Magic Missile

Used Anywhere
Effect Deals half your Wisdom in damage, plus 10 in dungeons
Price 7–14 gold
Magic Missile is the staple damage Spell, dealing damage based on your Wisdom. The exact amount differs by situation. On the overworld, the damage is equal to half your Wisdom rounded down, but can be augmented by Weapons such as the Staff and Triangle. In dungeons, the damage is closer to half your Wisdom rounded up plus 10, but cannot be augmented. Note that the manual says this Spell's damage is based on Intelligence, but this is not the case. (Wisdom is supposed to determine Spell failure chance, but that ability was swapped with this one and is actually based on Intelligence.)
Compare Magic Missile to other Spells
Types: Which can buy Magic Missile – 4 shown
Name
The number used to select this character type
Number
Each character type gets certain bonuses to their starting statistics
Stat Adjustments
The special ability granted to characters of this type
Special Ability
Fighter 1 Strength +10, Agility +10 -
Cleric 2 Wisdom +10 Spells never fail
Wizard 3 Intelligence +10 Greater spell variety
Thief 4 Agility +10 Twice as proficient at Steal and Unlock
Shops: Where Magic Missile is sold – 1 shown
The name of the shop; even shops with the same name may not sell the same items in every town
Name
What type of items this shop sells
Type
Which towns this particular shop appears in
Towns
The items sold in this shop; some goods will not be available until you've reached a certain level, as indicated on the specific item pages; prices are determined by your statistics, and are the same across all of the shops in the land
Goods
Chad the Mad's Magic Shoppe Magic All towns Open, Unlock, Magic Missile, Steal, Ladder Down, Ladder Up, Blink, Create, Destroy, Kill
Unlock Steal

Related

The Final Battle

Page 7
Use the four Gems and the Time Machine to battle Mondain, destroying his Gem of Immortality and then defeating him.

Magic Missile

Key d
Used Anywhere
Range 3
Effect Deals random damage up to the caster's Intelligence
Price 9–15 pence
Magic Missile is the staple damage Spell, dealing anywhere between 2 and your Intelligence score in damage at a range of 3 squares. By itself, it's not a very good Spell, since you can usually deal as much or more damage with a normal Weapon. However, combined with magic-boosting Weapons, especially the Staff or Triangle, Magic Missile can be the most damaging attack in the game (short of Kill).

That's not as exciting as it sounds. Most dungeon Creatures go down in one shot from anything anyway, so this Spell is a waste of money to use on them. (It's not a bad backup plan if they actually survive a hit, though.) Overworld Creatures tend to have more HP, but not enough to justify this Spell. It's best used against high-HP foes like Wandering warlocks and Mondain himself. This Spell really shines in The Final Battle, and is certainly worth using if you've maxed out your Intelligence.

Magic Missile

Key 7
Type Wizard
Effect Deals 31 + twice your level damage to an enemy in front of you
Normal Price 356 gold
Discount Price 220 gold
Bargain Price 136 gold
Magic Missile is the only simple damage Spell in the game. Despite being a missile, it's not ranged—only Creatures directly in front of you can be harmed. Magic Missile always deals at least 31 damage, with a bonus equal to twice your Level. This is the internal representation of your Level, so gaining a Level when your current Level ends in 9 will actually add 14 damage to your Magic Missile rather than the usual two. Not bad!

There are two downsides to Magic Missile. The first is that it's expensive. Sure, at high Levels it deals massive damage, but it's never cheap. The other downside, which is unlikely to be a problem, is that after the damage caps at Level 70, it will wrap around to a minimal amount at Level 71. There isn't much you can do about this, except to stop using the Spell at that point.

Mittar

Key B
Type Wizard
MP 5
Effect Damage an enemy with a ranged attack
Available Combat
There are several Wizard attack Spells, and Mittar is the most basic of these. For only 5 MP, you can launch a ranged attack (exactly like using a ranged Weapon). This is a more useful Spell on the overworld where MP regenerates rapidly than it is in dungeons and the like.