Ganymede81
First Post
According to 5E RAW, something is only an 'attack' if it:-
* involves an attack roll
OR
* it specifically says that it's treated as if it were an attack with an attack roll even though it doesn't have one
Strictly speaking, this is not true. While the rules give us some guidance as to what counts as an attack, its guidance is not all encompassing. I do agree that it is plausible to argue that targeting and hitting someone with a magic missile is an attack, though.
The historical Magic Missile and Mirror image baggage aside, ruling magic missile to not be an attack has implications for a number of abilities that work on attacks, such as the cleric's Wrath of the Storm.
For what it's worth, the Shield spell also makes a distinction between hit by an attack and being targeted by Magic Missile. This seems consistent with the " no attack roll = not an attack " in game terms.
Not necessarily. Calling out being targeted by magic missile with such specificity obviates the need to even say "hit" or "attack," meaning their absence does not carry much weight at all.