D&D 5E Can you use misty step to arrest a fall?

[Maxperson]

Jump is movement, not an action. You jump off a cliff and can still use an action and a bonus action ON YOUR TURN.

So jump off then cliff then shoot your bow as an action on the way down (twice if you have extra attack), followed by misty step as a bonus action. Totally RAW and not using a reaction at all. You still have your reaction for shield or uncanny dodge or maybe feather fall when your ally jumps down on his turn or anything else you can normally do as a reaction.

Falls are instantaneous by RAW, so if it isn't via a readied action or some other reaction, you aren't doing it on the way down.

I would argue that you never appear above the ground, unless you want to, because you appear in a spot you see and that strongly implies a spot of your choosing.

Then if the check is off and he casts too soon, the spell would just fizzle as the ground would be more than 30 feet away, and he would fall the full 50 feet. I prefer my more generous ruling.

Misty step has no rules for estimating distances incorrectly and appearing somewhere other than where you desire.

I didn't say it did. I said if he wanted to know when he was 30 feet from the ground as he's plummeting instantly downward, it's going to take a roll.

 

[ECMO3]

Falls are instantaneous by RAW, so if it isn't via a readied action or some other reaction, you aren't doing it on the way down.

I don't know that the rules say this, although maybe they do. In any case in terms of rules lawering there is jumping, which is movement and the "fall" would not start until the "jump" was over. Since jump uses your movment that means the first part of the descent would be part of the "jump".

I think the arguement about rollling to estimate distance is pretty weak, especially since wizards routinely throw things like fireball in combat and don't need to roll to estimate if they judged the distance to the detonation point correctly (so as not to frag the fighter).

 

[Maxperson]

I don't know that the rules say this, although maybe they do. In any case in terms of rules lawering there is jumping, which is movement and the "fall" would not start until the "jump" was over. Since jump uses your movment that means the first part of the descent would be part of the "jump".

The types of jumps are long and high. "Jumping" down 50' is a fall. You can't for example, "jump" down 30 feet and then tell the DM that since your movement is 30, it wasn't a fall and you take no damage.

I think the arguement about rollling to estimate distance is pretty weak, especially since wizards routinely throw things like fireball in combat and don't need to roll to estimate if they judged the distance to the detonation point correctly (so as not to frag the fighter).

The wizard isn't usually plummeting to his death when he casts fireball. If he was, I'd make him roll for that, too.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Falls are instantaneous by RAW,

As per core rules, yes. But optional rule in XGtE: "When you fall from a great height, you instantly descend up to 500 ft. If you are still falling on your next turn, you descend up to 500 ft at the end of that turn.."

Not using these rules can produce major brokenness with things like simic hybrid glide, or flying creatures who decide to stop flying for a round.

 

[clearstream]

Ready is specifically a combat action, so we're already outside of RAW by allowing it for someone jumping off of a cliff. It makes sense for someone to be able to do, so I'd definitely allow readying of spells and such outside of combat. Also, Misty Step is a bonus action which is just an additional action that you can take on your turn. I see nothing in Ready that prohibits you from readying a bonus action as what you will do when the perceivable circumstance happens.

I'm assuming it was in combat, although typically I allow actions outside of combat. I see on StackExchange a discussion of Readying spells that can be cast with a bonus action that is worth considering. Imagine a player does this -

1. I use my action to Ready holy weapon, trigger is I say "go"
2. Say "go", casting holy weapon without using my bonus action!
3. Use my bonus action to dismiss the spell, and cause the weapon to emit a burst of radiance, dealing 4d8 radiant and blinding creatures of my choice within 30' that fail their Con saves

That might not be the most effective use, but there are many such cases. You can see that allowing a player to use their action to Ready a spell that can be cast with a bonus action, allows them to use their bonus action for something else, so that in that turn they might get two bonus actions. I think the designers want to be able to rely on bonus actions being exclusive. Being able to rely on them being exclusive, gives them some freedom (they don't have to balance for possible multi-bonus-action turns.)

