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.
Compare Magic Missile to other Spells
Classes: Which can buy Magic Missile – 4 shown
Name
The keystroke used to select this class
Key
Each class gets certain bonuses to their starting statistics
Stat Adjustments
The special ability granted to members of this class
Special Ability
Fighter a Strength +10, Agility +10 -
Cleric b Wisdom +10 Spells never fail
Wizard c Intelligence +10 Greater spell variety
Thief d Agility +10 Less likely to be caught stealing
Shops: Where Magic Missile is sold – 2 shown
The name of the shop; each shop appears in exactly one town per continent
Name
What type of items this shop sells
Type
The four towns (one per continent) where this shop can be found
Towns
The items sold in this shop; some goods will not be available until you've taken a certain number of steps in game, 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
Mad Chad's Magic Shoppe Magic Arnold, Britain, Gorlab, Nassau Open, Magic Missile, Ladder Down, Blink, Destroy
Words of Power Magic Fawn, Helen, Magic, Stout Open, Magic Missile, Ladder Down, Blink, Destroy
Magic Waters: Which may grant Magic Missile – 5 shown
Which body of water within the castle or city has these properties
Body of Water
The castles and cities where this body of water can be found
Locations
What type of bonus dropping coins in this body of water may result in
Bonus To
The amount of the bonus based on the number of coins dropped
Bonus Amount
Southeast lake Arnold, Britain, Gorlab, Nassau HP 150% of pence dropped, chance of a random spell (Alakazot!)
Central pond Clear Lagoon, Dextron, Linda, Moon HP 150% of pence dropped, chance of a random spell (Alakazot!)
Any pond Gauntlet, Owen, Paws, Wheeler HP 150% of pence dropped, chance of a random spell (Alakazot!)
Outer river Tune, Turtle, Wealth, Wolf HP 150% of pence dropped, chance of a random spell (Alakazot!)
Either pond Grey, Lost Friends, Poor, The Snake HP 150% of pence dropped, chance of a random spell (Alakazot!)
Unlock Ladder Down

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

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.)

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.