D&D 5E Magic Missile vs. Mirror Image

[Bacon Bits]

Crawford by default rules based on Rules As Wtitten. RAW is okay, but it's certainly not the only answer.

I'd never call an answer off Twitter based on RAW. They're far too inconsistent for that. All they do is choose the strictest, most literal interpretation of the smallest possible wording of they're looking at, regardless of how that impacts similarly written rules that are handled completely differently or how other rules tell you how to interpret those rules. If they were Supreme Court Justices, I'd expect them to rule that the Second Amendment makes it legal to transport firearms, not use them.

 

[Arial Black]

I disagree. I see this situation as the rules failing due to over simplification. An attack requires a target.

Yes.

A magic missile requires a target.

Yes.

Hold person requires a target.

Yes.

Mirror Image's sole function is to provide extra targets to keep the caster safe.

You might think that, but here's what it actually says:-

Each time a creature targets you with an attack during the spell’s duration...,

So mirror image only functions if the attack targets the real person. As written, there is no way for an attacker to choose to target an image; an image is not targettable, only the real person.

...roll a d20 to determine whether the attack instead targets one of your duplicates

The only way for the attack to target an image is if the attack originally targetted the real person but the d20 roll caused the attack to target an image instead.

Since magic missile, along with any weapon attack or a hold person spell (to use your examples), can only target the real person and not the images, it is not possible for the caster of magic missile to deliberately target any images. All of the missiles can only target the real person.

Furthermore, when mirror image says, "Each time a creature targets you with an attack", it only applies to 'attacks' as per 5E jargon: attacking by way of an attack roll. For mirror image to work against magic missile (a spell which famously does not have an attack roll!) the mirror image spell description would have to say, "Each time a creature targets you with a spell...."

 

[S'mon]

"duplicate can be destroyed only by an Attack that hits it."

Seems clear from the text that Mirror Images ignore Magic Missile damage or anything else that is not a big-A Attack.

So, magic missile spells ignore MI and always hit the wizard, but cannot destroy the images.

 

[robus]

So mirror image only functions if the attack targets the real person. As written, there is no way for an attacker to choose to target an image; an image is not targettable, only the real person.

This seems an overly narrow reading of "you" to me? The whole purpose of Mirror Image is to create identical "yous" (not just multiple targets) so that the attacker is confused. So Magic Missile is not going to ignore Mirror Image and just home in on the real "you" IMHO.

 

[robus]

And funny Mirror Image anecdote from last session:

Ranger has a wild magic surge after casting a spell and out pop 3 mirror images. Then the wizard fireballs the target and wants to protect the ranger. But which ranger? The wizard rolls a d20 hoping for lower than 6 (to pick the real ranger) and fails. Ranger dives for the dirt as the fireball erupts.

It was hilarious

 

[Arial Black]

And funny Mirror Image anecdote from last session:

Ranger has a wild magic surge after casting a spell and out pop 3 mirror images. Then the wizard fireballs the target and wants to protect the ranger. But which ranger? The wizard rolls a d20 hoping for lower than 6 (to pick the real ranger) and fails. Ranger dives for the dirt as the fireball erupts.

It was hilarious

Hilarious it may have been, but that's not how the spell works.

A duplicate can be destroyed only by an attack that hits it. It ignores all other damage and effects

'Hits' refers to a successful attack roll. Fireball doesn't use attack rolls, therefore the fire damage does not 'hit' anything at all! Since the duplicates were not 'hit' by an 'attack', they ignore the fire damage and are unaffected by the fireball.

Beginning at 2nd level, you can create pockets of relative safety within the effects of your evocation spells. When you cast an evocation spell that affects other creatures that you can see, you can choose a number of them equal to 1 + the spell’s level. The chosen creatures automatically succeed on their saving throws against the spell, and they take no damage if they would normally take half damage on a successful save

The ranger is a creature he can see. In fact, he can see four of him! So yes, the wizard can choose to keep the ranger safe.

The three images are not 'creatures he can see' because they are not 'creatures' at all, and are not eligible to be chosen by the wizard.

If the wizard wants to exclude the ranger from the fireball (and has the ability to do so) then he can, just by choosing to exclude the ranger. The choosing of a target to keep safe is not done by way of an attack roll(!) so the images do not interfere with that choice in any way. The wizard can simply choose for the ranger to be unharmed and he will be safe (because the wizard chose the ranger) and so will the images (they have not been 'hit').

 

[Arial Black]

This seems an overly narrow reading of "you" to me? The whole purpose of Mirror Image is to create identical "yous" (not just multiple targets) so that the attacker is confused. So Magic Missile is not going to ignore Mirror Image and just home in on the real "you" IMHO.

Spells work exactly like they say they work. Mirror image works by messing with 'attack rolls'. The images neither affect nor can be directly affected by any spell that does not use an attack roll.

How you would have worded the spell if you were the guy who wrote it for 5E is not relevant. This is a discussion on what the rules actually are, not on what they might have been.

 

[Corwin]

Hilarious it may have been, but that's not how the spell works.

Yup. Again, people seem to think the images appear spread out around, or next to, the caster. Like, if using a battlemat, you'd put three additional minis on the map in a conga line or something. In reality, the images are all within the same 5' square (again using battlemat jargon to help with imagery) as the caster. Shifting in and around the caster in a tight formation. Specifically not separate enough from him, or each other, to warrant being individually target-able.

 

[Brandegoris]

Ok, So then Magic Missile doesn't function at all on someone that has Mirror images up right?
I mean you have to have a target and know what that target is right? If a person doesn't have a way to tell the actual person ( thus being able to target them) then the Magic missile simply can't function because there is no target? that seems fair to me.
I think that a fair solution. The caster doesn't waste the spell and simply "Knows" it wont work, and you don't cheapen the purpose of the Mirror image spell

And I get that there are some of you that will cry about the Rules as written, But I don't care I've played this game for 30 years. FUN is the name of the game. When even the creators tell you the FIRST RULE is to make your own rules when you want to, then BAM...There you have it

 

[Corwin]

Ok, So then Magic Missile doesn't function at all on someone that has Mirror images up right?
I mean you have to have a target and know what that target is right? If a person doesn't have a way to tell the actual person ( thus being able to target them) then the Magic missile simply can't function because there is no target? that seems fair to me.
I think that a fair solution. The caster doesn't waste the spell and simply "Knows" it wont work, and you don't cheapen the purpose of the Mirror image spell

And I get that there are some of you that will cry about the Rules as written, But I don't care I've played this game for 30 years. FUN is the name of the game. When even the creators tell you the FIRST RULE is to make your own rules when you want to, then BAM...There you have it

And you can change fireball to do cold damage.

The point is that, once you actually read the spell it might become clear that it does not necessarily work like certain previous editions. That's all. That simple.