Fool's gold

Fool's gold, also known as fools' gold, was an illusion spell that made any metal look like gold.

Effects
On casting fool's gold, a certain volume of touched metal, 10 cubic inches (164 milliliters) at minimum, started to look like gold. The affected volume grew with the caster's skill. The minimum amount was about one hundred fifty coins and, provided that the coins were in touch with each other, they could be affected all at once by touching a single one. This illusion lasted for a long time measured in hours. Even people who examined these fakes could be fooled by this spell.

Components
Casting fool's gold required somatic, verbal, and material components. The material component was a gem of at least 5 gp in monetary value. This gem was crushed to powder and sprinkled on the metal object that was to be turned into "gold".

History
This spell was the only creation of Netherese arcanist Purnia, invented in -1694 DR (2165 NY). Consistently, it was known as Purnia's fools' gold in the age of Netheril.