Nerdy Magic Missile question

[SomeLich]

Hello @ all,

this might sound like a weird question but a friend and I had quite a good time while discussing this particular one:

How can Xykon fire five magic missiles from this hand which consists of only three fingers? :smallconfused:

Aint there an "one missile per fingertip" rule?

Michael

[Green Bean]

Nope. It's just one missile for every two caster levels above 1st, to a maximum of five at level nine. As far as I can see, there's no limit based on digit counts.

[kpenguin]

Aye, you don't even need hands to cast it so long as it has some way of satisfying the somatic components. Also, it doesn't really matter where they come from and in fact one of my players specifically states that the missiles appear above his character's head and then streak toward his target.

[nimby]

Aye, you don't even need hands to cast it so long as it has some way of satisfying the somatic components. Also, it doesn't really matter where they come from and in fact one of my players specifically states that the missiles appear above his character's head and then streak toward his target.


I cast magic missile at the darkness. From my groin.

[Eogan]

I cast magic missile at the darkness. From my groin.

That's called "whistling in the dark".

...

Because the missiles whistle as they travel through the air.

[BobTheDog]

That's called "whistling in the dark".

...

Because the missiles whistle as they travel through the air.

Whistle? Couldn't they hum the tune to "O Buddy Roy"?

[Couatl]

And why does not Xykon cast empowered maximized magic missile, but only maximized magic missile?

[tis_tom]

I've always thought of maximised evocation as better, as the damage is guaranteed to be high as opposed to just potentially higher like the empowered spell does, but as a maximised spell takes up a slot 3 times higher than their level, Xykon is simply going through his level 4 spells, and then lower down he'll start using empowered spells, if he knows it that is.

[Deuce]

And why does not Xykon cast empowered maximized magic missile, but only maximized magic missile?

He may not have to unused spell slot for it. That would use a level 6 slot right? (+3 for the maximize and +2 for the empower). He said he's running out of spells above 5th level. For that matter, we don't even know that he has the empower spell feat, though it would make sense.

[GrayMatter]

"Nerdy Magic Missile question"

I'm confused, is there any other kind of question about this topic :smalltongue:

[theinsulabot]

"Nerdy Magic Missile question"

I'm confused, is there any other kind of question about this topic :smalltongue:

lol wuts magic misile!

[moleytov]

Unless Xykon levelled massively in the tower recovering the autobiography, why was he only casting the basic majic missile when the OOtS assaulted his throne room?

[Chronos]

In the specific case of Magic Missile, Empowered is just as good, on average, as Maximized. A Maximized Magic Missile will always do exactly 5 damage, while an Empowered one will do, depending on the die roll, 3, 4, 6, or 7 damage (remember, fractions are rounded down). The more consistent damage from the Maximized version would ordinarily be preferable, but shooting five per round, it'll tend to be pretty consistent anyway. And even if Xykon doesn't have any use for any other fourth-level spells in the throne room, he just might later. So it would indeed have been smarter for him to use the empowered version (if he has Empower Spell, which seems likely).

However, that's just for the specific case of Magic Missile. Maximize doesn't work as well for Magic Missile as for most spells, since the damage isn't as variable. For, say, a Fireball, which does damage in d6s, Maximize Spell turns it from an average of 3.5 points per level to 6 points per level, significantly better than the factor of 1.5 increase from Empower. The effect is even more pronounced for spells which use a larger die, such as the d8s from Horrid Wilting. Xykon usually relies on Fireballs and the like, and almost never uses Magic Missile, so it's reasonable that in the heat of battle, his first inclination would be to consider Maximize to be better.

[Finwe]

Because he wanted to keep at least one of them alive to open the gate for him.

[Gavin Sage]

I cast magic missile at the darkness. From my groin.

I feel horribly ignorant in my nerdhood, but where does that come from originally?

[nimby]

Google Dr. Demento - Dungeons and Dragons.

[Gavin Sage]

Thank you.