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Magic Missile
The Unerring Darts
Magic Missile creates several compact darts of magical force that strike legal targets without an attack roll. Its familiar identity survives across editions, but its range, scaling, targeting language and defensive interactions depend on the ruleset being used.
D&D 2024 appears first. Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e follow in separate rules panels so their caster-level scaling, target limits and Spell Resistance rules remain independent.
Quick Rules Reference
This summary uses D&D 2024. The complete edition-separated mechanics appear immediately below.
Magic Missile Mechanics by Edition
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Dungeons & Dragons 5.5e / 2024
Magic Missile
- Level
- 1st
- School
- Evocation
- Casting Time
- 1 Action
- Range
- 120 feet
- Components
- V, S
- Duration
- Instantaneous
- Attack / Save
- None
- Available To
- Sorcerer, Wizard
You create three glowing darts of magical force. Each dart strikes one creature of your choice that you can see within range and deals 1d4 + 1 Force damage. The darts strike simultaneously and may be concentrated on one creature or divided among several legal targets.
Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot
The spell creates one additional dart for each slot level above 1st.
Targeting and resolution
- Every target must be a creature you can see within 120 feet.
- The spell does not target objects.
- No attack roll is made, so Armor Class does not determine whether a legal dart strikes.
- The spell does not authorise called shots against a creature’s eyes, hands, equipment or other body parts.
- All darts from the same casting strike at the same time.
Shield, Counterspell and Dispel Magic
- Shield: a creature targeted by Magic Missile can cast Shield as its reaction and takes no damage from Magic Missile until the start of its next turn.
- Counterspell: Magic Missile has verbal and somatic components, so a creature that sees the casting within Counterspell’s range can attempt to interrupt it. On a failed Constitution saving throw, Magic Missile dissipates without effect.
- Dispel Magic: the 2024 spell ends ongoing spells. Magic Missile is instantaneous, so there is no continuing effect to dispel after the darts strike.
- Spell Resistance: D&D 2024 gives Magic Missile no general Spell Resistance entry. Apply only specific immunities, resistances and defensive features that actually affect the spell.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, First Edition
Magic Missile
- School
- Evocation [Force]
- Level
- Arcanist 1, Bloodrager 1, Magus 1, Psychic 1, Sorcerer 1, Wizard 1
- Casting Time
- 1 standard action
- Components
- V, S
- Range
- Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
- Targets
- Up to five creatures, no two more than 15 ft. apart
- Duration
- Instantaneous
- Saving Throw / SR
- None / Yes
A missile of magical energy flies from your fingertip and strikes its target for 1d4 + 1 points of force damage. It strikes unerringly even when the target is in melee, provided the target has less than total cover or total concealment.
You gain one additional missile for every two caster levels beyond 1st: two missiles at 3rd level, three at 5th, four at 7th and a maximum of five at 9th level. Multiple missiles may strike one creature or several creatures. A single missile can strike only one creature. Designate every target before checking Spell Resistance or rolling damage.
Edition-specific limits
- Specific body parts cannot be singled out.
- Objects are not damaged.
- Total cover or total concealment prevents the spell from striking the creature.
- When several creatures are targeted, no two may be more than 15 feet apart.
Shield, counterspelling, Dispel Magic and Spell Resistance
- Shield: the ongoing shield spell negates ordinary Magic Missile attacks directed at the protected caster.
- Counterspelling with Magic Missile: a caster who readies a counterspell, identifies Magic Missile and can cast the same spell may cast Magic Missile to counter it automatically.
- Dispel Magic: it may be used as a counterspell while Magic Missile is being cast, subject to the required dispel check. It cannot remove the damage afterward because the spell’s duration is instantaneous.
- Spell Resistance: make one caster-level check for each resistant creature targeted. Success protects that creature from every missile assigned to it; it does not protect the other targets.
Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 Edition
Magic Missile
- School
- Evocation [Force]
- Level
- Sorcerer/Wizard 1
- Casting Time
- 1 standard action
- Components
- V, S
- Range
- Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
- Targets
- Up to five creatures, no two more than 15 ft. apart
- Duration
- Instantaneous
- Saving Throw / SR
- None / Yes
A missile of magical energy darts from your fingertip and strikes its target for 1d4 + 1 points of force damage. It strikes unerringly even when the target is in melee, provided the target has less than total cover or total concealment.
For every two caster levels beyond 1st, you gain another missile: two at 3rd level, three at 5th, four at 7th and a maximum of five at 9th level or higher. The missiles may be concentrated on one creature or divided among several legal targets. Designate every target before checking Spell Resistance or rolling damage.
Edition-specific limits
- A single missile can strike only one creature.
- Specific parts of a creature cannot be singled out.
- Inanimate objects are not damaged.
- Total cover or total concealment blocks the spell.
- When several creatures are targeted, no two may be more than 15 feet apart.
Shield, counterspelling, Dispel Magic and Spell Resistance
- Shield: the mobile disk of force negates Magic Missile attacks directed at the protected caster while Shield remains active.
- Counterspelling with Magic Missile: a caster using the ready-and-identify procedure may counter Magic Missile by casting another Magic Missile.
- Dispel Magic: it may counter Magic Missile during casting if the dispel check succeeds. A targeted or area dispel used after resolution cannot remove instantaneous damage.
- Spell Resistance: make one caster-level check for each resistant creature targeted. Success protects that creature from all missiles assigned to it without negating missiles aimed at other creatures.
