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<blockquote data-quote="Arial Black" data-source="post: 6907663" data-attributes="member: 6799649">Well, my reasoning was in my quote! <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin&nbsp; &nbsp; :D"&nbsp; data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />But I can see your dilemma in cases where the caster believes something to be an acceptable target, but isn't.So what does 'target' mean in this context? I don't think it means that the spell cannot be cast, because that means you could use these spells as infallible creature detection devices that don't even cost a slot if the target wasn't a creature. Poor mimics, evolution failed you!I think it means that if the thing that you aimed at is not a valid target for that spell, then that spell does not affect it in any way. So you could eldritch blast the lock, but it would not damage the lock (or push it back 10 feet!) because the lock is not a valid target.When someone is protected by mirror image, in 5E there are not four targets; there is one target who could be in any of four positions. It's like Schrodinger's target; the guy is in all of those places, until you 'observe' him by an attack roll. Magic missile is blind and so ignores the effect of MI, unerringly striking the target no matter where he actually is, without reducing the effectiveness of the quantum uncertainty that is mirror image.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Arial Black, post: 6907663, member: 6799649"] Well, my reasoning was in my quote! :D But I can see your dilemma in cases where the caster [I]believes[/I] something to be an acceptable target, but isn't. So what does 'target' mean in this context? I don't think it means that the spell cannot be [I]cast[/I], because that means you could use these spells as infallible creature detection devices that don't even cost a slot if the target wasn't a creature. Poor mimics, evolution failed you! I think it means that if the thing that you aimed at is not a [I]valid[/I] target for that spell, then that spell does not affect it in any way. So you could [I]eldritch blast[/I] the lock, but it would not damage the lock (or push it back 10 feet!) because the lock is not a valid target. When someone is protected by [I]mirror image[/I], in 5E there are not four targets; there is one target who could be in any of four positions. It's like Schrodinger's target; the guy is in [I]all[/I] of those places, until you 'observe' him by an attack roll. [I]Magic missile[/I] is blind and so ignores the effect of MI, unerringly striking the target no matter where he actually is, without reducing the effectiveness of the quantum uncertainty that is [I]mirror image[/I]. [/QUOTE]

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