D&D General 0 HP Magic Missile = Death?

[Reynard]

Well, I wasn't cherry picking as you seem to think, I was only pointing out that, even though each dart deals damage, it all hits at the same time. That was my point. Like my falling example. If you fall you will very likely suffer multiple injuries, even if minor, which would all be damage. But the game groups it all into one total.

My point was that you are making an assertion when it is clearly a matter of interpretation. Your isn't incorrect, but it isn't univerally correct either.

Do you tell a player hit by multiple magic missiles the damage they take from each separate missile, or just tell them the total?

For example: a PC has 8 hp left and is hit by all three missiles (which we know strike simulatenously). You roll damage and get 3, 5, 2 total. If you say the 3 and 5 are applied first, reducing the PC to 0 hp, the last 2 would be an auto fail death save. But what if you told them the damage was 3, 2, and then 5? Well, now they are still at 0 hp, but no auto fail death save.

If the PC is that close to death (or an NPC that gets death saves) I would roll each die individually one at a time. I agree that it would be bad form to roll all the damage and then apply the numbers in a way that creates a specific outcome. I also roll all attack rolls, damage rolls and saving throws in the open all the time because that is how I do things.

 

[James Gasik]

I'm kind of used to strange conversations about Magic Missile. It seems like "multiple missiles, that always hit" do funky things to D&D rules, lol. Like that strange ruling about Evocation Wizards "well, see, you only roll one damage die for all the missiles, so you can totally add your Int mod to each missile".

I do think MM is probably one source of damage, but if a DM ruled otherwise, the rules text to support my interpretation is pretty unintuitive.

What's really happening is you have this spell which can split up it's damage between single and multiple targets- dumping it all on one guy isn't really three attacks.

But then Scorching Ray is multiple attacks, because you have to make separate attack rolls? Madness, lol.

TLDR: if a DM wants to kill you, you're dead, quibbling about the rules isn't going to save you. OTOH, DM's, remember the (paraphrased) words of Ian Malcolm. "you were so preoccupied with whether or not you could, you didn't stop to think if you should."

 

[ezo]

Sisu Feat. You may add your will or con bonus to death saves rolls Simultaneous damage such as magic missile counts as one attack. You do not automatically die from massive damage such as a plane crash straight down at full speed.

Unless the massive damage ends up exceeding your maximum hp after reducing you to 0, of course.

If you fire three arrows per round do they all hit simultaneously?

Nope, because you make three separate attack rolls and the rules do not specify that your mutliple attacks occur or hit simultaneously.

 

[ezo]

My point was that you are making an assertion when it is clearly a matter of interpretation. Your isn't incorrect, but it isn't univerally correct either.

When it specifies that the missiles all strike simultaneous, I don't see it as a clear matter of interpretation... it is right there in the text. If that isn't clear to others, oh well.

If the PC is that close to death (or an NPC that gets death saves) I would roll each die individually one at a time. I agree that it would be bad form to roll all the damage and then apply the numbers in a way that creates a specific outcome. I also roll all attack rolls, damage rolls and saving throws in the open all the time because that is how I do things.

Why would you bother rolling one at a time? They all hit together.

Rolling them in the open or not is immaterial to the discussion.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Do you tell a player hit by multiple magic missiles the damage they take from each separate missile, or just tell them the total?

Former, in any case it would matter. Happened recently in my game too. A raging bear barbarian was barraged by magic missiles. Damage of each missile was halved and rounded down, resulting less damage than if we had just halved the total.

So, random chance of how you told them the damage results in just a 1/3 chance of a failed death save in this case.

Yes. You roll the each damage individually and apply them in order they were rolled, and this might randomly result a failed death save.

Which, IMO, you shouldn't do. You give them the total because all the damage takes place at the same time. The PC takes 10. No failed death save.

But that's not how the rules actually work, and the lead designer has confirmed that.

 

[Reynard]

When it specifies that the missiles all strike simultaneous, I don't see it as a clear matter of interpretation... it is right there in the text. If that isn't clear to others, oh well.

Does "simultaneous" have a game rule definition? if not, you are interpreting its meaning.

Why would you bother rolling one at a time? They all hit together.

Rolling them in the open or not is immaterial to the discussion.

Only because you are making an assertion as if it is inarguable, which it isn't.

 

[Oofta]

If you fire three arrows per round do they all hit simultaneously?

Better yet, if 3 separate archers had readied actions for when someone dropped to 0, they could still literally hit simultaneously. Simultaneous doesn't change that it's 3 separate instances of damage.

 

[Maxperson]

This happened to me in BG3! OMG I've killed Lae'zel!

Heh. Early on when I had first started playing BG3 a buddy told me that I could heal party members by throwing a healing potion at them. A few days later I'm playing and Gale drops to 0, so I have someone throw a healing potion. Instead of seeing Gale stand back up ready to go, I saw, "Critical hit!" and Gale was dead. Apparently unconscious PCs can't catch what you throw at them. Who knew?!

 

[Oofta]

Heh. Early on when I had first started playing BG3 a buddy told me that I could heal party members by throwing a healing potion at them. A few days later I'm playing and Gale drops to 0, so I have someone throw a healing potion. Instead of seeing Gale stand back up ready to go, I saw, "Critical hit!" and Gale was dead. Apparently unconscious PCs can't catch what you throw at them. Who knew?!

Yeah, you have to throw the potion bottle adjacent to them, not at their noggin.

 

[Cadence]

Unless the massive damage ends up exceeding your maximum hp after reducing you to 0, of course.

Ah, the point of the fear is there is no such thing (apparently as per the movie).

Nope, because you make three separate attack rolls and the rules do not specify that your mutliple attacks occur or hit simultaneously.

So there is some time thing allowable by the rules that is slower then simultaneous. The player wants to make an auto hit magic arrow spell that fires three automatically hitting things of magic energy (kind of like the cartoon) that do d4 each. What level? They could, for example hit the same spot like of you were trying to push a stuck button multiple times like if you were Hawkeye.