Why? Because it lacks an attack roll? Note that nothing in the book says an attack roll is essential to being an attack, only that if an attack roll is present, it's an attack. Which also renders most of the rest of your post moot.
D&D 5E Magic Missile vs. Mirror Image
That is not at all how the spell works. I once again recommend re-reading the spell.
I think (s)he's trying to rationalise the die roll to hit.
The Crimson Binome
Hero
I recommend that you re-read the spell, and actually think about it.
If rolling randomly to determine whether you hit the one you care about is not an accurate reflection of the in-game reality I have described, then what do you think is going on within the game world to justify the mechanics of the spell? Saying that you have a one-in-four chance of hitting the spellcaster, or else you hit one of the images, is a perfect description of attempting to make a choice when you have no other information to go on.
Tony Vargas
Legend
In 4e it would have been as simple as it not 'hitting' ("simple" is not exactly the word, MM was updated to an effect instead of hit line, and a cascade of changes followed to make it work). 5e's natural language means that the idea of being hit when attacked or hit by a missile might well be separable from the mechanics of an attack roll and hit (or not), even though both spells use the word 'hit' they might be seen as using it differently (Mirror Image in a jargon sense of a successful attack roll, Magic Missile in a fluff sense of inflicting damage automatically). So, you've plenty of room to rule either way, even if you're trying to stick close to a literal interpretation.
I'd be inclined to, as they are simultaneous so the difficulty in 'tracking' illusory duplicates is not an issue....
However, I also tend to like to just rule how I've handled things in the classic game. The classic Mirror Image had language about the images showing the same injuries and reactions as yourself, so if you were caught in a fireball, they'd all look a little toasty. And the 5e magic missile makes it flatly impossible to tell an image, so it presumably acts similarly. By that logic, an attack like magic missile could have targeted you (since the caster can see you, even if he's not sure which location you're in) and it would just look like all the images have been hit and damaged the same as you.
Part of the classic feel of magic missile is that it's auto-damage, letting it unerringly strike the target in spite of mirror images, but not affect the images, either, sounds fine, and it lets both spells be cool.
The more obvious mechanical interpretation would be to assume you can't target images intentionally, that you have to target the caster, then roll that d20 for each missile... a problem with this is that, since the missiles are simultaneous, it suddenly really matters which other image they hit, and the spell doesn't provide for that, so you're back to making a ruling, another is that it may seem strange to say that the caster of the MM 'can't' target each image he can see, but must target the caster of the images, then determine randomly whether he targeted an image, which he wasn't allowed to do in the first place. ::shrug::
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The Crimson Binome
Hero
I'm trying to convey the same underlying message, but I'm using different words since the previous set wasn't clearly understood.
You pick which image to attack, which is what the d20 roll represents, and if you hit an image then it vanishes. You're not just swinging blindly into a blurry mass of bodies.
The AC of 10 + Dex mod represents touching it. They had to spell out the formula here, since touch AC isn't a common stat in this edition. This distinction is necessary since your images don't benefit from any armor you might be wearing; they die as soon as anything touches them.
Croesus
Adventurer
Mirror Image states: "Each time a creature Targets you with an attack during the spell's Duration, roll a d20 to determine whether the Attack instead Targets one of your duplicates."
So let's look at page 194 of the PHB, which defines "Making an Attack" as follows:
"Whether you’re striking with a melee weapon, firing a weapon at range, or making an attack roll as part of a spell, an attack has a simple structure.
1. Choose a target. Pick a target within your attack’s range: a creature, an object, or a location.
2. Determine modifiers. The DM determines whether the target has cover and whether you have advantage or disadvantage against the target. In addition, spells, special abilities, and other effects can apply penalties or bonuses to your attack roll.
3. Resolve the attack. You make the attack roll. On a hit, you roll damage, unless the particular attack has rules that specify otherwise. Some attacks cause special effects in addition to or instead of damage.
If there’s ever any question whether something you’re doing counts as an attack, the rule is simple: if you’re making an attack roll, you’re making an attack."
So, RAW, it seems clear that magic missile spell is not an attack for purposes of the mirror image spell. However, GM's can always rule it otherwise.
So let's look at page 194 of the PHB, which defines "Making an Attack" as follows:
"Whether you’re striking with a melee weapon, firing a weapon at range, or making an attack roll as part of a spell, an attack has a simple structure.
1. Choose a target. Pick a target within your attack’s range: a creature, an object, or a location.
2. Determine modifiers. The DM determines whether the target has cover and whether you have advantage or disadvantage against the target. In addition, spells, special abilities, and other effects can apply penalties or bonuses to your attack roll.
3. Resolve the attack. You make the attack roll. On a hit, you roll damage, unless the particular attack has rules that specify otherwise. Some attacks cause special effects in addition to or instead of damage.
If there’s ever any question whether something you’re doing counts as an attack, the rule is simple: if you’re making an attack roll, you’re making an attack."
So, RAW, it seems clear that magic missile spell is not an attack for purposes of the mirror image spell. However, GM's can always rule it otherwise.
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TheCosmicKid
Hero
It really doesn't.
