Does SR protect your Mirror Images?

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Careful. You're spiraling outta control, kid.

You can't target an invisible opponent with a magic missile because you can't see him.

This says nothing about whether magic missle is an attack.

Not quite as badly as you think he is ...

1. Magic Missile is a valid attack as far as the invisibility spell is concerned - casting it while invisible causes your invisibility spell to drop.

The spell ends if the subject attacks any creature. For purposes of this spell, an attack includes any spell targeting a foe or whose area or effect includes a foe.

2. Magic Missile isn't a valid [ranged] attack as far as concealment is concerned.

To determine whether your target has concealment from your ranged attack, choose a corner of your square. If any line from this corner to any corner of the target’s square passes through a square or border that provides concealment, the target has concealment.

The missile strikes unerringly, even if the target is in melee combat or has less than total cover or total concealment. Specific parts of a creature can’t be singled out. Inanimate objects are not damaged by the spell.

So, no attack roll means not actually an attack as far as concealment rules are concerned.

 

[KarinsDad]

Btw, spells that can target Mirror Image images include various Conjuration spells like (Melf's) Acid Arrow and the Lesser Orb and Orb spells from Complete Arcane.

They work because they do not limit the target to a creature.

 

[Nail]

Not quite as badly as you think he is ...

Could be.

1. Magic Missile is a valid attack as far as the invisibility spell is concerned - casting it while invisible causes your invisibility spell to drop.

a-yup.

2. Magic Missile isn't a valid [ranged] attack as far as concealment is concerned.

The missile strikes even if the concealment comes from a square or border that provides concealment. Invisibility is neither of those.

How "your point" affects whether magic missile is an attack is unclear to me. Elaborate?

(Are you claiming that in order for something to be an attack, it must have an attack roll? Surely not.)

 

[Nail]

Btw, spells that can target Mirror Image images include various Conjuration spells like (Melf's) Acid Arrow and the Lesser Orb and Orb spells from Complete Arcane.

They work because they do not limit the target to a creature.

True.

I must admit that magic missile, by RAW, cannot target the mirror images. FWIW, I'll house rule that, as it seems closer to the "common interpretation" at our table. YMMV.

Unless..........could a Wiz 9 (5 missiles) target 5 of the apparent Images (knowing that at least 4 of the targets are invalid), and thus identify for his companions which are fake? Hmmmm.

 

[Rystil Arden]

True.

I must admit that magic missile, by RAW, cannot target the mirror images. FWIW, I'll house rule that, as it seems closer to the "common interpretation" at our table. YMMV.

Unless..........could a Wiz 9 (5 missiles) target 5 of the apparent Images (knowing that at least 4 of the targets are invalid), and thus identify for his companions which are fake? Hmmmm.

In a sense, yes. The wizard could point to the four targets for which the spell fizzled and say to the others, "That one, that one, that one, and that one are fakes."

 

[Nail]

In a sense, yes. The wizard could point to the four targets for which the spell fizzled and say to the others, "That one, that one, that one, and that one are fakes."

Or rather (and only if he's lucky with Magic Missile #5):

"See the one I hit? That's the real one!"

...although each will have appeared to take damage, only one was hit, and can't move until his turn.....so his location is fixed.

 

[Nail]

Another question: (Related to the Thread Topic! Huzzah!)

Could the magic missiling wizard tell if his spell "fizzled" because of SR, as opposed to targeting an image (which cannot be targeted).

That would be important, nitch wahr?

 

[KarinsDad]

Another question: (Related to the Thread Topic! Huzzah!)

Could the magic missiling wizard tell if his spell "fizzled" because of SR, as opposed to targeting an image (which cannot be targeted).

That would be important, nitch wahr?

Yes, I think you can.

Spell Resistance does not prevent the spell from being cast, it merely prevents the spell from affecting a given creature.

Invalid targeting, on the other hand, prevents the spell from being successfully cast.

 

[Kershek]

Does "while moving" include a 5-foot step?

 

[KarinsDad]

Does "while moving" include a 5-foot step?

Yes. 5 foot steps are listed under Movement in Combat.

I suspect it (literally) means that unless you move with either a Move Action or a 5 foot step, you cannot actually get the images to remerge.

So, if you get up from the ground as a Move Action, you cannot remerge the images unless you then take a 5 foot step or another movement. Moving has a very specific meaning in DND.