This is really a call for your GM.
Many folks will interpret RAW as you have. But some feel that's making magic missile a bit too handy.
In the end the only opinion that matters is your GM's.
Mirror Image (page 315): Can I use magic missile to destroy one or more images from a mirror image spell?
No. Magic missile targets a creature and does not require an attack roll, so it bypasses all the images and always hits the caster.
—Sean K Reynolds, 02/15/12
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So being everyone in view sees the missiles popping the third guy from the right basically they can negate the effect of the spell like a normal illusion correct?
While I agree magic missile hits the caster, I want to focus on this point. Are you implying that, once magic missile hits, the rest of the group can then ignore the effects of mirror image? Because I would argue against that. Mirror image is not negated just because the spell hit the proper person, for all we know the images could be constantly cycling around in an attempt to hide the proper person. Or maybe the illusion encapsulates the missile and shows it hitting all of the images.
Whatever the case, I would definitely *definitely* not allow magic missile to instantly 'kill' a mirror image spell. Way too easy and it cripples the spell.
Ah, well, if there is a FAQ on this, I'd say you have some support to discuss this if your GM disagrees on the point of hitting the real creature.
However, it still won't "give away" the location of the real caster.
Why?
It's magic.
It's kind of a weird spell. It's pretty straightforward most of the time, but in certain situations and/or if you really think about it, it's odd.
Anyway, it's also "defeated" by closing one's eyes and swinging at the mirror-imaged target. 50% miss chance is better than 80% or whatever it turns out to be. In the short term, anyway. Long term, probably not, but sometimes all you need is short term.
So being everyone in view sees the missiles popping the third guy from the right basically they can negate the effect of the spell like a normal illusion correct?
No, both thematically and mechanically.
Thematically, the Mirror Images constantly shuffle and move in an out of each other, so they're always different, even between swings in a normal full attack sequence.
Mechanically, no, because Disbelief allows for an auto-save. There's no save for people attacking someone with Mirror Image, so disbelief does nothing.
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Yet its an illusion, the images are real. By that same logic if I replicated images with Silent Image the first time someone swings at it (ie interaction) they couldn't disbelieve the whole thing or at very least see which one is the real guy.
There's no Saving Throw vs. Mirror Image, so it doesn't matter if you know whether or not it's an illusion. I would imagine everyone is probably aware that the 7 copies of the same guy all whirling around in that square can't all be real. Disbelief only factors in when illusions force someone to make a saving throw, which mirror image doesn't, so it's just not a factor.
Silent Image, meanwhile, is not an active illusion like Mirror Image, and it grants a saving throw, so they won't work the way you're trying to suggest.
You're mixing and matching rules and mechanics to try and make a point that isn't applicable.
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I wouldnt allow fighting blind to negate the effect of a mirror image, now you're simply adding a miss chance onto the chance of hitting an image. Mirror image affects all of your senses, including scent, so closing your eyes does nothing more than add more penalities.
I agree, the spell specifically says it mimics sound too so closing your eyes is not going to negate the effects. You just now have a 50% chance to miss entirely and then even if you do hit a chance that it is one of the figments.
Yet its an illusion, the images are real. By that same logic if I replicated images with Silent Image the first time someone swings at it (ie interaction) they couldn't disbelieve the whole thing or at very least see which one is the real guy.
Silent Image has a Save for Disbelief. If you created a silent image of a bunch of copies of yourself, they'd have to interact with it once to get a save, and afterward, the entire illusion is not applicable to them.
Mirror Image has no save, so disbelief is irrelevant.
I wouldnt allow fighting blind to negate the effect of a mirror image, now you're simply adding a miss chance onto the chance of hitting an image. Mirror image affects all of your senses, including scent, so closing your eyes does nothing more than add more penalities.
Mirror Image: "An attacker must be able to see the figments to be fooled. If you are invisible or the attacker is blind, the spell has no effect (although the normal miss chances still apply)."
It be gettin' snarky 'round here. Arr.
Anyway, it's also "defeated" by closing one's eyes and swinging at the mirror-imaged target. 50% miss chance is better than 80% or whatever it turns out to be. In the short term, anyway. Long term, probably not, but sometimes all you need is short term.
That tactic does come with its own drawbacks. With your eyes closed, you reduce your own defenses, open yourself up to sneak attack, and won't ablate away the extra images like you would by picking them off with normal random selection.
RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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Gotta love, that someone offered a a reply, without having the srd up, and can be wrong. Mistakes happen, being a dick is intentional.
If it matters, I was referring not so much to your post as to Mr. "The spell specifically says" a couple posts up.
Saying "This is how I'd run it" and being wrong is merely an error.
Saying "The spell specifically says X" and being wrong, well, that's something else entirely.
So being everyone in view sees the missiles popping the third guy from the right basically they can negate the effect of the spell like a normal illusion correct?No, both thematically and mechanically.
Thematically, the Mirror Images constantly shuffle and move in an out of each other, so they're always different, even between swings in a normal full attack sequence.
