D&D (2024) Magic Missile is saved! Hooray!

[Maxperson]

Whether you roll once or for each dart, each dart does 1d4+1 damage. You are making a huge leap.

That's not how it is written in context. I'm not making a leap, I'm looking a the context that it is written in.

 

[pawsplay]

It would be pretty weird to me that sending three missiles against one hobgoblin involved rolling three dice, but sending one missile against three hobgoblins involved rolling just one.

 

[TiQuinn]

That's not how it is written in context. I'm not making a leap, I'm looking a the context that it is written in.

It is so irrelevant what the context is. People perceive context differently. Either option yields an acceptable outcome.

 

[cbwjm]

I think the main reason why people jumped on the one roll for all the missiles was partially (mostly?) about the invoker adding their Int bonus to the damage for all the missiles with empowered evocation. A 20 Intelligence wizard dealing 7-10 damage per missile instead of 2-5 is fairly impressive.

 

[Maxperson]

It is so irrelevant what the context is. People perceive context differently. Either option yields an acceptable outcome.

It's also a silly argument entirely. Folks are going to run magic missile as they want to no matter what it says. I'm bowing out at this point. It's not worth more word space from me.

 

[Reynard]

Is there any other instance where the rules of a spell or attack specifically call out the damage as "simultaneous"? I feel like that must be trying to tell us something, even if the rules don't make it clear.

 

[pukunui]

Is there any other instance where the rules of a spell or attack specifically call out the damage as "simultaneous"? I feel like that must be trying to tell us something, even if the rules don't make it clear.

I don't know. I mean, the Rules Glossary has a section on Simultaneous Effects, but it doesn't seem particularly relevant to this situation.

"If two or more things happen at the same time on a turn, the person at the game table—player or DM—whose turn it is decides the order in which those things happen. For example, if two effects occur at the start of a player character’s turn, the player decides which of the effects happens first."

It could just be telling us that the missiles all strike their targets at the same time rather than one after the other. Also if one target is further away than another, the missiles still strike at the same time. Stuff like that ...

 

[John R Davis]

I quite like it. If you roll a 4 that's 15 damage from a 1st level spell. That's a big chunk hp from a 1st level PC on a baddie, and puts down just about any 1st level PC if cast at them.

 

[billd91]

I quite like it. If you roll a 4 that's 15 damage from a 1st level spell. That's a big chunk hp from a 1st level PC on a baddie, and puts down just about any 1st level PC if cast at them.

On the other hand, think of up-casting it by a level or two for more missiles... to only roll a 1.

 

[ezo]

I quite like it. If you roll a 4 that's 15 damage from a 1st level spell. That's a big chunk hp from a 1st level PC on a baddie, and puts down just about any 1st level PC if cast at them.

And if you roll a 1 that's just 6 damage. I'd rather take my chances and get 10.5 on average-- which is still a big chunk on a baddie and puts many 1st-level PCs down still.