One or more attacks?

[Cyraneth]

Now, this might have been asked before, but anyway...

When a wizard readies his magic missile spell or flame arrows to disrupt another spellcaster's spell, would it:

Require a Concentration check for each magic missile or flame arrow, as each missile is a separate attack; or

Require a Concentration check using the total damage inflicted by the spell, as all attacks originate from the same spell?

One way a lot of low-difficulty checks would be required, while the other way would require one higher-difficulty check... Which way to you handle it? And why?

- Cyraneth

 

[Artoomis]

while trying to cast a spell the character takes damage, fail a saving throw, or are otherwise successfully assaulted, the character must make a Concentration check. The DC is 10 + points of damage taken + the level of the spell the character is casting.

It looks like it's one check for ALL the damage you take. This makes sense to me.

Ask two questions:

1. Did you take damage while casting the spell?
2. How much damage?

This pretty much does it for me, I think. I'm going to post this yo the Ultimate Guide thread, too - it's a good one to include in my Guide.

 

[Magic Rub]

Hum?. . .

I'd say that you'd have to make 1 higher check, & not X amount of smaller checks. That is to say if the magic damage came from one base source (being 1 magical attack), in 1 round. . .

huh you say?

In the case of a magic missile spell. Regardless of the fact that there are say, up to 5 hitting you it all came from one source in 1 round, as 1 attack. The other multi check way could get a little out of control with misc. spells. You could end up spending a stupid amount of game time rolling checks, slowing things down & killing the flow.

If the spell acts like a physical melee attack, multiple single attack type actions in one round. Then I think you would treat it as a physical attack would be treated. Example (for lack of a better one off the top of my head) the Cleric spell, Spiritual Hammer.

I could be wrong?

 

[Caliban]

I think that you have the make the Concentration check at the time you take damage.

Multiple magic missiles (or flame arrows) from one spell all hit at the same instant, so you need to make a single concentration check.

Taking damage from different opponents or environmental effects would require a seperate concentration check for each one, as they are not striking you at the same instant.

 

[IceBear]

As Caliban and Magic Rub said

IceBear

 

[Gromm]

Dittos to the last two.
The only time you would make multiple rolls is if theres say a mage and an archer both firing at you with held actions, though a case could be made that both those attacks are also at the same time and require one big roll rather than two rolls.