Cross-Edition Rules Comparison
| Rule | D&D 2024 | Pathfinder 1e | D&D 3.5e |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base missiles | Three | One | One |
| Scaling | One extra dart per higher slot level | One extra missile per two caster levels beyond 1st; maximum five | One extra missile per two caster levels beyond 1st; maximum five |
| Range | 120 feet | 100 ft. + 10 ft./level | 100 ft. + 10 ft./level |
| Target grouping | No 15-foot grouping limit | Targets must be within 15 feet of one another | Targets must be within 15 feet of one another |
| Targeting language | Creature you can see | Less than total cover or total concealment | Less than total cover or total concealment |
| Spell Resistance | No general SR entry | Yes | Yes |
| Shield | Reaction; prevents Magic Missile damage | Ongoing shield negates the missiles | Ongoing shield negates the missiles |
Using Magic Missile at the Table
Reliable finishing damage
Magic Missile is strongest when a missed attack would leave a dangerous creature active. A legal dart does not test Armor Class.
Concentrate or divide
Assign every missile to one creature for focused damage, or distribute them among several legal targets when guaranteed damage across the field matters more.
Choose targets first
Confirm range and targeting before rolling. Pathfinder and 3.5e also require every target to be declared before Spell Resistance checks or damage rolls.
Shield is specific
Ordinary AC does not stop the spell. Shield works because its own rules explicitly protect against Magic Missile.
Instantaneous means finished
Once the darts strike, there is no ongoing Magic Missile effect for Dispel Magic to end.
Keep editions separate
The older five-missile caster-level cap, 15-foot target grouping and Spell Resistance rules do not belong to the 2024 spell.
Common mistake
Automatic striking does not create a legal target. The creature must still meet the range, visibility, cover and other targeting requirements of the chosen edition.
Magic Missile in the World
Magic Missile is a foundational battle spell because it rewards control rather than spectacle. The caster shapes a measured quantity of force, identifies legal targets and sends the darts across the intervening space with unnerving certainty.
Arcane colleges use it to teach target selection, controlled evocation and the distinction between force and elemental energy. Military mages value it for finishing wounded opponents, pressuring exposed spellcasters and threatening several lightly protected enemies at once.
Duelists study Magic Missile together with Shield. The attack and its classic answer form one of the clearest demonstrations that magical defence depends on exact wording and prepared reactions rather than armour alone.
Historical and Occult Development
Magic Missile is a modern game spell, not a reconstructed historical rite. Its imagery nevertheless belongs to a much older family of beliefs in supernatural projectiles: small, directed forces that wound without an ordinary visible weapon.
Scottish tradition often interpreted prehistoric flint arrowheads as elf bolts or fairy arrows. These objects were believed to have been shot by supernatural beings to harm people or animals, and some were later kept as protective charms. National Museums Scotland discusses this tradition in From amulets to elf bolts: Scottish charms.
The resemblance is thematic rather than genealogical. Both ideas make a small projectile frightening through supernatural certainty, but no reliable evidence establishes elf-shot folklore as the direct design source for the roleplaying spell.
Mythological Parallels
In Book 1 of Homer’s Iliad, Apollo answers a priest’s appeal through the imagery of the divine bow. His distant arrows bring death and plague into the Achaean camp, joining supernatural authority with an attack ordinary warriors cannot answer in an ordinary way. Read the episode in the Perseus Scaife Viewer.
Apollo and Artemis also appear as unerring divine archers in the story of the Niobids. The British Museum’s marble relief of Apollo and Artemis slaying the Niobids preserves the visual language of multiple supernatural projectiles directed by divine will.
These are parallels of imagery, not rules equivalents. Mythic arrows carry punishment, plague, fate or sacred vengeance; Magic Missile deals defined force damage and obeys the targeting structure of its game edition.
Related SpiralWorlds Rules and Spells
Shield
The defining direct defence against Magic Missile.
Counterspell
Prevents a spell from completing rather than ending it afterward.
Dispel Magic
Ends ongoing magic and serves as a legacy-edition counterspell option.
Spell Resistance
The Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e defence that can stop missiles assigned to a resistant creature.
Sorcerer and Wizard Spells
Browse the wider SpiralWorlds arcane spell index.
Magic Missile
The canonical SpiralWorlds destination for this rebuilt reference.
Legacy Video Guide
Preserved legacy media
Animated Spellbook: Magic Missile
Zee Bashew’s animated overview preserves the useful video already attached to the page. It discusses the spell through an older fifth-edition context and should not replace the current 2024 mechanics above.
Magic Missile FAQ
Does Magic Missile require an attack roll?
No. A legal missile strikes without an attack roll in all three editions presented here.
Can Shield stop every missile?
Yes, when Shield applies to the targeted creature. The casting time and duration differ by edition, but each listed Shield spell explicitly protects against Magic Missile.
Can Dispel Magic remove Magic Missile damage?
No. Magic Missile is instantaneous. Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e allow Dispel Magic to attempt a counterspell during casting, but it cannot reverse damage after the missiles strike.
Can Magic Missile damage an object?
No. D&D 2024 selects creatures, while Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e explicitly state that objects are not damaged.
Does Spell Resistance apply?
It applies in Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e. D&D 2024 gives the spell no general Spell Resistance entry.
Rules Sources and Further Reading
D&D 2024
Pathfinder 1e
D&D 3.5e
Rules and licensing
D&D 2024, Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e mechanics are summarised and independently organised for reference, with the relevant rules sources linked above. Dungeons & Dragons, D&D and related names are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast. Pathfinder and related names are trademarks of Paizo Inc. The cited legacy source pages publish their rules text under their stated open-game licences. The illustration and original editorial material are SpiralWorlds content. SpiralWorlds is not affiliated with or endorsed by Wizards of the Coast or Paizo.