I thought it was because if you hit the correct one, ALL of them appeared to be hit. If you got the wrong one, you popped that one (only), if you missed by only a little bit (5 or less) you popped one because even a strike that would normally be shrugged off by armor is still enough to pop an image.
So you can't rely on watching the one hit by magic missile because ALL of them appear to be hit by magic missile just like all of them seem to be smoldering after the fireball goes off.
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The PF FAQ is the opposite to the 3.5 FAQ!
In 3.5, if I had five magic missiles I could choose five images to get one missile each; the real person (if one of the five I chose) took damage, and the others winked out. This is because all the missiles were simultaneous. If there were a beat in time between attacks then the images would be random again.
Thanks to SKR's FAQ above, in PF we can't get rid of images that way, but on the upside we will always hit the real dude!
That tactic does come with its own drawbacks. With your eyes closed, you reduce your own defenses, open yourself up to sneak attack, and won't ablate away the extra images like you would by picking them off with normal random selection.
Anyway, it's also "defeated" by closing one's eyes and swinging at the mirror-imaged target. 50% miss chance is better than 80% or whatever it turns out to be. In the short term, anyway. Long term, probably not, but sometimes all you need is short term.
(jokingly) I find that the main drawback is that the action of closing one's eyes is not defined anywhere, and this could potentially cause a ridiculous argument at the table (unless I am mistaken and it is actually defined somewhere, which is possible). But seriously, I think it's reasonable to conclude that closing eyes is a free action, so unless there are readied actions to strike once someone closes their eyes, there is no real drawback, save for the fact that yes, it's actually better in the long run to delete the images. Unless maybe the target is nearly dead. And maybe not if the attacker has Blind Fight, as that improves the odds somewhat.
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I doesn't create an illusion of my missiles or of the fighter hitting the image. You see only one set of missiles attacking one target. The fact that all of the images wince is irrelevant. Remember baseball? Keep your eye on the ball? Same thing only the ball is the missile.
However, your target has 1d4+(1/3 levels) exact copies of himself all milling back and forth and moving through each other inside a 5x5 space, copying his movements. Even if you know they tagged the right one, discerning him from the duplicates even a second later is going to be difficult. Assuming you could even tell which one they hit from the angle you were standing at in the first place.
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Actually that kinda makes sense. Your eyes are lying to you, close them and you will not get wrong information. Although it is better just to swing at them, as your odds get better each swing.It's kind of a weird spell. It's pretty straightforward most of the time, but in certain situations and/or if you really think about it, it's odd.
Anyway, it's also "defeated" by closing one's eyes and swinging at the mirror-imaged target. 50% miss chance is better than 80% or whatever it turns out to be. In the short term, anyway. Long term, probably not, but sometimes all you need is short term.
That's why Blind Fighting is such a great feat!
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That tactic does come with its own drawbacks. With your eyes closed, you reduce your own defenses, open yourself up to sneak attack, and won't ablate away the extra images like you would by picking them off with normal random selection.
Anyway, it's also "defeated" by closing one's eyes and swinging at the mirror-imaged target. 50% miss chance is better than 80% or whatever it turns out to be. In the short term, anyway. Long term, probably not, but sometimes all you need is short term.
That's a good point though...if you swing, and miss with your eyes' closed, why wouldn't you have possibly hit an image?
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That's why Blind Fighting is such a great feat!Actually that kinda makes sense. Your eyes are lying to you, close them and you will not get wrong information. Although it is better just to swing at them, as your odds get better each swing.It's kind of a weird spell. It's pretty straightforward most of the time, but in certain situations and/or if you really think about it, it's odd.
Anyway, it's also "defeated" by closing one's eyes and swinging at the mirror-imaged target. 50% miss chance is better than 80% or whatever it turns out to be. In the short term, anyway. Long term, probably not, but sometimes all you need is short term.
There is also the heartseeker property for weapons. Close your eyes and swing without a penalty.
Also works for darkness, fogs, blur, displacement, invisible opponents, etc.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 8
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(jokingly) I find that the main drawback is that the action of closing one's eyes is not defined anywhere, and this could potentially cause a ridiculous argument at the table (unless I am mistaken and it is actually defined somewhere, which is possible). But seriously, I think it's reasonable to conclude that closing eyes is a free action, so unless there are readied actions to strike once someone closes their eyes, there is no real drawback, save for the fact that yes, it's actually better in the long run to delete the images. Unless maybe the target is nearly dead. And maybe not if the attacker has Blind Fight, as that improves the odds somewhat.
The way I run it is, if you're closing your eyes to make an attack, you've got your eyes closed from that point until the beginning of your next turn. This is because ostensibly everybody's actions all take place in the same 6 seconds.
I recall Sean K Reynolds saying he'd do the same somewhere on the boards, but I don't think it ever made it into the FAQ or anything.
The way I run it is, if you're closing your eyes to make an attack, you've got your eyes closed from that point until the beginning of your next turn. This is because ostensibly everybody's actions all take place in the same 6 seconds.I recall Sean K Reynolds saying he'd do the same somewhere on the boards, but I don't think it ever made it into the FAQ or anything.
Yeah, that's my take on it too. It isn't just a quick blink. It's a round's worth of blindness for you.