Abundant Step Question

[Marimmar@Home]

Can a Monk using Abundant Step take along other people beside himself?

Abundant Step (Su): At 12th level or higher, a monk can slip magically between spaces, as if using the spell dimension door, once per day. Her caster level for this effect is one-half her monk level (rounded down).

~Marimmar

 

[Scharlata]

Can a Monk using Abundant Step take along other people beside himself?

Hi!

I think it would be the monk only because IMHO I'd read it like this: "a monk can slip" ... "as if using"...

Kind regards

 

[Marimmar@Home]

That's exactly my problem here. I tend to think that it makes more sense when the Monk alone could slip through spaces. OTOH I cannot find any reference that he alone may ddoor. After all the description of dimension door allows for several creatures to be taken along.

~Marimmar

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Can a Monk using Abundant Step take along other people beside himself?

I would say yes. As per Dimension Door, a monk can bring along one additional creature per 4 caster levels. So at 12th-level, that's 1 extra guy (caster level being 6). At 16th-level, 2 extra guys, and that's the max unless you go into epic levels.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I would say no, as per Scharlata's reasoning.

The monk doesn't get the dimension door spell, he gets the ability to magically slip between spaces.

I can see how someone might want to read it as if it was the actual dim door spell, so it is really down to the DM to choose what he feels comfortable with.

 

[shilsen]

I would say no, as per Scharlata's reasoning.

The monk doesn't get the dimension door spell, he gets the ability to magically slip between spaces.

I can see how someone might want to read it as if it was the actual dim door spell, so it is really down to the DM to choose what he feels comfortable with.

I go with the monk being able to take others along, but as you say, it can be argued either way.

 

[Squire James]

I think it's fairly clear that the monk, and no-one else, can use the "dimension door" effect. If it were meant to be the other way, I think even WoTC would simply say, "At 12th level, the monk gains Dimension Door 1/day as a spell-like ability".

If the survival of the party depends on it, I suppose the PC's could dog-pile the monk and let him CARRY them all away! Wearing a fighter who wears armor is not quite the same as wearing armor...

 

[atom crash]

I disagree, Squire James, I don't think it's fairly clear.

It's the "as if using the spell dimension door" part that is vague. Does this mean that the ability functions mechanically like dimension door, meaning he can take along extras, or does it function thematically (cinematically, if you will) like dimension door?

I think it can be argued either way. However, I'd rule that the monk moves alone because it is a supernatural ability (magical but not spell-like) and all the other monk's class abilities affect the monk alone.

 

[Marimmar@Home]

It amazes me that there seems to be no right or wrong on the matter. Maybe the sage answered the question somwhere but it didn't make it to the FAQ so far.

~Marimmar

 

[Lord Pendragon]

It's the "as if using the spell dimension door" part that is vague. Does this mean that the ability functions mechanically like dimension door, meaning he can take along extras, or does it function thematically (cinematically, if you will) like dimension door?

The phrase "as the spell" is used repeatedly in the Monster Manual and, in every instance that I know of, means exactly that: it operates exactly like the spell in question, except for any exceptions noted in the decriptions.

For instance:

—Teleport (Su): Archons can use greater teleport at will, as the spell (caster level 14th), except that the creature can transport only itself and up to 50 pounds of objects.
—Tongues (Su): All archons can speak with any creature that has a language, as though using a tongues spell (caster level14th). This ability is always active.

In both of these cases, it means exactly what it says. I see no reason why the monk's Abundant Step ability should work "as the spell" Dimension Door, but have limitations on it not mentioned in the ability description nor the spell description. Note that both the abilities I quoted are also (Su) abilities. That doesn't change what "as the spell" means.