[3.5] Ways to block or negate magic missle?

[Peonofearth]

Hey friends.
So, I had a rather trying party engagement last night against a group of casters last night. It was an arena fight (The only reason why we didn't party wipe), And the vast majority of damage within the fight was from magic missile. Now, I don't find fault in 4 spellcasters and 2 clerics slaughtering a group of level 2 adventurers with magic missile. However, the way in which they did it, I'm a little irked by.
Sitting in a 15 foot by 20 foot box, essentially, the mages proceeded to enlarge person the clerics in front of them, creating a meat shield in front of them. This created a front line of two large sized clerics, with a firing squad of magic missilers in the back. My questions to you: Would standing behind the two large size clerics have given the party total cover from the magic missiles? Or were we just boned from the beginning? Is there some way we could have prevented/avoided magic missile damage, or is it just the pains of being a lowbie character?

[NeoSeraphi]

Yes. The shield (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/shield.htm) spell, which is available to wizards at level 1, could have saved your party's arcane caster. Additionally, if your fighter was wielding a tower shield, he could have used it to provide him with total cover, which prevents a spellcaster from aiming at him.

[Yuki Akuma]

There's also Nightshield (Spell Compendium, I think), which also blocks magic missile. Then there's the Brooch of Shielding (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#broochofShielding), although that's a bit expensive for a level 2 character. ;)

Creatures don't provide full cover.

[Peonofearth]

Aye. I've heard of those. But I'm mostly concerned with the whole "line of caster sight behind 50 foot clerics" problem. I'm not sure if they could hit us, but I'm having trouble finding cover rules specific enough for that situation. And, while I'd love to have that brooch, sadly our DM is fickle with magic items = /
Thanks for the help though guys.

[The Witch-King]

Counterspell?

[GreenSerpent]

Look up the rules for concealment. There'll be something in there.

[Yuki Akuma]

Creatures don't block line of sight. It's not as if they fill their entire square(s).

[FMArthur]

Spell Resistance is an easy countermeasure to prevent Magic Missile from causing you more than a minor annoyance, and is far more multipurpose. Do you have any way of getting it? Just a scroll of the spell named Spell Resistance would be enough and fairly cheap.

[Peonofearth]

Creatures don't block line of sight. It's not as if they fill their entire square(s).
So total cover is a no go, but what about total concealment? The SRD is kind of vague on concealment specifications, saying only "If you have line of effect to a target but not line of sight,"
I'm just trying to find where creatures couldn't provide total concealment in the SRD. Or a least, some indicator as to how much concealment they would grant.

[Jack_Simth]

So total cover is a no go, but what about total concealment? The SRD is kind of vague on concealment specifications, saying only "If you have line of effect to a target but not line of sight,"
I'm just trying to find where creatures couldn't provide total concealment in the SRD. Or a least, some indicator as to how much concealment they would grant.

Picture a man standing in a five-foot cube. Now double all three dimensions. Notice how his legs have a huge amount of space between and around them? Yeah, no, you don't get a significant amount of concealment.

You do, however, get Soft Cover (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/combatModifiers.htm#softCover), but as an AC bonus, it's no use against Magic Missile.

[Mephit]

If you want a direct quote:


To determine line of sight, draw an imaginary line between your space and the target's space. If any such line is clear (not blocked), then you have line of sight to the creature (and it has line of sight to you).

Unless those clerics were complete walls, they probably had line of sight to you - it doesn't have to be pointed out how problematic it would be if characters blocked line of sight.

It was just a really good strategy of your DM, those casters probably took the trophy home.

[Darrin]

Is there some way we could have prevented/avoided magic missile damage, or is it just the pains of being a lowbie character?

Dragoncraft light shield made from Force Dragon hide would give you force resistance 5.

But yeah, other than a shield spell or brooch of shielding, you were kinda boned from the beginning. Sort of a tradition thing, magic missiles are supposed to be unavoidable.

[dextercorvia]

Did you have any ranged attacks of your own?

[Glimbur]

Yes. The shield (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/shield.htm) spell, which is available to wizards at level 1, could have saved your party's arcane caster. Additionally, if your fighter was wielding a tower shield, he could have used it to provide him with total cover, which prevents a spellcaster from aiming at him.

In general total cover makes you safe, but the tower shield has an exception to prevent exactly what you suggest.


Shield, Tower

This massive wooden shield is nearly as tall as you are. In most situations, it provides the indicated shield bonus to your AC. However, you can instead use it as total cover, though you must give up your attacks to do so. The shield does not, however, provide cover against targeted spells; a spellcaster can cast a spell on you by targeting the shield you are holding. You cannot bash with a tower shield, nor can you use your shield hand for anything else.

When employing a tower shield in combat, you take a -2 penalty on attack rolls because of the shield’s encumbrance.

(emphasis added)

[SirFredgar]

Dragoncraft light shield made from Force Dragon hide would give you force resistance 5.

But yeah, other than a shield spell or brooch of shielding, you were kinda boned from the beginning. Sort of a tradition thing, magic missiles are supposed to be unavoidable.

Except in 4e... tradition means nothing to them.

[TuggyNE]

Except in 4e... tradition means nothing to them.

Hey now, friends don't let friends start edition wars.

[Yuki Akuma]

Except in 4e... tradition means nothing to them.

Didn't they make it auto-hit again in Essentials?

[SirFredgar]

Didn't they make it auto-hit again in Essentials?

That would be an interesting change to one of their basic at-will attacks, but I am not aware of it. I never got out of the core books for the system, it just ended coming right back here to 3.5.

On Topic: Aside from Nightshield and Shield (the easiest immunity to MagicMissile you can find), you could have also dropped an Obscuring Mist or other fog spell to give yourself total concealment from the rear line. Depending on what other options you had available, such as a druid, you could have entangled them all, causing the casters to have to make consentration checks or not be able to cast at all.

[Zaq]

A bit before Essentials, actually, but who's counting? At least from 3.x onward, it's never been a GOOD spell, unless you get an entire class of apprentices to cast it at once. Then it's something.

(Yes, OK, Fell X, but Sonic Snap is better for that sort of thing anyway.)