Travis Henry
First Post
Last night, I was DMing an old Basic D&D adventure, updated for 5E. And discovered a curious use of the Magic Missile spell.
The party had a tough fight with a Living Rock Statue, which they defeated, and then...around the next corner was another statue. They ran into the room, and a player asked "roll for Initiative?" I'm like: "Yes."
So they roll Init and I have them go, and they are all wailing on this statue, which hasn't even moved yet. The wizard tries to cast "Magic Missile." And I'm like..."For some reason, you're not able to target it." The spell isn't even cast. The player is spooked. He's thinking there's some sort of Anti-Magic field. And then, bottom of the order...it's the statue's turn.
But, it's just a statue.
I say: "Well, y'all pounded it. It's all bent of of shape. It's not moving. Apparently it never even had a chance to move."
And the party is so proud that they got the jump on this monster. High fives all around.
But...it was just a statue.
Then I realized that Magic Missile can be used as a utility spell to determine whether something that looks like an Object (such as a statue, icicle, or stalactite) is really just an Object or whether it's a Creature (a Golem, Living Statue, Animated Object, Ice Mephit, Gargoyle, Piercer, or Mimic). Is that y'all's understanding as well?
The party had a tough fight with a Living Rock Statue, which they defeated, and then...around the next corner was another statue. They ran into the room, and a player asked "roll for Initiative?" I'm like: "Yes."
So they roll Init and I have them go, and they are all wailing on this statue, which hasn't even moved yet. The wizard tries to cast "Magic Missile." And I'm like..."For some reason, you're not able to target it." The spell isn't even cast. The player is spooked. He's thinking there's some sort of Anti-Magic field. And then, bottom of the order...it's the statue's turn.
But, it's just a statue.
I say: "Well, y'all pounded it. It's all bent of of shape. It's not moving. Apparently it never even had a chance to move."
And the party is so proud that they got the jump on this monster. High fives all around.
But...it was just a statue.
Then I realized that Magic Missile can be used as a utility spell to determine whether something that looks like an Object (such as a statue, icicle, or stalactite) is really just an Object or whether it's a Creature (a Golem, Living Statue, Animated Object, Ice Mephit, Gargoyle, Piercer, or Mimic). Is that y'all's understanding as well?