MC 1.9 forge build #1804
I don't know if this is a bug exactly but there is a discrepancy between normal bullets and projectile bullets with Trick:Explode.

With normal bullets when a mob is killed with trick explode it counts as a player kill with better drops and experience. With projectile bullets the mobs killed by the explode trick drop base loot and no XP.

That's because the projectile casts the spell as itself, and therefore makes the explosion as itself.

I figured as much, but it should still count as a player kill for XP and loot drops. If I set up a dispenser to drop potions, even though the dispenser is doing the killing it is still counted as a player kill because they are being killed by a construct of the player, or they are taking damage that can only be applied by a player.

Dispensers don't give XP.

I can disprove that, I have been using a dispenser shooting out splash potion of instant health II into my grinder to clear out the built up zombies, I get a shower of good loot and experience orbs to the point my game lags.

Regardless of dispensers, shouldn't the bullets be considered a player action? Or rather, shouldn't the bullet impacting just be giving the coordinates for the location of MY spell? It is using my "willpower" to perform the action after all.

@yrsegal I think you may have gotten a response mixed up somewhere. I am racking my brain but your reply just doesn't make sense in this context.

oh, yeah. definitely. .-.

You're creating the bullet from your willpower, but then it is separate.

If you throw a single splash potion and then throw the potions via dispenser, you will get XP. that may be how you did it.

"creating a bullet from your willpower" Even if the bullet is separate from me, it is still a force of my will...

It is created from your will, but no longer yours.