When using Magic Missile for a level 10 Evocation Wizard, since you roll a D4 for each Missile, do you only add the Intelligence modifier to 1 of the missiles? Or can you add the Intelligence modifier to all of them? Because it says you can add your Modifier to 1 damage roll so I believe it is just 1 of them but I have been known to be wrong before lol. So I was looking for a little clarification. Thanks!
The wording of the feature states "you can add your modifier to 1 damage roll of that spell." I think it is intended to be a single roll of the D4, because otherwise the feature would be way more or less useful depending on if a spell rolled 2D6 versus 1D12
The answer depends to some extent on which version of 5e you are playing and whether the table follows rules as written closely. Either way, the modifier only applies to one die roll itself.
The 2014 rules contained: "If a spell or other effect deals damage to more than one target at the same time, roll the damage once for all of them. "
The 2024 rules seem to lack this statement (at least I haven't found it).
Since Magic Missile can affect more than one creature, some people thought that the damage for each missile would be rolled once with the damage applied to each target. In this case, the int modifier gets added to the one damage roll ... which then applies to any target (effectively adding the damage to one die roll but applying the damage to all targets).
This only works when the damage die is rolled once because the feature specifically states that the bonus only applies to one die roll of the spell. This means that if the wizard cast magic missile then ONE of the missiles receives the damage bonus, not all of them. On the other hand, fireball and other AoE spells are only rolled once typically ... in this case, adding the int mod to one die roll of the spell's damage will typically affect all of the targets of the spell (unless the DM decides to roll the damage separately for each target).
Each dart strikes a creature of your choice that you can see within range.
A dart deals 1d4 + 1 Force damage to its target.
Even if you target a single creature, each individual dart is going to provide the listed damage. The clause that lists the +1 is the same one that lists the d4. If you interpret this as meaning the +1 can only apply once to a target, then you must also interpret the d4 the same way and only allow one dart to target an individual. To me, that is definitely wrong, as the next sentence states that you can direct all the darts to one target for a stacked damage.
You roll a single die that represents the damage of all the darts. So Empowered Evocation should apply to all the darts. Crawford stated that the intended design (and RAW) of the spell is to roll only once for the 2014 rules and I see nothing that changes that in the 2024 rules. You can choose whichever is best for your table though. The only people who seem to think it should not apply are the ones who scream whenever an ability or subclass that can do any one thing that others cannot do.
Each magic missile dart rolls its own d4+1, and you add the bonus damage to just one of those dice.
AoE spells roll damage once then apply that same damage to all affected, but spells like magic missile or scorching ray that direct separate missiles at (possibly) different targets, roll their damages separately.
The bonus INT modifier damage, however, is only added to one damage roll (not all of them).
Each magic missile dart rolls its own d4+1, and you add the bonus damage to just one of those dice.
AoE spells roll damage once then apply that same damage to all affected, but spells like magic missile or scorching ray that direct separate missiles at (possibly) different targets, roll their damages separately.
The bonus INT modifier damage, however, is only added to one damage roll (not all of them).
Choose a Target. Pick a target within your attack’s range: a creature, an object, or a location.
Determine Modifiers. The DM determines whether the target has Cover (see the next section) and whether you have Advantage or Disadvantage against the target. In addition, spells, special abilities, and other effects can apply penalties or bonuses to your attack roll.
Resolve the Attack. Make the attack roll, as detailed earlier in this chapter. On a hit, you roll damage unless the particular attack has rules that specify otherwise. Some attacks cause special effects in addition to or instead of damage.
Magic Missile has no attack roll. It just hits and deals damage. Because it doesn't fit any of the above general rules, it's an exception. There's only one damage roll, meaning Empowered Evocation applies to all darts.
Each magic missile dart rolls its own d4+1, and you add the bonus damage to just one of those dice.
AoE spells roll damage once then apply that same damage to all affected, but spells like magic missile or scorching ray that direct separate missiles at (possibly) different targets, roll their damages separately.
The bonus INT modifier damage, however, is only added to one damage roll (not all of them).
Choose a Target. Pick a target within your attack’s range: a creature, an object, or a location.
