D&D 5E DM gave me a helm of teleportation, am I a jerk for using it?

[MarkB]

Certainly, using the helm of teleportation in this manner is pretty much exactly what it’s useful for. That said, make sure you collect significant items from the locations you want to teleport to, and not just picking a pebble up off the floor. Pebbles on the floor may have been tracked there from orcish boots. Break off a fresh chunk of something, then its link is unambiguous.

That requirement could be inferred from the example objects, but it's not in the spell as written. The item merely needs to have been taken from the location.

 

[Charlaquin]

It is RAW. At one point he did make a DM ruling that an unconcious creature was "willing",

 

[Charlaquin]

That requirement could be inferred from the example objects, but it's not in the spell as written. The item merely needs to have been taken from the location.

Right but if the object could plausibly have itself been tracked in from somewhere else, you do give the DM ammo to have you go to wherever it got brought from.

 

[MGibster]

Is there any DM who hasn't given their party an overpowered magic item at one point or another? D&D in particular is a game where magic can make all sorts of challenges trivial at best.

 

[billd91]

Right but if the object could plausibly have itself been tracked in from somewhere else, you do give the DM ammo to have you go to wherever it got brought from.

That's exactly what I would be thinking. Any good RBDM would do exactly that to a character who willy-nilly grabbed just anything hoping it would be useful for a perfect teleport.

 

[cbwjm]

If i was your DM, I'd be disappointed if you didn't, I put it in my own adventure, I'd expect you to use it.

 

[Clint_L]

Is the game becoming less fun? Sounds like a discussion for the group. But maybe the DM wanted you to use it so you could bypass all the tedious stuff ("Ugh, if I have to run one more battle against an Orc band...") and keep the plot moving.

 

[Longspeak]

In the last series I played, we got to a high bluff and peeked into the courtyard on the place we were trying to get into.

We waited ten real minutes while the DM laid out the mass of forces we saw waiting for us past the gate, placing the minis for tons of foes, barricaded gates, heavy blocked door to the main keep. Huge battle brewing. Then...

"There's only two guards on that high tower. We teleport onto it, gloop them, and make our way into the main keep from the top. Rifleman, you pick off anyone who tries to remove the bars for the main door."

Edit: Which I did. From 1,100 feet away. Another thing given us by the DM.

If the DM gives you an opening... take it.

But be sure it's not a trap.

 

[Lanefan]

That’s just how the spell works. To quote, “This spell instantly transports you and up to eight willing creatures of your choice that you can see within range, or a single object that you can see within range, to a destination you select” (more details follow but aren’t relevant to this specific point).

Yep - far more generous than I'm used to.

 

[Fanaelialae]

As others have said, if the DM put the helm into the game, it's there to be used. There are plenty of options for the DM if they don't want teleportation to be a factor (least of not which is simply making an area warded against teleportation).

I've included that item in a few campaigns and was happy whenever the players opted to use it. Anywhere I didn't want them to use it was simply warded against teleportation magic. It got them in and out of a few memorable situations, like the time they repeatedly teleported off target, landed themselves in the middle of the ocean with no charges left in the helm, and had to spend an extremely rare, one shot resource to extricate themselves from that mess.

If your DM is a newbie or you think they might just have had an off night when they gave the helm (we all make mistakes), and you think that the helm might be negatively impacting the enjoyment of the game, then I'd suggest having a mature discussion about it. You could come up with a gentleperson's compromise that potentially works for everyone, such as reserving the helm only to speed up overland travel or avert TPKs (or whatever; I don't know your DM and can only speculate as to what they might consider fun and what isn't).