatures attempting to track it or discover it through smell (such as with the scent special ability) a penalty to their Perception or Survival checks equal to -1 per caster level (maximum 20). This also applies to checks made to detect poison or identify the target via smell or taste. Additionally, if the target attempts to use smell to affect other targets (such as making them sickened or nauseated through the stench ability), targets gain a +1 bonus per caster level (maximum 20) to their saving throws.

Suppressing magical auras is described in the Manipulate Aura talent, and is assumed to be used on all magical auras (including the aura from the Suppression itself) affecting the glamered creature.

You may spend an additional spell point to create a figment that suppresses sensations just like the glamer. All targets inside the figment gain the above benefits and penalties, as if they were under the effects of the glamer. You may choose if this applies only to creatures or to all creatures and objects. Unlike other figments, a Suppression figment cannot move once placed, and has no sensory expression other than the noticeable blurring of sensation inside its area.

The speed your figments may move within a single round improves to 25 feet + 5 feet per 2 caster levels. This talent may be taken twice. If taken a second time, the speed your figments may move within a single round improves to 100 feet + 10 feet per caster level.

As a trick, you can link two senses allowing you to, for example, see sound or smell color. You become dazed until the end of your next turn, and gain any one complex sense you are able to fool with your illusions until the end of your next turn. The range of this sense is limited to 5 feet per caster level. If you possess Overwhelming Sensation, you may improve the range of the sense by an additional 5 feet per caster level but become deafened and blinded instead of dazed.

You may spend a spell point to use any trick you know as a swift action. For every 5 caster levels you may use an additional (maximum 5 at 20th caster level) trick you know simultaneously when using this talent.

As a trick you may use your illusions to signal or communicate. This functions as the deliver secret message use of the Bluff skill but you gain a +5 + caster level circumstance bonus to the Bluff check and can do so within your maximum illusion range without penalty. The recipients must still interact with the illusion in some way to get the intended message. This communication only works one way but is not language dependant and may rely on any sense or complex sense the intended recipients possess.

If you possess Selective Illusions, there is no chance of the message being intercepted.

You may add smell and taste to your illusions. For example, you may change something’s taste or create the smell of smoke.

As a trick, you may add half your caster level to the DC required to detect poison in foods or to track a target by smell.

You may add whatever sounds you desire to an illusion. You cannot make more sound than four normal humans per caster level could make. (A horde of rats running and squeaking is equal to eight humans running and shouting. A roaring lion is equal to the noise from 16 humans, while a roaring dragon is equal to the noise from 32 humans.)

As a trick, you may create effects of non-specific noises (feet marching, laughing and muttering of a party) or throw your voice, making it appear as if it comes from somewhere else within your range. Targets are allowed a Will save as usual to disbelieve these sounds, or recognize your voice is not actually coming from where it appears to be.

You may make an illusion that feels real to the touch, including temperature and texture. Your illusion still cannot hold weight (thus while touching the wall would only grant a new saving throw, being thrown into the wall would still cause the creature to pass through).

You may take this talent a total of twice; when taken a second time, your illusions may also cause pain. When coming into contact with an appropriate illusion (stepping into fire, being hit by an illusionary enemy, etc.), if the subject fails their Will save to disbelieve they take nonlethal damage equal to your caster level + your casting ability modifier. A target can only be damaged by your illusions once in a round, no matter how many times it thinks the illusion has hurt it.

You may make illusions that create or change magical auras. As a figment or glamer you may change an area, spell, creature, or object’s magical aura to make the aura appear as a magic effect or item you specify, or as if under the effects of a spell or sphere ability you specify, or reduce the caster level of its existent aura. You cannot create or lower an aura’s perceived caster level more than up to twice your caster level. Making an aura appear to have a caster level of 0 completely conceals a magical aura as if the target was non-magical. You may make these changes as part of creating an illusion (including altering or erasing the aura of the illusion itself), or independently as a trick with a duration of up to 1 day per caster level.

As you create a figment or a glamer, you may apply this sensory talent to change what sphere of magic it belongs to for the purpose of people identifying the school of magic or sphere effect via the Spellcraft skill or detect magic (or similar spell or ability). For example, if you change the apparent sphere from Illusion to Destruction, any attempt to identify the sphere effect with the Spellcraft skill will reveal it as belonging to the Destruction sphere, not the Illusion sphere.

Instead of ‘disbelieving’ a manipulated aura, a target examining this aura through detection magic must succeed at a magic skill check against the creator of the aura. If the check succeeds, the detection effect functions normally detecting both the true aura and this trick, but on a failure the detection magic believes the manipulated aura and does not detect this trick. Effects that grant bonuses to Will saves against illusions add those bonuses to this magic skill check.

