D&D 5E Magic Missile vs. Mirror Image

[robus]

'Hits' refers to a successful attack roll. Fireball doesn't use attack rolls, therefore the fire damage does not 'hit' anything at all! Since the duplicates were not 'hit' by an 'attack', they ignore the fire damage and are unaffected by the fireball.

You're probably right - but it's not much fun (and seems awfully nit-picky for a free-flowing game). Fun will win over strict adherence to the rules at my table I guess.

 

[Brandegoris]

You're probably right - but it's not much fun (and seems awfully nit-picky for a free-flowing game). Fun will win over strict adherence to the rules at my table I guess.

"Hits" refers to a successful attack roll? I dint know that. I am actually interested on the source for that if you have one Arial?

 

[robus]

"Hits" refers to a successful attack roll? I dint know that. I am actually interested on the source for that if you have one Arial?

Each dart hits a creature of your choice that you can see within range.

Given that the targeting is based on vision it seems amazing to me that the caster can choose the right target from 4 identical images (one of which is real)?

Thanks for the reminder on how tightly packed these mirror images are [MENTION=1560]Corwin[/MENTION] - that does seem a ridiculously close - nothing like I've ever seen in a movie!

 

[Brandegoris]

Given that the targeting is based on vision it seems amazing to me that the caster can choose the right target from 4 identical images (one of which is real)?

Thanks for the reminder on how tightly packed these mirror images are [MENTION=1560]Corwin[/MENTION] - that does seem a ridiculously close - nothing like I've ever seen in a movie!

Exactly. And also how does he KNOW which one is real since they look the same and mimic one another? Is it ALWAYS the dude in the center? I don't think so or else whoever created that spell has zero common sense and almost wasted their time creating the spell!

 

[Corwin]

Thanks for the reminder on how tightly packed these mirror images are @Corwin - that does seem a ridiculously close - nothing like I've ever seen in a movie!

Yeah, that's the thing, isn't it? I picture it almost more like a variation of blur. Or maybe a minor variant of displacement. Where you are splitting, merging, shifting, and moving through duplicates of yourself tightly within your '5-foot square'. Its not a bunch of illusions of yourself independently dancing around distinctly separate from you.

What a lot of people seem to think they are getting is this:

In 5e, not so much. More like this:

 

[robus]

Yeah, that's the thing, isn't it? I picture it almost more like a variation of blur. Or maybe a minor variant of displacement. Where you are splitting, merging, shifting, and moving through duplicates of yourself tightly within your '5-foot square'. Its not a bunch of illusions of yourself independently dancing around distinctly separate from you.

Yeah - but that also makes it seem like it should be super easy to hit the real target... Does a mirror image really deflect a blow? (I know it does in the RAW, but in the imagination? ) It seems much more believable that you attack a "fake" copy accidentally. The "reality" of this seems quite off TBH.

 

[Corwin]

Yeah - but that also makes it seem like it should be super easy to hit the real target... Does a mirror image really deflect a blow? (I know it does in the RAW, but in the imagination? ) It seems much more believable that you attack a "fake" copy accidentally. The "reality" of this seems quite off TBH.

Careful now. It sounds like you are flirting dangerously close to the precipice of a HP=meat debate. And nobody wants that...

 

[Arial Black]

Given that the targeting is based on vision it seems amazing to me that the caster can choose the right target from 4 identical images (one of which is real)?

For targetting purposes it doesn't matter what else the wizard can see (images or anything else), just that he can see the ranger.

It must also be pointed out that the way vision works is that our brains construct an image based on electrical impulses which are stimulated by photons hitting a retina. We see nothing but images!

What it looks like is four copies of the ranger swimming in and out of each other in the same 5 foot space. The wizard knows where the ranger is for purposes of choosing to keep him safe from the fireball. The only thing that the images mess with is targetting the ranger with an attack roll. The spell has no other function.

 

[Arial Black]

And I get that there are some of you that will cry about the Rules as written, But I don't care I've played this game for 30 years. FUN is the name of the game. When even the creators tell you the FIRST RULE is to make your own rules when you want to, then BAM...There you have it

My idea of fun is to rise to the challenges presented by using my PC's abilities in a cool and sensible way.

I know what my abilities do; they are written in the rule-book.

If I use my abilities and, instead of using the rules, the DM just makes stuff up on the spur of the moment then there is no direct connection between the decision I made to use that ability and the effect that had in the game. It's like everything I do becomes like wild magic; no cause and effect that I could know.

This is surreal. I don't find it fun at all for the rules to be 'whatever the DM thinks is fun on a whim'. It's like I'm watching the dreams of a mental patient, rather than being the protagonist in an adventure.

YMMV.

 

[robus]

For targetting purposes it doesn't matter what else the wizard can see (images or anything else), just that he can see the ranger.

It must also be pointed out that the way vision works is that our brains construct an image based on electrical impulses which are stimulated by photons hitting a retina. We see nothing but images!

What it looks like is four copies of the ranger swimming in and out of each other in the same 5 foot space. The wizard knows where the ranger is for purposes of choosing to keep him safe from the fireball. The only thing that the images mess with is targetting the ranger with an attack roll. The spell has no other function.

Yep that makes sense now that I've got a better understanding of mirror image (though I now don't like the name of the spell because it's misleading Something like "Flickering Image" would have been more appropriate...)