Can Mage Hand be attacked?

Question

Mage Hand "can't attack, activate magic items, or carry more than 10 pounds." (PHB 256). Can Mage Hand be attacked? Part of me says that Mage Hand is simply unable to engage in combat as a combatant but can passively engage in combat as a target (and, thus, damage would be computed as for an ordinary inanimate object), but part of me says that saying that Mage Hand cannot attack is essentially implying that it cannot take part in combat at all in any capacity or that it exists outside of the combat system.

Can Mage Hand be the target of a combat action? E.g. can a creature swing a club at a Mage Hand that it sees pass by or come within range? Obviously, the Mage Hand can't retaliate.

Answer 1

Mechanically, it can't

Similar to the argument here, the Mage Hand has no stat block, it has no AC, no HP, so it doesn't make much sense to consider it attackable. Thinking in game terms, it's neither a creature nor an object, which are the usual targets for spells or attacks.

As a comparison, check Bigby's Hand:

The hand is an object that has AC 20 and hit points equal to your hit point maximum. If it drops to 0 hp, the spell ends. It has a Strength of 26 (+8) and a Dexterity of 10 (+0). The hand doesn't fill its space.

So, if the "thing" created by a spell is supposed to be targetable, something on these lines should be written.

As the DM would have to "make up" an AC and HP for it, as well as the consequences for its HP reaching zero, it's clearly intended that it can't be a target, since Spells only do what they say. Further indication of it is that the conditions when the spell ends are clearly defined:

The hand lasts for the duration or until you dismiss it as an action. The hand vanishes if it is ever more than 30 feet away from you or if you cast this spell again.

Meaning that reaching 0 HP shouldn't mean it would vanish (as the only written conditions for vanishing are these).

It... might?

Now, rethinking my answer, there is one thing: the lack of AC and HP doesn't mean something can't be "targeted". A creature could decide to "attack" the air, or the water in a river or the ground, with no effects whatsover. The same could be ruled to the Mage Hand - creatures could try to target it and attack it, it just would be the same as attacking nothing.

Now, would they? In most situations, I wouldn't rule that my creatures decide to attack the hand, since wasting their actions for nothing would make the cantrip stronger than it should be.

So, even though it is technically possible that the creatures choose to attack it, usually they shouldn't, mainly from metagaming/balance perspective.

Answer 2

I think it's important to draw a distinction between 2 parts of an attack.

1. Can a creature spend its action swinging at the mage hand?
2. Can the mage hand be affected by an attack?

Can a mage hand be attacked?

The answer to the first part is, of course, yes. A mage hand is visible (unless you are an arcane trickster or have a similar feat). A creature being pestered by the hand may not know that it is a magical effect and may spend its turn swatting at it or trying to attack it.

As far as whether or not someone could target the hand with a spell, Xanathar's Guide to Everything (p 85) has the following:

If you cast a spell on someone or something that can’t be affected by the spell, nothing happens to that target, but if you used a spell slot to cast the spell, the slot is still expended.

Either way, since it does not have an AC, the attack would automatically miss, or the attack would go right through the hand just as if it was an illusion.

Can a mage hand be affected by an attack?

Mechanically, no. A mage hand is a magical effect. It is limited to its description. It has no AC and no HP. It cannot take damage.

Although not written in any official source, Mike Mearls, the senior manager for the D&D research and design team, agrees with this assessment. When asked what happens when a mage hand is attacked, he replied with^[1]:

nothing - mage hand can't take damage or really affect the environment beyond what spell says

But, I don't like that

That's the beauty of D&D. The rules are meant as a guideline, so you can make up whatever rules you want for the game. Create an AC, HP, and any immunities/vulnerabilities etc. that make sense. To quote Mike Mearls again, he suggested^[2]:

if I allowed attack, I'd say AC 16, hp = to caster's level + casting mod, immune to everything but force damage

tl;dr

Can a mage hand be attacked? yes

Can a mage hand take damage? no

Answer 3

Mage Hand is able to be attacked by something or someone because the spell doesn't say anywhere in the description that it can't be attacked. The spell doesn't say that the Mage Hand has hit points or an AC though, so if it was attacked it would be like waving your weapon at air or casting a spell at air.