Artifacts are too powerful to have their auras hidden or altered in this manner.

Prerequisites: Illusion sphere (Suppression (glamer) (invisibility)), caster level 10th.

You may spend an additional spell point when using the Suppression glamer to make the target completely invisible. This grants them a +20 bonus to Stealth (increased to +40 if they are standing still), and they possess total concealment even when detected.

Prerequisites: Illusion sphere (Manipulate Aura (sensory, magic)), caster level 1st.

As a trick, you may add half your caster level as an enhancement bonus to Use Magic Device checks to emulate a race, class feature, ability score or alignment. This bonus lasts for 1 minute. In addition, you may now use the manipulate aura trick to add, modify or conceal auras of alignment, race, creature type, level or any other descriptor that may be detected or discerned by a spell or sphere effect.

When using any sphere talent or ability (not just those belonging to the Illusion sphere), you may apply Manipulate Aura to change what sphere of magic it belongs to for the purpose of people identifying the school of magic or sphere effect via the Spellcraft skill or detect magic (or similar spells or abilities).

Prerequisites: Illusion sphere (Ranged Illusion [range] x2), caster level 5th.

Your illusion range improves to 1,000 feet + 100 feet per caster level. To place glamers on a creature or object beyond long range you must be able to individually identify them. To apply sensory talents to figments at greater than long range you must be able to be experiencing the corresponding sensation created by the figment.

Prerequisites: Illusion sphere (Enlarged Illusion), caster level 1st.

When creating an illusion, you may spend an additional spell point to improve its size by one step. You may spend an additional spell point per 5 levels to improve its size by an additional step.

Whenever you create an illusion, you may empower it to be incredibly difficult to perceive and disbelieve.

Prerequisites: Illusion sphere (Manipulate Aura (sensory, magic)), caster level 10th.

Whenever a creature would disbelieve an illusion you have created and declare or inform other creatures that the illusion is an illusion, other creatures informed of the illusion’s nature do not receive an automatic saving throw to disbelieve the illusion.

In addition, if an effect would allow a creature to automatically disbelieve an illusion, that effect does not allow the creature to automatically see through or overcome the illusion (such as true seeing or the Divination sphere True Seeing (sense) advanced talent not automatically seeing through a visual illusion). The creature is instead automatically granted a saving throw to disbelieve the illusion as though they had properly interacted with the illusion. A creature benefiting from such an effect only receives a single, automatic saving throw to disbelieve for each illusion (such as only receiving a single, automatic saving throw against your illusion if observing it with true seeing, and must interact and disbelieve it normally should they fail their saving throw).

Author's Note: For the purposes of this ability, an "effect" is a spell, class feature, or ability that would automatically defeat an illusion – this is primarily the true seeing spell, but other effects could yield similar results by GM discretion. This talent is not meant to prevent a creature from becoming aware of the illusion through their own means. For example, being pushed through an illusory wall would tell the creature they could pass through the wall, and would grant a saving throw to disbelieve the wall as normal.

Prerequisites: Illusion sphere (Lingering Illusion), caster level 10th.

When creating an illusion, you may spend 2 spell points to increase its duration to permanent.

Prerequisites: Illusion sphere (Lingering Illusion, Programmed Illusion), caster level 8th.

By spending an additional spell point, you no longer need to have line of sight or spend a standard action to direct, move, or alter your figments. This allows your figments to somewhat automatically adapt to situations without having to be given new orders or modifying appearances to fit the situation.

Your illusions, when behaving autonomously, act and react more or less realistically depending upon your caster level. Use the following table as a guideline for what may at most be expected from an illusion acting independently.

Phantom Mind illusions resist casual testing, as they know when they should respond and how, and can outsmart less intelligent creatures without direction from you. Creatures with an Intelligence score lower than half the caster level of the illusion gain no benefits from obvious signs of trickery and cannot outsmart them with causal testing.

Prerequisites Illusion sphere (Illusionary Touch (sensory, touch) x2), caster level 5th.

Improve the damage done by figments by your casting ability modifier (applying your casting ability modifier a total of twice).

Prerequisites: Illusion sphere (Blur (glamer), Manipulate Aura (sensory, magic)), caster level 5th.

You may spend an additional spell point when using Blur to have it also cause spell failure chance equal to its miss chance. This spell failure applies to all spells, sphere effects, spell-like and supernatural abilities that go to, from, or whose line of sight or effect cross the illusion.

Author's Note: This talent's spell failure chance only applies to an effect if the granted miss chance would apply under similar circumstances. For both a trick and distorting figment, this spell failure chance applies to effects normally. For a distorting glamer, this spell failure chance only applies against effects made against the target (e.g. single target effects).