Deadly aim and Magic Missile.

[TheApapalypse]

Deadly aim does not say it HAS to HAVE a range attack roll, just that it cannot be a touch attack.:

"Benefit: You can choose to take a -0 penalty on all ranged attack rolls to gain a +0 bonus on all ranged damage rolls. You must choose to use this feat before making an attack roll and its effects last until your next turn. The bonus damage does not apply to touch attacks or effects that do not deal hit point damage. "

Magic Missile is neither touch nor melee.

"Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)"

Deadly aim should apply bonus without penalty, even if there is no "attack roll" as you are still attacking a creature....agreed?

[zza ni]

it's not A and separately B. it's do A to gain B. the same as using weapon expertise. the words say :
"You can (A) choose to take a -0 penalty on all ranged attack rolls to gain (B) a +0 bonus on all ranged damage rolls....
...You must choose to use this feat before making an attack roll and its effects last until your next turn"

- if you didn't selectively cut off the words just before the important part you'd have seen it (or maybe you had and this is why you cut it off short) -

if you make no attack roll you have no option to use the feat.

if you take no penalties to hit you gain no bonus to damage. you can not chose to gain the bonus without getting the penalties.

You might have something if you quicken the magic missile in the same round you also rolled a to hit with a different ranged weapon and took the penalties.
But most would say no to even that as the damage bonus you gain is in effect a formula of the penalty you take so in this case:
(x=0): F(y) = 0

[happykj]

Sometimes the descriptions are not written in detail, because the rulebook is always limited in space, but basically there is a common sense that let us know how to determine some of the details.

Generally, when the effect said "You must choose to use this feat before making an attack roll", then it means it requires attack roll.(unless otherwise indicated)

Otherwise Meteor Swarm which has "Range long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)" can also benefit from "Deadly Aim", and surely this is not what it means.

[Name Violation]

TheApapalypse wrote:

Deadly aim does not say it HAS to HAVE a range attack roll, just that it cannot be a touch attack.:

"Benefit: You can choose to take a -0 penalty on all ranged attack rolls to gain a +0 bonus on all ranged damage rolls. You must choose to use this feat before making an attack roll and its effects last until your next turn. The bonus damage does not apply to touch attacks or effects that do not deal hit point damage. "

Magic Missile is neither touch nor melee.

"Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)"

Deadly aim should apply bonus without penalty, even if there is no "attack roll" as you are still attacking a creature....agreed?

nope. no attack roll means no benefit. the feat ONLY applies if you can make an attack roll.

its also why you cant sneak attack with magic missile

[Dragonchess Player]

Deadly Aim, like all "take a penalty on attack rolls for [some benefit]" feats, requires an attack roll to apply.

There is one way to Sneak Attack with magic missile: take 10 levels of arcane trickster for the Surprise Spells ability.

[Mysterious Stranger]

Deadly aim has a lot of limitations on it. Not only does it require making a ranged attack, but the attack roll also has to be against the targets normal AC. It specifies that the damage bonus does not apply to ranged touch attacks, but the penalty does apply to those.

[Joesi]

I'm surprised that nobody is talking about how it seems very clearly intended to only boost damage for attacks, namely attacks that took the penalty. Magic Missile is not an attack, so even if you did use a quickened one after an attack it still shouldn't get any bonus.

Surely "ranged damage" is never really referred to in the rules anywhere aside from this feat, right? Or at least if it is I'd assume it again has a strong implication of only attacks.

[Mysterious Stranger]

Every post except the original one mentions needing to make an attack roll.