Abrupt Jaunt alt. wizard class feature, PHBII pg. 70

[Stormtower]

The Abrupt Jaunt alt. class feature allows a conjurer specialist to take an immediate action to teleport up to 10' a number of times/day = (Int bonus).

This ability seems amazingly powerful. Instantly and without failure, (Int bonus) times per day a wizard may avoid an attack unless flat-footed or unaware?

I've already ruled that this ability doesn't allow wizards to avoid spells targeted at them unless their jaunt specifically breaks line of effect to the targeting caster... this seems within RAW. However, my interpretation is that weaponlike spells would still automatically miss and be wasted (whereas magic missiles or energy missiles and such would still hit unless LoE was broken).

Is the Abrupt Jaunt really as powerful as it seems? I'm aware of the usual RBDM tricks to ambush PCs and catch the wizard flat-footed. Once my monsters hit caster level 7 I can nail the wizard with Dimensional Anchor, but that uses up precious actions, and only foes who had previous knowledge of the party's tactics could prepare such countermeasures.

Am I interpreting the immediate action correctly as an interruption of the action which preceded/triggered the abrupt jaunt? Do the rules gurus here (Hyp and FranktheDM or others) have any experience adjudicating this class feature? Do you consider it balanced?

Thanks for any help on this one.

 

[Aestolia]

I'd rule this like the 'Flicker' Mystery from shadow magic, in the Tome of Magic:

Flicker
One per round, as an immediate action, you can instantly transfer yourself from your current location to any other spot within a distance of 5 feet per two caster levels. You always arrive at exactly the spot you designate--just as with dimension door. If you cast Flicker in response to an attack against you, the strike has a 50% miss chance.

Reasons being a couple key words: Immediate action, no error / randomness.

So "in response to an attack" i would apply a 50% miss chance.
Alternately, if the conjurer Readied their action to Jaunt away from the next attack I would give it a 100% miss (they were waiting for it).

10' still puts them in range of most AoE spells that would have been cast at them.

 

[frankthedm]

Is the Abrupt Jaunt really as powerful as it seems?

YES!

 

[szilard]

It makes a dip into Wizard awfully tempting for a high-Int scout.

-Stuart

 

[RangerWickett]

I loved my fighter/conjurer/eldritch knight/spellsword who could effectively get inside any creature's reach with this ability and a 5-ft. step, and still be able to full attack. Fun with arcane strike and wraithstrike.

Is there some other ability with 'strike' in the name? I want to make a guy who fights with baseballs.

I say that avoiding 4 or 5 attacks a day isn't that powerful.

 

[Mistwell]

See I look at that and think "Auto escape from grapple"

 

[shilsen]

I say that avoiding 4 or 5 attacks a day isn't that powerful.

And I'd say that's extremely powerful.

If any class in the game had an ability available from 1st lvl which read "3 times per day, as an immediate action, you automatically make an enemy attacking you miss" (that's an ability which is both weaker and less versatile than the Abrupt Jaunt, BTW), I think most people would call it significantly overpowered.

 

[Kat']

And I'd say that's extremely powerful.

+1. Given the squishiness of your normal Wizard it normally makes the difference between "alive and kicking" and "can I have some french fries with my Wizburger?".

 

[Nifft]

This ability seems amazingly powerful. Instantly and without failure, (Int bonus) times per day a wizard may avoid an attack unless flat-footed or unaware?

It is the most powerful alternate feature in that book. IMHO it's broken.

Cheers, -- N

 

[eamon]

It's powerful for a 1st level ability. It's not that powerful at higher levels. You could mitigate by allowing at most 1 jaunt per class or caster level.

In any case, an immediate action such as this happens before the action that triggered it. I wouldn't place any disadvantages on the attacker or whichever effect caused the wizard to jaunt.

If the attacker is a ranged attacker, he can attack the wizard as normal for his new position. Ditto for spells. His new position might be more protected. A melee attacker probably can't attack any longer, but if he can reach the new location, he can.

The real question is whether an effect (such as a melee attack) is wasted if you can't use it anymore after the jaunt. Since the effect doesn't say so specifically, I'd be inclined to say no; you can decide to do something else, instead, since other immediate effects specify this explicitly and since otherwise the jaunt is very powerful, but it's a little unclear to me.