Mirror Image and Magic Missile

Harrassed DM

First Post
One reading of Mirror Image (a very literal one) is that only a succesful attack roll destroys an image. Does Magic Missile with its auto hit not destroy an image?

Also can you target each of the images with one missile therefore destroying more images?
 

log in or register to remove this ad


Of course, I interpret it differently. The FAQ (from memory) introduced a rule that illusions that mimic creatures may be targetted as creatures, but as far as I'm concerned, that rule does not appear in the PHB. Therefore, if you target a Mirror Image with a Magic Missile, the missile fails, just as if you targetted a dog with a Charm Person spell.

Magic Missile targets a creature; a figment isn't a creature. That's my ruling, and I'm sticking to it :)

-Hyp.
 

Hypersmurf said:
Of course, I interpret it differently. The FAQ (from memory) introduced a rule that illusions that mimic creatures may be targetted as creatures, but as far as I'm concerned, that rule does not appear in the PHB. Therefore, if you target a Mirror Image with a Magic Missile, the missile fails, just as if you targetted a dog with a Charm Person spell.

Magic Missile targets a creature; a figment isn't a creature. That's my ruling, and I'm sticking to it :)

-Hyp.

Okay, the spell fails, so for that instant, you know that Bob-3-from-the-left is not, in fact, the real Bob.

Then, per the spell, the 5 Bobs all shuffle about, playing an infinitly-effective shell game, and you lose track of which Bob your missile failed to hit.

That doesn't void the figment; said Bob-figment is still there.

Occam's razor: no attack roll, no lost figment. A first-level spell should never trump a second-level spell unless it was specifically designed to do so ... and MM was not specifically designed to trump MI.
 
Last edited:

Okay, the spell fails, so for that instant, you know that Bob-3-from-the-left is not, in fact, the real Bob.

Then, per the spell, the 5 Bobs all shuffle about, playing an infinitly-effective shell game, and you lose track of which Bob your missile failed to hit.

Well, my interpretation of "when moving, you can merge with" etc is that the images only shuffle on the caster's action. So if you're Hasted or have a Quickened spell, or if you communicate to your buddies, until Bob's action, you know that Bob-3-L is a figment.

One Bob's initiative comes up, you lose track again.

That doesn't void the figment; said Bob-figment is still there.

Occam's razor: no attack roll, no lost figment.

Yup - that's how I play it.

-Hyp.
 

Remember, the game presupposes you are never just standing still when it is not your action, but in fact are "moving about" within your occupied square(s). 8)
 
Last edited:

Remember, the game presupposes you are never just standing still when it is not your action, but in fact are "moving about" within your occupied square(s). 8)

Oh, I'm a firm proponent of the cinematic round :) But "moving" is also a technical 3E term, referring to the Move action... which can only occur in your turn... :)

-Hyp.
 


Sure? If you don´t "move" at all, then you have an effective Dexterity of zero when it´s not your turn.

You're considered to be moving all the time, but you can only Move on your turn.

I choose to interpret the shuffling of the images to occur when you Move, but I relax that enough to let it occur on your action whether or not you actually take a Move action.

[shrug] It works for me...

-Hyp.
 

I rule that each individual missile negates an image. Regardless of shuffling afterwards. I still roll randomly when another character (say a Fighter) is in melee with the protected Mage, to see if his attack roll will target the real mage or an image.

Yes, my way enables a higher level wizard with 5 missiles to make short work of the Mirror Image spell, but a wizard with enough levels to have 5 Missiles should make short work of a lowly second level defensive spell.
 

Pets & Sidekicks

Remove ads

Top