Displacement vs Magic Missile?

[dbm]

Hi,
how does Displacement interact with Magic Missile? Magic Missile states:

The missile strikes unerringly, even if the target is in melee combat or has less than total cover or total concealment.

Displacement say:

The creature benefits from a 50% miss chance as if it had total concealment. However, unlike actual total concealment, displacement does not prevent enemies from targeting the creature normally.

I think this means that Displacement will protect versus Magic Missile.

Any opinions?
Ta,
Dan

 

[Thanee]

Displacement doesn't help against Magic Missile.
The miss chance only applies to attack rolls.

Bye
Thanee

 

[silburnl]

Displacement doesn't help against Magic Missile. The miss chance only applies to attack rolls.

I agree with Thanee. From the quotes in the original query:

"[a displaced target] benefits from a 50% miss chance as if it had total concealment."

"The [magic] missile strikes unerringly, even if the target ... has ... total concealment."

So the displacement 'gifts' a combatant with something analogous to total concealment, but against a magic missile that's no use 'cuz the spell description explicitly discounts any benefit to the target that total concealment would confer.

Regards
Luke

 

[Scion]

Not only that, but displacement doesnt work against targeted magic, and magic missile is targetted magic

 

[dbm]

"The [magic] missile strikes unerringly, even if the target ... has ... total concealment."

No offense, but your paraphrasing has trimmed out the essential 'less than' from the Magic Missile definition.

Magic Missile will hit a target unerringly if they have less then total concealment. Displacement protects as if the recipient has total concealment.

Do you still think that Displacement won't help?
Ta,
Dan

 

[Len]

Do you still think that Displacement won't help?

Yep, because Displacement doesn't exactly give concealment:

However, unlike actual total concealment, displacement does not prevent enemies from targeting the creature normally.

 

[Bauglir]

I agree with Thanee. From the quotes in the original query:

"[a displaced target] benefits from a 50% miss chance as if it had total concealment."

"The [magic] missile strikes unerringly, even if the target ... has ... total concealment."

So the displacement 'gifts' a combatant with something analogous to total concealment, but against a magic missile that's no use 'cuz the spell description explicitly discounts any benefit to the target that total concealment would confer.

Regards
Luke

There's some important text skipped on your magic missile quote:

The missile strikes unerringly, even if the target is in melee combat or has less than total cover or total concealment.

(highlights mine)

Total concealment would protect against magic missiles.

However, displacement does not grant total concealment; it grants a 50% miss chance as if the subject had total concealment, and even explicitly states that targetted effects (such as magic missile) work normally.

 

[dbm]

I think I can accept that Displacement's caveat regarding targetting allows MM to hit it.

Cheers,
Dan

 

[Thanee]

Less than total concealment basically just means, that you have to be able to target your, well, target.

With total concealment, you cannot do that. Displacement, however, is not total concealment, as it still allows normal targeting.

Bye
Thanee