Page 1446 - Mind Over Matter
22nd Oct 2020, 6:00 AM

This is kind of the fantasy I’m hoping for when I roll up an INT character. Using the power of Smarts and Science to overcome obstacles where my unreliable STR would fail me.

In reality, it just kind of boils down to… “I cast the spell that according to rules-as-written will shut down this entire encounter. Either they save or they don’t.”

DM: Alright, I take it Twilight fires some Magic Missiles at the crystal walls?
Twilight Sparkle: I guess. It’s at-will and Force damage. Should I roll Arcana to add some extra oomph to it?
DM: Well, hold on, I’m going to give you some information first.
SFX: (PING!)
DM: A quick test-fire reveals that the crystals can reflect low levels of magic.
Twilight Sparkle: Oh. That’s not good.
DM: Your Magic Missile bounces around the cave, gaining more speed and power, until… <roll> …it impacts the hard rock just a couple feet away from you, leaving behind a small smoldering crater.
Twilight Sparkle: Woah! …Wait, you weren’t rolling to see if I took random damage, were you?
DM: No no, just rolling for how close it got and whether you needed to dodge, which would have been trivial.
Twilight Sparkle: Thanks. Still, that’s… significant data, actually. Is there some way I could harness this reflection-magnification property to strengthen my spells?
DM: You want to focus on escaping without a cave-in first?
Twilight Sparkle: No, that’s what I mean! Tap on the walls to find a shallow point, and calculate the correct angles to reflect a Magic Missile that would break through it.
DM: Oh. That’s… smarter than what I had in mind.