D&D 4E Ben Riggs' "What the Heck Happened with 4th Edition?" seminar at Gen Con 2023

[Voadam]

In Moldvay it does 1d6+1, whereas in AD&D it does 1d4+1.

Rules Cyclopedia too. The Basic line doing more damage and no max # of missiles is a bit surprising with lower hp and MUs going up to 36 levels in Basic compared to AD&D/3e. The two every five reduces the number of missiles they get in comparison though with some gap levels (3-4, 7-9, 11+) where the other editions are ahead. At levels 1, 2, 5, 6, and 10 Basic is the same number of missiles, just d6+1 instead of d4+1. From level 10 Basic MM has equal number of missiles and from level 15+ Basic MM has more missiles than 2e and 3e and in 3e against monsters with way more hp.

Magic Missile
Range: 150'
Duration: 1 round
Effect: Creates 1 or more arrows
A magic missile is a glowing arrow, created and shot by magic, which inflicts 1d6 + 1 (2-7) points of damage to any creature it strikes. After the spell is cast, the arrow appears next to the spellcaster and hovers there (moving with him) until the spellcaster causes it to shoot. When shot, the magic missile will automatically hit any one visible target the spellcaster specifies. The magic missile actually has no solid form, and cannot be touched. A magic missile never misses its target and the target is not allowed a saving throw.
For every 5 levels of experience of the caster, two more missiles are created by the same spell.

 

[Reynard]

Rules Cyclopedia too. The Basic line doing more damage and no max # of missiles is a bit surprising with lower hp and MUs going up to 36 levels in Basic compared to AD&D/3e. The two every five reduces the number of missiles they get in comparison though with some gap levels (3-4, 7-9, 11+) where the other editions are ahead. At levels 1, 2, 5, 6, and 10 Basic is the same number of missiles, just d6+1 instead of d4+1. From level 10 Basic MM has equal number of missiles and from level 15+ Basic MM has more missiles than 2e and 3e and in 3e against monsters with way more hp.

Magic Missile
Range: 150'
Duration: 1 round
Effect: Creates 1 or more arrows
A magic missile is a glowing arrow, created and shot by magic, which inflicts 1d6 + 1 (2-7) points of damage to any creature it strikes. After the spell is cast, the arrow appears next to the spellcaster and hovers there (moving with him) until the spellcaster causes it to shoot. When shot, the magic missile will automatically hit any one visible target the spellcaster specifies. The magic missile actually has no solid form, and cannot be touched. A magic missile never misses its target and the target is not allowed a saving throw.
For every 5 levels of experience of the caster, two more missiles are created by the same spell.

It is weird that it has a duration of 1 round given the text description.

 

[Voadam]

It is weird that it has a duration of 1 round given the text description.

Yeah, and the whole hovering there until shot description part too.

Fireball and lightning bolt are straightforwardly instantaneous.

 

[Voadam]

Even weirder is the Moldvay B/X 1 turn duration magic missile.

Magic Missile Range: 150'
Duration: 1 turn
A magic missile is a glowing arrow, created and shot by magic, which does 2-7 (1d6+1) points of damage to any creature it strikes. It will automatically hit any visible target. For every 5 levels the caster has gained, he or she may shoot two more missiles when casting the spell. EXAMPLE: a 6th level magic-user may cast three missiles. These may be shot at one target, or the caster may choose to cast the missiles at different targets.

 

[Reynard]

Even weirder is the Moldvay B/X 1 turn duration magic missile.

Magic Missile Range: 150'
Duration: 1 turn
A magic missile is a glowing arrow, created and shot by magic, which does 2-7 (1d6+1) points of damage to any creature it strikes. It will automatically hit any visible target. For every 5 levels the caster has gained, he or she may shoot two more missiles when casting the spell. EXAMPLE: a 6th level magic-user may cast three missiles. These may be shot at one target, or the caster may choose to cast the missiles at different targets.

The duration makes sense if the m-u can only fire one per round, which I think is the way we played it.

 

[Thomas Shey]

We could also ask, "what is the long run?" I mean, if the sort of commercial success D&D seems to have enjoyed over the past near-decade is the cost of long-run decline, I reckon WotC must be pretty comfortable with that trade-off!

Well, that too, but even if you are unconcerned about the real-world practicalities of game publication, "incoherence" at best matters to the people that notice it. If how things work in D&D 5e is different and what assumptions are made has changed since 1978, that only matters to people who both know that, and frankly, care. If you started playing in 2010, do either apply? Why should they?

D&D's lore and what they focus on was never that coherent in the first place; acting like its sacred makes no sense except in the context of sentiment.

 

[darjr]

"may shoot two more missiles when casting the spell" is the hint to how it's meant to be used.

However play as you like.

See also this interesting bit at Dragonsfoot.

[B/X] Magic missile: 1 turn duration - Dragonsfoot

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

In Moldvay it does 1d6+1, whereas in AD&D it does 1d4+1.

Right, its basically a +1 bow, sorta. Just single-use (albeit if you are high level you do get several missiles) and restricted by all the myriad of (admittedly usually ignored) restrictions on spell casting that don't apply to weapon attacks, like needing to be perfectly stable, motionless, able to see, hear, speak, etc. and not subject to attack. Granted, not all those are spelled out very explicitly in early versions of D&D.

 

[Voadam]

The duration makes sense if the m-u can only fire one per round, which I think is the way we played it.

Which then would raise the question of why specify that they can be shot at the same target or different ones.

"These may be shot at one target, or the caster may choose to cast the missiles at different targets."

And the later RC one round duration.

Despite B/X's reputation for clean rules clarity, there are some description weirdness issues.

 

[darjr]

Which then would raise the question of why specify that they can be shot at the same target or different ones.

"These may be shot at one target, or the caster may choose to cast the missiles at different targets."

And the later RC one round duration.

Despite B/X's reputation for clean rules clarity, there are some description weirdness issues.

Dragons foot claims that the Mentzer 1 round is a typo. I do think it's more likely that the 1 turn is a typo.