Determine Modifiers. The DM determines whether the target has Cover (see the next section) and whether you have Advantage or Disadvantage against the target. In addition, spells, special abilities, and other effects can apply penalties or bonuses to your attack roll.
Resolve the Attack. Make the attack roll, as detailed earlier in this chapter. On a hit, you roll damage unless the particular attack has rules that specify otherwise. Some attacks cause special effects in addition to or instead of damage.
Magic Missile has no attack roll. It just hits and deals damage. Because it doesn't fit any of the above general rules, it's an exception. There's only one damage roll, meaning Empowered Evocation applies to all darts.
The intent of Empowered Evocation is clearly to apply the bonus damage ONCE. What you are describing would add it multiple times (even to the same target if more than one missile directs to them). That is not how it works. It is designed to give a slight amount of bonus damage, and that bonus damage is applied to each single target once.
The reason they specify that it applies to ONE die roll is that the bonus would only apply to each target of an AoE spell, once. A fireball would apply that bonus damage to all targets ONCE because it is added to a single die roll (and to speed up the game they say to roll the damage for fireball once and apply it to all within because rolling 8 dice twenty times would bring gameplay to a halt). Magic Missile is different, as you can divide it up between different targets. Each target takes a different amount of damage depending on how many darts you send their way.
Magic Missiles are rolled independantly, and Empowered Evocation can only be added to ONE of those die rolls. I will also point out that Jeremy Crawford has said that each missile forces a separate concentration roll on the target (further implying that each is its own distinct missile, not just a total amount of damage determined by a multiplier of how many missiles targeted them).
A 20 INT would add 5pts of damage with Empowered Evocation. A single magic missile dart does up to 5pts of damage. Your interpretation would be doubling the damage of the entire spell, not just one die roll. Empowered Evocation is meant to add a tiny amount of damage, not double the effective damage of an entire spell - in fact given that it's only a 25% change of rolling a 4 on a d4, your interpretation would likely result in more damage being inflicted from Empowered Evocation, than from the base spell itself - clearly not what they intended.
I will also point out that Jeremy Crawford has said that each missile forces a separate concentration roll on the target (further implying that each is its own distinct missile, not just a total amount of damage determined by a multiplier of how many missiles targeted them).
Crawford also said that you only roll the damage on the Magic Missile once. One roll. He was unambiguous on the RAW and you are using his authority on an entirely different topic to support your own ideas on how this applies to rolls that are in direct conflict with his words on this topic.
Magic Missiles are rolled independantly, and Empowered Evocation can only be added to ONE of those die rolls. I will also point out that Jeremy Crawford has said that each missile forces a separate concentration roll on the target (further implying that each is its own distinct missile, not just a total amount of damage determined by a multiplier of how many missiles targeted them).
If you're going to invoke Jeremy Crawford, you should know what else he's commented on. Your interpretation stands in direct opposition to his own words on this subject.
Magic missile. RAW: You roll 1 damage die (see "Damage Rolls," PH, 196). RAI: It doesn't matter; you choose.
When using Magic Missile for a level 10 Evocation Wizard, since you roll a D4 for each Missile, do you only add the Intelligence modifier to 1 of the missiles? Or can you add the Intelligence modifier to all of them? Because it says you can add your Modifier to 1 damage roll so I believe it is just 1 of them but I have been known to be wrong before lol. So I was looking for a little clarification. Thanks!
The wording of the feature states "you can add your modifier to 1 damage roll of that spell." I think it is intended to be a single roll of the D4, because otherwise the feature would be way more or less useful depending on if a spell rolled 2D6 versus 1D12
The answer depends to some extent on which version of 5e you are playing and whether the table follows rules as written closely. Either way, the modifier only applies to one die roll itself.
The 2014 rules contained: "If a spell or other effect deals damage to more than one target at the same time, roll the damage once for all of them. "
The 2024 rules seem to lack this statement (at least I haven't found it).
Since Magic Missile can affect more than one creature, some people thought that the damage for each missile would be rolled once with the damage applied to each target. In this case, the int modifier gets added to the one damage roll ... which then applies to any target (effectively adding the damage to one die roll but applying the damage to all targets).
