Ethereal Sidestep + Immovable Shaft = Flight?

[honeybunch]

I'm quite new to D&D, so it's very possible I missed something.

However, it seems to me like a character with the utility power ethereal sidestep and an immovable shaft is capable of something roughly equivalent to flight. It can be moved with a minor action.

The immovable shaft is gravity defying, and simply floats in its place in the air unless a high level strength check is made against it. Ethereal sidestep allows the user to make an at-will move action teleport of one square.

Can a character with both the shaft and sidestep simply teleport with the rod in hand, expending a minor action to move it and then a move action to move with it? Note that the minor action allows the user to "reposition" the shaft, not merely move it, which makes me think that it retains its gravity defying qualities.

Of course, this would only allow for a "fly" speed of one square, but there are various teleportation extending magical items in the game which could increase that distance.

I'm not planning on actually doing this in a game. I'm just wonder if this is a valid form of movement according to the rules, or is there something I've overlooked?

 

[Mort_Q]

Sure... why not... it's hardly overpowered.

If you want the rod to keep you off the ground you have to hang on to it... so not really flying per se...

... so a level 10 Warlock could work there way up a cliff or over a gap... but watch out if their artillery sees you.

There are easier ways.

 

[honeybunch]

Sure... why not... it's hardly overpowered.

It could be significantly more powerful with a teleportation distance increasing item or two.

I'm not expecting all DMs to allow this, but there are currently enough of this sort of items to increase the distance by eight squares, transforming a one square at-will teleport into a nine square at-will teleport.

I don't really know how it would affect battles, because as I said I'm a D&D rookie. I just don't think it's as useless as you made it sound.

If you want the rod to keep you off the ground you have to hang on to it... so not really flying per se...

I see no reason you couldn't incorporate the rod into a more suitable device. Build it into a flat disc, for example, and sit on it. There is nothing saying that you have to be holding the rod in your hands to use it.

There are easier ways.

For a PC to get unlimited aerial flight?

I know there are rituals that enable flight, but I wasn't aware of much else that could be done with so little preparation.

Also, I think that a teleporting Warlock build is quite feasible (9 square at-will teleport with Slashing Wake from the Feytouched PP), so it's not like the character I'm thinking of would have to sacrifice much to get this fly-teleporting.

Maybe I'm making too big a deal out of this. After all, I'm quite inexperienced, so it's likely I'm overestimating the potency of this tactic. Still, I think it's quite cool.

 

[holywhitetrash]

where is ethereal sidestep?

 

[honeybunch]

where is ethereal sidestep?

It comes with Player's Handbook Heroes: Series 1.

Only reason I know about it is my DM's DDI subscription.

Jist of it is at-will teleport 1 as a move action, so I guess it's supposed to be like a super-shift. I think warlocks can get it around level 10.

 

[holywhitetrash]

well then i don't see why this wouldn't work
but wouldn't it take all your actions for the turn?
1 minor action to reposition it
1 move action to get wherever
1 minor action to set it

 

[honeybunch]

well then i don't see why this wouldn't work
but wouldn't it take all your actions for the turn?
1 minor action to reposition it
1 move action to get wherever
1 minor action to set it

The wording for the immovable shaft says that once it is in place and Immovable, it is a minor action to "reposition" it, which makes me think that it does not take another minor action to reactivate it.

If it had simply said "move" I would agree with you, but "reposition" makes me think that the user isn't actually turning it off then on again.

The wording isn't really clear, in all honesty, but that's what it makes me think.