D&D (2024) Magic Missile is saved! Hooray!

[ezo]

Technically magic missile does do damage to more than one target at the same time, since it specifies that each missile hits simultaneously. So by 2014 RAW it did in fact fall under the rules in the damage rolls section cited in the OP.

I disagree (obviously ).

In a case such as magic missile, it doesn't make sense. At 1st-level, you get 3 missiles:

1 target: 3d4+3
2 targets: 2d4+2 and 1d4+1
3 targets: 1d4+1 each

Fireballs and similar spells deal equal damage to all targets, so all targets take the same damage. Magic missile due to its very nature, usually doesn't.

You could roll once of course in the case of 3 targets, but rolling (d4+1) x3 for the damage against a single target doesn't make sense as written.

Anyway, JC's interpretation is just as valid as mine, so I would go with whatever a DM does for their table.

Also, consider a spell like eldritch blast. At 5th level, you can attack multiple targets. Do you honesly believe people roll damage once and use the same amout for each beam that hits?

... If you hit a bless-casted cleric with a 1st level magic missile, are they making 1 concentration check or 3?

Regarding Concentration checks---a single check IMO. It is one spell, one source of damage, one check.

 

[FrogReaver]

Technically magic missile does do damage to more than one target at the same time, since it specifies that each missile hits simultaneously. So by 2014 RAW it did in fact fall under the rules in the damage rolls section cited in the OP.

Only when it targeted more than 1 creature. When targeting 1 it did not. (2014 rules)

 

[Reynard]

Remember how everyone freaked out when they turned MM into a useful spell but required a hit roll?

I'm so glad they returned it to being useless!

 

[ezo]

Remember how everyone freaked out when they turned MM into a useful spell but required a hit roll?

I'm so glad they returned it to being useless!

When was that? 4E?

 

[Charlaquin]

Only when it targeted more than 1 creature. When targeting 1 it did not. (2014 rules)

Correct

 

[SpellObjectEnthusiast]

It's weird because if you hit one target with two missiles and one target with one missile, the rules don't really apply without bending them a lot.

Crawford reached quite a bit in that ruling, IMO, but the rule he relied on has now changed.

Cheers!

The correct thing to do when presented with a strange edge case like this would have been to errata the rule, rather than double down on RAW over RAI for 10 years. Buts that's just me being salty about how crawford did things.

 

[FrogReaver]

So questions around 2024 rules.

• Do you roll separate damage dice for each missile?
• If you target 3 creatures each with 1 missile and have the evocation wizard level 10 feature, does the damage apply to each creature or just one?
• If you target 2 creatures, the 1st with 1 missile and the 2nd with 2, and have the evocation wizard level 10 feature, does it apply once to each creature, once to the 1st and twice to the 2nd, or pick which creature is affected by it one time?

Please justify the answers with rules.

 

[abirdcall]

People still use Magic Missile? Seems like nobody at my table takes it anymore. The only time PCs use it is if they a wand and then just to fire off 6 missiles once and then put it away to tomorrow.

I still like bad guys auto hitting some of the PCs once they start getting too good.

It is quite good in the right circumstances. Auto-hitting can be powerful.

Against PCs, well Shield stops it. I would personally never create creatures with abilities that are specifically counter to the PCs. Enemy spellcasters are just going to throw their best stuff so I don't see enemy creatures using it much.

 

[billd91]

Remember how everyone freaked out when they turned MM into a useful spell but required a hit roll?

I'm so glad they returned it to being useless!

What was useful about potentially missing with a magic missile?

 

[SpellObjectEnthusiast]

So questions around 2024 rules.

• Do you roll separate damage dice for each missile?
• If you target 3 creatures each with 1 missile and have the evocation wizard level 10 feature, does the damage apply to each creature or just one?
• If you target 2 creatures, the 1st with 1 missile and the 2nd with 2, and have the evocation wizard level 10 feature, does it apply once to each creature, once to the 1st and twice to the 2nd, or pick which creature is affected by it one time?

Please justify the answers with rules.

Separate die for each missile. There is no saving throw made, so the new damage vs multiple targets rule doesn't apply. Magic missile effectively works the same as Scorching Ray, but without an attack roll.

One roll of the die per spell - so one missile will do bonus damage. The same as scorching ray would work.

One roll of the die per spell - same as above, no matter how you distribute the missiles.