Magic Missile. How have you and how do you roll the damage.

[guachi]

I roll them per missile. However, making it one roll for all missiles makes those abilities that add a stat bonus to one die roll more powerful when used with magic missile.

Though one can, of course, just add the stat bonus to each die roll. The effect is the same even if it's not strictly correct by the rules.

 

[Shiroiken]

I've ignored that bit of sage advice. Players in my games roll one d4 for each missile. The 5e DMs I play with do the same.

I have not played with a DM who would allow only a single roll. Everyone I've talked to about it thinks that's stupid, and I'm inclined to agree.

I also ignore the "you only get to add your bonus to one part of a spell" errata. I find it too fiddly for a game that prides itself on being straightforward and simple. Just let the modifier apply to all the scorching rays, not just one, and so on. Easier. Simpler. More fun.

I have adjusted it to once per creature per effect, so it encourages spreading the damage around.

 

[Lanefan]

Never even considered this concept before now.

Consider it considered.

Consider it rejected.

 

[Charlaquin]

I swear, Sage Advice contradicts my interpretation of the rules so consistently that if I ever saw one I agreed with, I would seriously have to reconsider my own reading of the rule in question.

 

[wizo]

It has always been that you are supposed to roll each missile damage separately. This way you add bonuses for each individual missile, which is what can make magic missile amazing. If you are shooting them all at one target, then roll the full damage and add your bonuses. If you are split targeting, declare what is going where, roll, add bonuses, and repeat for second third etc target. You can chose where each missile goes, which is the beauty of magic missile.

 

[Rya.Reisender]

I rolled multiple times before I learned that you should only roll once. If my player still badly want to roll multiple times, I allow it, though. But definitely would rage quit on a DM that forced me to roll multiple times when I want to apply an ability I can only add to one damage roll now.

For other spells like Fireball, I always only rolled once and not per target in the AoE.

 

[CrimsonCarcharodon]

Roll for each missile, same way I always have.

 

[oreofox]

Like I have for the last 20 years: Each missile is a d4. If it applies, your stat modifier applies to each missile. So if you have a 16 in your Int, and can cast Magic Missile dealing 5 missiles? Each missile is 1d4+4 whether they all hit one (5d4+20), each hits a separate creature, or any mix.

 

[billd91]

For other spells like Fireball, I always only rolled once and not per target in the AoE.

The conceptual difference here is that's one fireball while each missile from the magic missile is a separate thing.

 

[Caliban]

The conceptual difference here is that's one fireball while each missile from the magic missile is a separate thing.

Magic Missiles is still one spell and it damages all its targets at once - so it uses the rule for spells that deal damage to more than one target at the same time. (PHB, page 196).

It's not a ruling Jeremy Crawford pulled out of thin air, it's actually backed up by the printed rules. It's a bit annoying because Magic Missile never worked this way in previous editions, and I certainly wouldn't force a player to roll one die for all the missiles if they don't want to. But that is technically RAW.