Mirror Image

[Magus Coeruleus]

Hm, this raises a question even with standard PHB Magic Missile and Mirror Image. What happens if you attempt to target a figment with a MM? You're not supposed to be able to target something that's not a creature, so would the MM fly through the figment, fly away at random, fizzle from your fingertips? It's akin to asking what would happen if you insisted on trying to target something like a lock with MM (specifically mentioned as not working in the PHB). Obviously it doesn't work, but what actually happens when it doesn't work?

The nature of the failure can matter because even if a MM can't destroy a figment, the failure to target one properly could give at least temporary information about which are figments and which is the real caster. Unless you have figment-targeting MMs seem to strike, then even if someone is protected from MM (by Shield, for instance) you'd know because the missile at least hits some barrier close to the caster's body, identifying at the real thing.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Hm, this raises a question even with standard PHB Magic Missile and Mirror Image. What happens if you attempt to target a figment with a MM?

My personal opinion is that if you target a rock with a Magic Missile, then you lose the spell slot and nothing else happens. If you split your three missiles across a rock, a goblin, and an orc standing behind a Wall of Force, then the missile aimed at the rock fails to target (invalid target), the missile aimed at the orc fails to target (no Line of Effect to target), and so a single missile appears and unerringly strikes the goblin.

Other people believe that all three missiles would launch, and the one that hits the rock would dissipate harmlessly on contact, the one aimed at the orc would strike the Wall of Force and disappear, and the one that hits the goblin would deal damage.

It comes down to your interpretation of the phrase "has no effect". I see the effect as "a missile darts forth from your fingertip", others see the effect as "deals 1d4+1 points of damage".

The way that I read it, by the PHB, if you spread your missiles out across the mage and his four figments, only one missile would actually launch and hit the real mage. Thus, until the mage's next action, anyone observing would know which of the five identical figures was the ream one. On the mage's action, he can move into and through figments, once again disguising his real identity.

The FAQ entry, obviously, states that a Magic Missile will destroy a figment, which introduces a new theory not stated anywhere in the Core Rules anywhere - that illusions of creatures are considered creatures for targetting purposes.

So it's up to you whether you want the FAQ making up new rules, or merely clarifying ambiguous points in the existing rules.

-Hyp.

 

[Magus Coeruleus]

Thanks for all of your thoughts, Hyp. I'm not sure I have a preference for how MM targeting failure looks, but I definitely don't like the idea of it hitting a figment harmlessly, because they you don't even know that it's a figment and not a Shielded wiz, for instance. More generally, allowing MM to target illusions, even if it has no effect, does seem to open a can of worms. Why can you target a spell figment, but not a mirage, or a rainbow, or a hallucination, then? It hardly seems necessary, since the information is in the fact that the spell (or individual missile) fails. You could even, for instance, use that as a litmus test to determine if a "summoned monster" is really a "minor image." I suppose the only problem would be if a DM or players don't like MM being used to reveal illusions, esp. Mislead or Projected Image illusions/figments.

 

[andargor]

Ugh. Targetting figments again. Don't spellcasters have anything better to do?

Andargor