Magic Missile vs Mirror Image

[Marius Delphus]

I guess that means someone a caster with mirror images is still totally screwed if they get hit by a Black Tentacles. Tentacle pops up for every image plus the caster.

One possibility is to rule that, because each figment is a valid target, the figments are all attacked by grappling tentacles and disappear, making black tentacles another great anti-mirror image spell.

Alternately, you could rule that in-place spells like Evard's black tentacles, glyph of warding, and the like don't have visual senses (unless, like magic mouth, the spell description says they do) and thus don't react to figments, making black tentacles a terrible anti-mirror image spell.

Note that keeping track of how many tentacles there are, etc., is an artifact of prior editions and didn't survive into 3.5E. (To be fair, there's a lot of weirdness that DID survive into 3.5E that is held over from prior editions.)

Does that also mean that all the images provoke AoOs if the caster does? So someone with a huge dex and combat reflexes could wipe out a bunch of images if the caster provokes a single AoO?

I don't see why not, but keep in mind the 3.5E version of the spell permits the images to be in squares other than the caster's. Some of those might be out of reach. There's always casting on the defensive, of course, but even so this would make high DEX and Combat Reflexes a great anti-mirror image tactic.

Alternately, you could rule that the caster's provoking an attack of opportunity only counts as one opportunity (for which there can be only one attack of opportunity), no matter how many duplicates of him are within reach, which would make high DEX and Combat Reflexes a "neither great nor terrible" anti-mirror image technique.

As an aside, for comparison, you might want to use the Pathfinder version, which I think does away with some of this weirdness.

 

[TanisFrey]

Seems strange to have to split such fine hairs...mirror images count as creatures sometimes, but only of you target them specifically...and things that cant deal damage to them can count as attacks, but things that CAN damage them dont count?

So magic missile which deals no damage to mirror images can target them and destroy them, but a black tentacles spell which affects all creatures in its area can tell the difference somehow so can't attack the images seperately?

That makes no sense.

In 3.5 I would not have a problem with Evard's black tentacles being one of a handful spells with areas of effect, that can destroy Mirror Images, because, it has an attack roll and does damage to each and every one in it's area of effect. After all it is one of the better spells to screw enemy spellcasters with.

 

[TanisFrey]

I don't see why not, but keep in mind the 3.5E version of the spell permits the images to be in squares other than the caster's. Some of those might be out of reach. There's always casting on the defensive, of course, but even so this would make high DEX and Combat Reflexes a great anti-mirror image tactic.

Alternately, you could rule that the caster's provoking an attack of opportunity only counts as one opportunity (for which there can be only one attack of opportunity), no matter how many duplicates of him are within reach, which would make high DEX and Combat Reflexes a "neither great nor terrible" anti-mirror image technique.

I would see it this way, someone with combat reflexes get very short time between multiple enemies who draw AOO. There is no time when mirror images do something at the exact same time that draw an AOO. The person with combat reflexes must choose which image to attack and hope it is the correct one, just like anyone else.

The main reason that Mirror Image works like this is because it is how AD&D, Basic and 2ed worked. It worked against individual attacks against the caster and not area of effect spells. Also during this era, each and every magic missile was considered a separate attack even when the 36 level arch-mage produced 12 magic missiles with one casting.

By the way the 36 level arch-mage produced a 36d6 fireball, it filled a 36,000 cubic foot volume. If used inside it had to expand to 36,000 cubic foot volume, this could easily fry the caster.

 

[airwalkrr]

For me this has always been a simple thing. Magic missile can only target creatures, so ask yourself, what happens when you cast magic missile on a rock? The spell fizzles.

However, you can use magic missile to target multiple targets, so what happens when you send 5 magic missiles from the same casting against a target who has four images from mirror image? Well four of the targets are not creatures, but figments, so those four magic missiles fizzle. The images don't go away, but the target will take 1d4+1 points of damage. In addition, your allies know which target to hit until the end of the target's next turn (at which point the spell states that the images reshuffle).

Magic missile is not an attack roll, and therefore it cannot "pop" an image, but it can tell you which image is which for a short period of time. Assuming the party has someone who can cast magic missile consistently round-by-round, you can determine which image is which every round as long as there are no more than four images. If there are more than four images, you have to roll to see if the magic missiles strike all images or if one hits the target. In this case it is simpler to use an appropriate die type depending on the number of images. For example, if there are five images there are six targets (five images plus caster). Roll 1d6, with a roll of 1 meaning that all five targets were images. If there are six images, roll 1d8 and ignore rolls of 8, with a roll of 1 or 2 meaning that all five targets were images. And so on.

 

[TanisFrey]

Impart tradition. In earlier editions you could MM mirror images away. In 2ed MM could be used to whittle away at a stone skin. Stone skin keep you from taking damage from 1d4 + 1/2 caster level attacks, max of 8 attacks. (I may have the numbers wrong.)

I remember in at least one adventure modules that you could open a lock by doing x amount of MM damage to it. This was in spite of the Players Handbook having the same limit to MM needing to target a creature, just like the 3.x Handbook.

Mirror Images have an AC and you cannot tell which one is the real person. So, either the Magic Missile will fail outright if you target the wrong target, just as if you lost the spell through a failed Concentration check/Arcane spell failure for armor/other reason, and no image is destroyed. Or you say that the caster can target a Mirror image and destroy it.

That is you basic chose. Allow MM to destroy or have a chance of loosing a spell.

Everyone I have played with allow you to destroy Mirror Images, impart due to tradition, impart to prevent a player from feeling like it was a useless action when they guesses to target the wrong image. The most limited thing in this 3.x is actions, you only get so many with no easy way to get more. Players want to feel useful.

 

[Greenfield]

Mirror Image is an often misused spell. The images don't shuffle constantly in 3.5 as they did in some previous incarnations. They can, in fact, stand as a chorus line if you want, each image being within 5 feet of you *or another image*. Once the real target is struck, any following attacks made by anyone who saw the real hit can target the real spellcaster.

But the images don't run around like the legenday "Chinese Fire Drill" (with apologies to any and all offended by the reference). They move as the caster does unless the caster is intentionally stepping into or through an image. And that can only happen when the caster takes a move action. (I'd allow 5 ft. step to work as well.) In short, the spell caster can reshuffle the deck on their action, according to the spell.

While moving, you can merge with and split off from figments so that enemies who have learned which image is real are
again confounded.

Magic Missile ignores cover and concealment bonuses, which is all well and good, but since Mirror Image doesn't provide any named bonus, that feature doesn't apply. So no, MM doesn't automatically home in on the real spellcaster, it goes to whichever image you targeted. At least, not as written.