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spellbook of
+   magic missile   Light green spellbook
Appearance random
Spell type attack
Level 2
Turns to read 2
Power cost 10 Pw
Ink to write 10–19
Cost 200 zm
Weight 50

Allows you to learn the magic missile spell, a somewhat famous spell in gaming, originated from D&D.

The magic missile ray does (xplev/2+1)d6 damage, so higher-level spellcasters can deal significant damage with this spell. A level 30 character deals 16d6 damage with magic missile, averaging 56 damage per hit. The damage can be doubled by using walls to reflect the ray again to the target, hitting it twice. This spell's damage is doubled for Knights by carrying the Magic Mirror of Merlin.

Note that this is different from the wand of magic missile, whose damage is a fixed 2d6.

Strategy[]

For low-level Wizards, the starting force bolt spell is usually a better attacking method than magic missile, as force bolt costs 5 Pw and does 2d12 damage. However, as Wizards are equipped with a cloak of magic resistance at the start of the game, if you can put a monster up against a solid wall, and hit them with magic missile, the missile will bounce off the wall and yourself several times, getting several attacks for one spell. Magic missile does slightly more damage at experience level 7, but costs 10 Pw points. Advanced Wizards armed with the Eye of the Aethiopica can rely on magic missile as their primary attack.

Wizards do get a bonus toward their success rate with magic missile, however. Often a wizard can wear metal armor and still get an acceptably low failure rate with magic missile.

This spell can be used to kill enemies behind boulders without breaking the boulder, making it invaluable in Sokoban.

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