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Message: <blockquote data-quote="apsuman" data-source="post: 2898463" data-attributes="member: 1769">I agree with everything you said.And before I go any further let me (kind of) start over here...Is magic missile too powerful?   Yes.Is that bad?  No.I think if you were to poll everyone on this issue you would find that the number of people that think MM is just fine plus the number of people that think it is overpowered for it's level but are just fine with it that way would really far outnumber the people that think it is overpowered and a problem.You are correct that there are lots of instances where other first level spells are better than MM at all different kinds of levels of play.  For example, if you were 18th level caster and casted a Heighted (to ninth level) charm person on the barbarian of the same level you have a real good chance of it working.I think others have mentioned the "extra oomph" that MM has but I don't think anyone has put it this way: Magic Missile is a utility spell.   It is a (perhaps the only) utility damage spell.  I am typing this quickly and working from memory, but I can not think of another damage casing spell that guarantees a hit to the enemy you want (even in melee) without a save, and without resistance (yeah, I know SR and the shield spell).  Chain Lightning comes close, I think, obviously it will strike more opponents but there is that save for half thing again.  So Chain Lightning will do caster level * d6 damage, save for half, at level 12, that would be 12d6, average 42, save for 21 to the first target.  MM would only do 5d4+5, average 17.5.  Really I would expect a spell five levels higher to do more than 3.5 points of damage (before anyone gets riled up, all I am saying is that I would really be mad if I were the Chain Lightning caster and the first guy saved for 21 points and I knew I had 17.5 in my pocket I could have thrown at him instead for the cost of a first level spell).  And, just for reference sake, a maximized empowered magic missile (level six) would do 25 + one half of 5d4+5 (average 8.75) for 33.75, guranteed.In any adventure day where there are adversaries, MM is potentially useful.  Charm person is not, shocking grasp is not, Burning hands is not, Alarm is not, Fly is not, etc.  Magic Missile might not be the best choice, but it so so often such a good second choice that it would be foolish not recognize that.g!</blockquote>

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