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I am using "Invoke Duplicity" to create a perfect illusory clone of my self. The clone is currently 100ft away. I want to cast "Dominate Person" on a target 120ft away. Can I do so without moving?

For simplicity, assume I am on a flat, well-lit plain with no obstructions so I can clearly see out to 120ft.

Invoke Duplicity is a Trickery Domain feature that requires concentration and allows you to "cast spells as though you were in the illusion’s space, but you must use your own senses."

Dominate Person is a spell with range 60ft and requires concentration. It also states:

While the target is charmed, you have a telepathic link with it as long as the two of you are on the same plane of existence.

I know that when I cast Dominate Person, the Invoke Duplicity effect will end (since they both require concentration), but I wonder if the effect will last long enough for me to target and cast the Dominate Person spell.

This question was inspired by this one and this one. It is not a duplicate of the latter because it is not trying to cast the second spell (Dominate Person in this case) for an instant effect. It is not a duplicate of the former because the former is a duplicate of the latter, so if this question isn't a duplicate of the latter, it therefore can't be a duplicate of the former either. If they have the same answer it does not make it a duplicate if the questions being asked are different.

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No - invoke duplicity ends as soon as you start casting another concentration spell

Channel Divinity: Invoke Duplicity 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).

A concentration spell ends as soon as you start casting another spell.

In Xanathar's Guide to Everything it says:

As soon as you start casting a spell or using a special ability that requires concentration, your concentration on another effect ends instantly. (XGtE p.5)

Jeremy Crawford has also confirmed that here:

If you're concentrating on a spell, your concentration on it ends the moment you start casting another concentration spell.

and again:

The moment you start casting it, the other spell is done.

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No.

Rules as written, here's the timeline of how that would play out.

  1. Dominate Person is cast, using the illusion as the space of origin.
  2. Since Dominate Person requires concentration, Invoke Duplicity ends.
  3. Target is now outside the casting range of Dominate Person, which causes it to fizzle, since it no longer has a target.
  4. Target is now really unhappy with you, and doesn't have to figure out which one of you is the real one.

This is also assuming that you can perceive the target from your actual space, since the illusion is incapable of passing on sensory information to the caster, and spells cannot target enemies with total cover.

Once the "tether" is established, the spell has effectively unlimited range, as long as you are on the same plane. But the casting of Dominate Person would end the Invoke Duplicity effect, meaning the spell does not get that far.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Dominate Person actually states that the spell persists as long as the caster and target are on the same plane. The range is only for casting the spell, not maintaining the effect. \$\endgroup\$
    – GreySage
    Jan 9, 2018 at 16:52
  • \$\begingroup\$ Reread the spell, updated answer a bit. My understanding of the spell is still much the same; without the illusion, it's a no-go. Casting a spell that requires concentration immediately terminates any other spells you're concentrating on, and any effects from them. \$\endgroup\$ Jan 9, 2018 at 17:06
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    \$\begingroup\$ Yeah that makes sense. If things worked as you originally stated I would argue that the second spell would work, but if it ends as soon as you START casting, then yeah it won't go through. \$\endgroup\$
    – GreySage
    Jan 9, 2018 at 17:07
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    \$\begingroup\$ twitter.com/JeremyECrawford/status/872107459636154370 \$\endgroup\$ Jan 9, 2018 at 18:56

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