D&D 5E Magic Missile vs. Mirror Image

[Xeviat]

Heya everyone. I'm prepping for a game tonight, and one of the baddies is a spellcaster. I'm familiarizing myself with the spells, and trying to preempt questions my players may have. Mirror Image made me pause (partially because it's a non-concentration duration self buff; I'm surprised the party wizard doesn't use it).

Three illusoryduplicates of yourself appear in your space. Until the spell ends,the duplicates move with you and mimic your actions, shiftingposition so it's impossible to track which image is real. You can useyour action to dismiss the illusory duplicates.


Each time a creatureTargets you with an Attack during the spell's Duration, roll a d20 todetermine whether the Attack instead Targets one of your duplicates.


If you have threeduplicates, you must roll a 6 or higher to change the attack's targetto a duplicate. With two duplicates, you must roll an 8 or higher.With one duplicate, you must roll an 11 or higher.


A duplicate's ACequals 10 + your Dexterity modifier. If an Attack hits a duplicate,the duplicate is destroyed. A duplicate can be destroyed only by anAttack that hits it. It ignores all other damage and effects. Thespell ends when all three duplicates are destroyed.


A creature isunaffected by this spell if it can't see, if it relies on sensesother than sight, such as blindsight, or if it can perceive illusionsas false, as with truesight.

So, no mention of how magic missile might interact.

You create threeglowing darts of magical force. Each dart hits a creature of yourchoice that you can see within range. A dart deals 1d4+1 force damageto its target. The darts all strike simultaneously and you can directthem to hit one creature or several.


At Higher Levels:When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher,the spell creates one more dart for each slot above 1st.

So, how would you rule this? Does the magic missile simply bypass Mirror Image, since it has no attack roll, and thus it's not an "attack"? Would you allow them to target 1 missile at each duplicate in an effort to destroy them? (as a 2nd level spell, you could target 1 missile at each image you see, only 1 of which would be the real).

I'm pretty sure this will come up. How would you handle it?

 

[WarpedAcorn]

Each missile will hit, so no attack roll. However, the Wizard will roll to see if the missile hits an image or the real person.

Magic Missile was always a good answer to Mirror Image. =)


Edit: Also, I think if you cast Shield that should protect the Images as well.

 

[Corwin]

I think its important to remember that you and your MI duplicates are all shifting in, through and around each other in the same very tight space (for most, that's a 5' diameter/square/hex). They are not spread around the room. I think of it really more like a variant, sort of ablative, form of displacement rather than a bunch of "yous" moving around distinctly and independently.

 

[Leatherhead]

Here are a few things to consider:

Magic Missile isn't an Attack.

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.

Magic Missile cannot target things that are not creatures.

You hurl a mote of fire at a creature or object within range.

Each dart hits a creature of your choice that you can see within range.

Mirror Image is useless against spells that don't have attack rolls, such as Fireball, Magic Missile, or Charm Person.

Shield is also spell that deflects attacks, however it directly states that it also counters Magic Missile. So if you really need an option to counter Magic Missile, that's your pick.

 

[LordEntrails]

Each time a creature Targets you with an Attack

Each missile is it's own attack (even though it doesn't need a roll). Each missile must therefore roll to see if it hits an image or the mage.

I have ruled that each missile rolls on its own, rather than one roll for all the missiles. (That's the only place I see room for debate.)

 

[The Crimson Binome]

I think its important to remember that you and your MI duplicates are all shifting in, through and around each other in the same very tight space (for most, that's a 5' diameter/square/hex). They are not spread around the room. I think of it really more like a variant, sort of ablative, form of displacement rather than a bunch of "yous" moving around distinctly and independently.

They aren't substantive, though. Any attack whiffs right through them as they blink out of existence. That means they have to be far enough from each other that an attack aimed at one of them isn't just going to cleave through all of them by virtue of them overlapping.

Which makes sense, when you consider how large of an area a 5' x 5' square really is.

 

[Corwin]

I recommend re-reading the spell's description then?

They aren't substantive, though.

Nothing in the spell indicates they are translucent or ghostly, either. So I'm not sure what point you are making.

Any attack whiffs right through them as they blink out of existence.

A whiff? You still have to hit one. They have an AC as well, which must be overcome before you can make one disappear.

That means they have to be far enough from each other that an attack aimed at one of them isn't just going to cleave through all of them by virtue of them overlapping.

Sounds more like a failure of narration than the mechanics.

Which makes sense, when you consider how large of an area a 5' x 5' square really is.

They appear in your space. In your space. And they are shifting position as they move with you, so it's impossible to track which image is real. That's what the spell says they are doing anyway.

 

[abirdcall]

Yeah, 1 roll for each missile.

The missiles can't miss their target, but they aren't self-targeting. You still need to target them and may choose the wrong image.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

Nothing in the spell indicates they are translucent or ghostly, either. So I'm not sure what point you are making.

A whiff? You still have to hit one. They have an AC as well, which must be overcome before you can make one disappear.

Their AC is just the difficulty to touch them with your weapon, at which point they immediately pop with no resistance. They don't have Hit Points at all. They are illusions.

Sounds more like a failure of narration than the mechanics.

They appear in your space. In your space. And they are shifting position as they move with you, so it's impossible to track which image is real. That's what the spell says they are doing anyway.

The thing which the spell does, which is observable to anyone within the game world, is that it creates three distinct duplicates of you. Anyone can look at where you are, and see four of you, standing near each other and making identical gestures, and also changing positions frequently so that they can't be tracked.

When someone tries to attack you, they have to decide which of the four to swing at (or shoot at). If they pick you, then you get hit; if they pick one of the others, then that one gets hit and pops out of existence. Regardless of whether they hit you or one of the images, or fail to connect, you've altered formation again by the time they go for another swing.

They are in your space, for the purpose of game rules. If you're using a grid, then you're all in the same square or hex or whatever. If you're not using a grid, then your images are close enough that nobody is going to get between you and them. But you have to be far enough away from each other that a swing from some ogre's axe will only hit one of you at a time, or else the spell wouldn't work the way it does. You might be thinking of the Blur spell, which makes it difficult for enemies to determine your true location, but doesn't create images that are wholly separate from you and which need to be targeted individually.

And, that being the case, I would rule that a Magic Missile (or sufficiently high-level Eldritch Blast) could pop all of the images at once by attacking each one simultaneously, because that is what makes sense for the in-game reality which the rules are trying to reflect.

 

[TheCosmicKid]

Magic Missile cannot target things that are not creatures.

By this interpretation, it seems like you would be able to tell that any illusion wasn't a creature by trying to target it with magic missile and seeing if you can. I don't think it makes sense to assume that the spell somehow "knows" what is and isn't an illusion. I think you can shoot magic missiles at an illusory dragon because even though it's not a creature, you believe it is and you are the one who is making decisions for the spell. And I think when you see five copies of an enemy wizard any of which may be the real one, you have to choose which copy you're targeting.