magic missile always hits again???

[renau1g]

And in a limited circumstance with the feat Inescapable Force against insubstantial foes. An auto damage of 1d10+9 that is not reduced is pretty nice.

Hmmm, missed that on Inescapable Force... thought it had to hit. yeah that's not bad for the corner case, but you did have to burn a feat on it... With that feat my genasi blaster wizard could admixture Winged Horde and with Enlarge spell well... do lots o' damage to large groups of enemies with a party-friendly controller spell... of course that just speaks to how amazing Winged Horde is compared to most other at-wills.

 

[mneme]

*double-checks in RC*. Draco is right -- MM -attacks- the target, but doesn't hit or miss them.

 

[the Jester]

Yeah, it 'always hits' in the colloquial sense, but not the technical sense.

It might be more accurate to say that it never misses.

 

[Larrin]

Magic missile is free for essential mages, and should likewise be free for wizards. It is useful for two things:
1. popping minions
2. finishing of severely bloodied enemies.

We had one encounter where we were focusing fire and the oozes we were fighting had just enough hp that when it came around to the first mage's turn, he'd Magic missle and kill it. he did this four times. It was pretty funny.

Bottom line, magic missile is a great finishing move, but weak all other times. You can upgrade it a little, but it shouldn't be seen as too strong by anyone.

 

[DracoSuave]

Magic Missile is pretty weak. It is a subpar choice for minion popping when you can get more damage, more utility, and minion popping from Cloud of Daggers, or more ability to hit multiple foes from Scorching Burst.

Where it shines is when you take items that add pushing to it. Then it becomes an automatic push power--that's much more value than any damaging concerns it might have.

 

[chitzk0i]

But don't take my word for it! Buh-dun bew!

 

[fba827]

(snip)and does shield still counter it?(snip)

Shield does not, but things that offer force resistance (or immunity) do.

A good example of this is ...

(snip) a Brooch of Shielding (snip)

This low level magic item offers a hefty amount of force resistance if you can get your hands on it.

 

[Obryn]

I'm glad the Mage in my group got it for free, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it as a normal choice. He uses it most every fight, though. At 3rd level, when his other options are Beguiling Strands and Nightmare Assault, it's not a bad deal at all during wrap-up - especially when you include distance, cover, etc.

Beguiling Strands is his bread & butter, but at the end of a fight it can get kinda lame. At 3rd level, sometimes Magic Missile's 8 auto damage is a better bet than a vs. Will attack that does 1d8+6 with debuffs.

-O

 

[I'm A Banana]

The psychology is interesting.

By the math and numbers, it isn't even a very good power.

By the feel of the thing, it's a power that people want, that people get, and that people find uses for.

All because it eliminates uncertainty. You are no longer at the whims of chance and luck. You have this effect, and no one can take it away from you.

It's interesting to look at it from that angle, the angle that says: maybe rolling to hit is, in and of itself, such a risk of failure, that we will pay more to get rid of it than we will invest in it.

Would you rather have $20, or have a 50% chance of getting $40?

 

[RigaMortus2]

Would you rather have $20, or have a 50% chance of getting $40?

I'm not a gambler. I'll take the $20. Where can we meet? Or would you rather mail it to me?