This only works when the damage die is rolled once because the feature specifically states that the bonus only applies to one die roll of the spell. This means that if the wizard cast magic missile then ONE of the missiles receives the damage bonus, not all of them. On the other hand, fireball and other AoE spells are only rolled once typically ... in this case, adding the int mod to one die roll of the spell's damage will typically affect all of the targets of the spell (unless the DM decides to roll the damage separately for each target).
My take is that each dart adds the +1.
Even if you target a single creature, each individual dart is going to provide the listed damage. The clause that lists the +1 is the same one that lists the d4. If you interpret this as meaning the +1 can only apply once to a target, then you must also interpret the d4 the same way and only allow one dart to target an individual. To me, that is definitely wrong, as the next sentence states that you can direct all the darts to one target for a stacked damage.
You roll a single die that represents the damage of all the darts. So Empowered Evocation should apply to all the darts. Crawford stated that the intended design (and RAW) of the spell is to roll only once for the 2014 rules and I see nothing that changes that in the 2024 rules. You can choose whichever is best for your table though. The only people who seem to think it should not apply are the ones who scream whenever an ability or subclass that can do any one thing that others cannot do.
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Each magic missile dart rolls its own d4+1, and you add the bonus damage to just one of those dice.
AoE spells roll damage once then apply that same damage to all affected, but spells like magic missile or scorching ray that direct separate missiles at (possibly) different targets, roll their damages separately.
The bonus INT modifier damage, however, is only added to one damage roll (not all of them).
Playing D&D since 1982
Have played every version of the game since Basic (original Red Box Set), except that abomination sometimes called 4e.
Damaging spells with an area of effect that forces two or more targets to make saving throws against it at the same time have a single damage roll, with Fireball being the Ur-example.
Scorching Ray has multiple attack rolls, so it follows the rules for Making an Attack.
Magic Missile has no attack roll. It just hits and deals damage. Because it doesn't fit any of the above general rules, it's an exception. There's only one damage roll, meaning Empowered Evocation applies to all darts.
The intent of Empowered Evocation is clearly to apply the bonus damage ONCE. What you are describing would add it multiple times (even to the same target if more than one missile directs to them). That is not how it works. It is designed to give a slight amount of bonus damage, and that bonus damage is applied to each single target once.
The reason they specify that it applies to ONE die roll is that the bonus would only apply to each target of an AoE spell, once. A fireball would apply that bonus damage to all targets ONCE because it is added to a single die roll (and to speed up the game they say to roll the damage for fireball once and apply it to all within because rolling 8 dice twenty times would bring gameplay to a halt). Magic Missile is different, as you can divide it up between different targets. Each target takes a different amount of damage depending on how many darts you send their way.
Magic Missiles are rolled independantly, and Empowered Evocation can only be added to ONE of those die rolls. I will also point out that Jeremy Crawford has said that each missile forces a separate concentration roll on the target (further implying that each is its own distinct missile, not just a total amount of damage determined by a multiplier of how many missiles targeted them).
A 20 INT would add 5pts of damage with Empowered Evocation. A single magic missile dart does up to 5pts of damage. Your interpretation would be doubling the damage of the entire spell, not just one die roll. Empowered Evocation is meant to add a tiny amount of damage, not double the effective damage of an entire spell - in fact given that it's only a 25% change of rolling a 4 on a d4, your interpretation would likely result in more damage being inflicted from Empowered Evocation, than from the base spell itself - clearly not what they intended.
Playing D&D since 1982
Have played every version of the game since Basic (original Red Box Set), except that abomination sometimes called 4e.
The intent of Empowered Evocation is clearly to apply the bonus to a damage ROLL once.
Crawford also said that you only roll the damage on the Magic Missile once. One roll. He was unambiguous on the RAW and you are using his authority on an entirely different topic to support your own ideas on how this applies to rolls that are in direct conflict with his words on this topic.
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If you're going to invoke Jeremy Crawford, you should know what else he's commented on. Your interpretation stands in direct opposition to his own words on this subject.
Source: https://x.com/JeremyECrawford/status/774030989894955008?lang=en