Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Short term fix idea for Magic Missile

Magic missile is supposed to be able to hit an enemy you can see, regardless of their cover.

Currently, their are many situations where you can hit an enemy with one or two missiles, but not all of them. The fixed trajectory of the different missiles prevents you from landing any possible shot on a target, because some random object is in the way.

I think that a good quick fix, would be to give us the ability to rotate each missile from one of the 3 already in place paths. With a hold and drag option, you could choose which of the 3 paths you want each missile to take.
This could be upgraded to a system with a 360 lateral radius later on, so that it would be nigh impossible to not be able to hit an appropriate target.

And where exactly did you get that? O_o

5E D&D. Cover only affects saves and attack rolls. Neither apply to Magic Missile.

Here's a 5-second clip on repeat of how Magic Missile should be:


https://youxube.com/watch?v=FeZsEPeoOKQ&ab_channel=CohhCarnage&end=1095&t=1090

This is the description of the spell in the pen and paper version of D&D 5ed

https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Magic%20Missile#content

Magic missile have been working like this since D&D first edition. For the people who enjoy discussiong rules, this is a "non issue". They all agree on that definition. You can read the excelent analysis by Niara on the spells. That is why a shield spell that specifically counters magic missile is so handy. And why there are shield amulets that create the protection without the spell.

Also, why wizards pay attention to things like the kind of salvation their spells, provide, resistances, etc. It is part of the game.

I read that description ... i just didnt find even single word about penetrating cover ...
By definition, person who is behind cover is not even seen ... isnt it?

Behind cover does not mean 100% covered in game terms. It means you have a lesser chance of hitting them. Mechanically there are three levels of cover -- half cover, 3/4ths cover, and full cover. Only full cover means you can't be seen.

And Magic Missile can't hit Full cover either, but it's not because there's something in the way -- it's because the caster can't see the enemy so they can't target them. As long as the caster can see the target the Magic Missiles will always hit him. That is part of why it's such a useful spell.

Perfectly explained.

This is what I'm advocating for. I'm not saying that you should be able to hit targets you can't see, but if you can hit an enemy with 1 missile, you should be able to land all of them.

The reason I brought the idea up, is because from a time and effort standpoint, it doesn't seem like it would require much of either. The paths are already in place, it would just be adding the functionality to choose which path each missile would take. It would also grant enough usability for the spell to function closer to its intended design.

The missiles can collide with, say, a pillar in the goblin-occupied temple to Selune, when the target is in the open, so it would be nice if that was fixed.

I believe that is what they dont like ...
They want (if i understand this corectly) that one dart that would colide with pillar to fly other way and hit the target as the other two did.

I dunno ... i gues need to create free space between caster and target is simply cost for absence of hit diceroll ...
And honestly i kinda liked how it works now, and didnt had even single problem with it. O_o
I admit that i dont know DnD rules so well to argue if you are or are not suppose to do this or that ... but i would presume that in this case rules arent exact enough to work alone, and GM is required ... personaly i would probably not allow my Wizard to kill (if he does enough damage) anyone with magic missiles if he see his leg, or arm while he is hiding behind a pillar ... but i gues its up to people. :-/

Well, that's the sole purpose of magic missile, being a sure hit with weak damage.

man people mad about magic missile forgetting about isaacs greater genocide storm & its implementation in NWN under wonky 3e ruleset that made it a guaranteed screen clearer upon cast. Magic missile if anything should always function like a homing missile that does not miss

I think this is a kind of picky request. I have never encountered a situation in which, after changing my position, I could never use my 3 missiles on a target. And trust me, in my solo wizard playthrough, I was using multiple magic missiles in every single fight.

The paths for the missiles are already in place. If it's more resource intensive to implement than it seems, then I agree that there are more important changes to worry about. It just doesn't seem like it would require that much time and effort to allow you to pick which one of the three paths you want your missiles to take.

I don't even care about the spell that much, the idea just seemed like a good an easy fix.

I have a feeling Larian will go with the simplest solution, having missiles sail through obstacles – just like your character sometimes does when jumping.

The missiles don't even need separate paths. They can go in a stream, like the ones in Solasta.

Look how good this looks, seriously: https://youxube.com/watch?v=FeZsEPeoOKQ&ab_channel=CohhCarnage&end=1095&t=1090

Yeah, that does look pretty tight. I do like Larian's animations for the spell though.

I bet there will be some people complaining about they are suppose to: "The darts all strike simultaneously..."

I would say let Larian create something as they see fit, if you are not able to use single spell in one of kazilion cases, that is hardly conciderable as problem.

I don't care so much about "how they look", but D&D has always had that specific Magic Missile quirkiness that these precious lil' projectiles will always hit, with the exception of a shield spell blocking them, if you just see the monster's foot, tail or other member sticking out.

It's a rather iconic and well known spell unique to D&D, and ought to play out properly. I don't think they need to change the visuals so much, as the results.