 

[clearstream]

As per core rules, yes. But optional rule in XGtE: "When you fall from a great height, you instantly descend up to 500 ft. If you are still falling on your next turn, you descend up to 500 ft at the end of that turn.."

Not using these rules can produce major brokenness with things like simic hybrid glide, or flying creatures who decide to stop flying for a round.

I use the XGE rules, and were the character in the OP's case falling say 1000', I would allow them to use a bonus action to cast misty step... albeit I would continue to rule that they are due 20d6 falling damage!


[EDIT It creates a loophole for groups that treat falls as movement. Players choose where their actions and bonus actions occur amidst their movement, so a character falling 1000' could choose to cast misty step before moving, to say teleport to the top of a tower 25' away from them. FWIW I do not count falls as movement, so that wouldn't work at my table.]

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I'm assuming it was in combat, although typically I allow actions outside of combat. I see on StackExchange a discussion of Readying spells that can be cast with a bonus action that is worth considering. Imagine a player does this -

1. I use my action to Ready holy weapon, trigger is I say "go"
2. Say "go", casting holy weapon without using my bonus action!
3. Use my bonus action to dismiss the spell, and cause the weapon to emit a burst of radiance, dealing 4d8 radiant and blinding creatures of my choice within 30' that fail their Con saves

That might not be the most effective use, but there are many such cases. You can see that allowing a player to use their action to Ready a spell that can be cast with a bonus action, allows them to use their bonus action for something else, so that in that turn they might get two bonus actions. I think the designers want to be able to rely on bonus actions being exclusive. Being able to rely on them being exclusive, gives them some freedom (they don't have to balance for possible multi-bonus-action turns.)

This I would not allow. I would allow you to use your action to ready a bonus action spell but the bonus action is also consumed. You have a readied spell, no action remaining and no bonus action remaining.

Edit: I am letting the player do something cool over and above the rules not drive a coach and horses through the action economy.

 

[clearstream]

This I would not allow. I would allow you to use your action to ready a bonus action spell but the bonus action is also consumed. You have a readied spell, no action remaining and no bonus action remaining.

Edit: I am letting the player do something cool over and above the rules not drive a coach and horses through the action economy.

Sounds like a fair solution.

 

[ECMO3]

The wizard isn't usually plummeting to his death when he casts fireball. If he was, I'd make him roll for that, too.

He is typically in the middle of combat ducking arrows, swords spells or whatever and fighting for his life. I would argue it is similar.

 

[Maxperson]

I'm assuming it was in combat, although typically I allow actions outside of combat. I see on StackExchange a discussion of Readying spells that can be cast with a bonus action that is worth considering. Imagine a player does this -

1. I use my action to Ready holy weapon, trigger is I say "go"
2. Say "go", casting holy weapon without using my bonus action!
3. Use my bonus action to dismiss the spell, and cause the weapon to emit a burst of radiance, dealing 4d8 radiant and blinding creatures of my choice within 30' that fail their Con saves

That might not be the most effective use, but there are many such cases. You can see that allowing a player to use their action to Ready a spell that can be cast with a bonus action, allows them to use their bonus action for something else, so that in that turn they might get two bonus actions. I think the designers want to be able to rely on bonus actions being exclusive. Being able to rely on them being exclusive, gives them some freedom (they don't have to balance for possible multi-bonus-action turns.)

That goes against the clear RAI of Ready which is to allow you to act out of turn if some specific trigger happens, so I wouldn't allow it on that front. Also, to ready a spell you have to cast it and hold the energy. Since Holy Weapon is a bonus action, if I allow bonus actions to be readied, you've used your bonus action. It doesn't change to a normal action to cast it. So the order of things goes like this.

1. Use bonus action to cast Holy Weapon and hold the energy.
2. Use action to Ready it for circumstance X.
3. Pass turn to next person and wait for circumstance X to possibly happen.