Faeries teleport?

[LostSoul]

That doesn't explain why you can't just leave your opponent on the other side when the portal closes. Or why you can't stay in the feywild. Sometimes being trapped there may be a better option than teleporting a few squares.

Because the portal has not been opened "well enough" to allow you to stay on the other side. The creature will pop back.

It probably has something to do with magical thermodynamics.

 

[Mallus]

That doesn't explain why you can't just leave your opponent on the other side when the portal closes.

Here's an explanation re: hurl through Hell. A mortal magician doesn't have the authority to condemn a being to Hell permanently. That right rests with the Powers That Be. The best they can do is with their petty tricks is a quick, painful jaunt.

Or why you can't stay in the feywild.

Eladrin in the mortal world have made their choice. They've forsaken their citizenship in the Fae realm. If they choose to stay in the Feywild then they can't go back to the normal world.

Don't think of explaining this sort of thing as a logical exercise. Consider it a test of your fiction writing chops. This ain't science, it's story and, you know, myth.

 

[Pbartender]

Here's an explanation re: hurl through Hell. A mortal magician doesn't have the authority to condemn a being to Hell permanently. That right rests with the Powers That Be. The best they can do is with their petty tricks is a quick, painful jaunt.

"You see, I can't quite damn an entire living creature to hell..." the Warlock laments. "I can just about manage someone's head, or maybe their arm up to the elbow. The trouble is, since it's technically still connected the body and the majority of the body at that, it inevitably reverts back to its normal state after a fraction of a second or so. It was all stipulated quite clearly in the contract signed, when I took the job."

 

[Sir Brennen]

Eladrin in the mortal world have made their choice. They've forsaken their citizenship in the Fae realm. If they choose to stay in the Feywild then they can't go back to the normal world.

But then... if an Eladrin travels to the Feywild through other means, does that imply he'd lose his feystep ability while he's there?

Feystep, Hurl Through Hell and the like don't fully cross over to the other plane, as posited before by myself and others. So here's another way to imagine it:

It's more like skipping a stone across the surface of a pond. One is able to dip into the other plane for a brief moment and then the natural resistance of the planar boundaries forces the creature back out. And, just like it's difficult to skip a stone on rough water, once the boundary is disturbed, it's difficult to slip into the other plane again until the area calms back down (explaining why many such abilities are encounter/daily/recharge.)

So some creatures and powers have the ability to "skip" across the surface of planes they have a strong affiliation with. Of course, don't call it Skipping Through Hell, as that conjures a completely different image.

 

[Mallus]

"You see, I can't quite damn an entire living creature to hell..." the Warlock laments. "I can just about manage someone's head, or maybe their arm up to the elbow. The trouble is, since it's technically still connected the body and the majority of the body at that, it inevitably reverts back to its normal state after a fraction of a second or so. It was all stipulated quite clearly in the contract signed, when I took the job."

Nice! This is exactly what I'm talking about.

 

[Mallus]

But then... if an Eladrin travels to the Feywild through other means, does that imply he'd lose his feystep ability while he's there?

I don't know. Does the DMG or the Manual of the Planes stipulate that Eladrin lose the Fey Step ability while in the Feywild?

I'm guessing they don't. So if an Eladrin enters the Feywild through a Faerie Ring the Fey Step still works. They call on their memory of the whimsical nature of topography in the Feywild and move a short distance via whim (once per encounter).

(hint: don't think about this in terms of implying anything. We're not deriving principles from a series of axioms. Look at what the game rules state and then attach explanatory narrative as needed. edit: I should say your explanation is pretty cool too Sir Brennen)

 

[Sir Brennen]

(hint: don't think about this in terms of implying anything. We're not deriving principles from a series of axioms. Look at what the game rules say, and then attach explanatory narrative as needed.)

Right, I'm just pointing out that since there are no mechanics (that I could find) which state feystep doesn't work in the Feywild, that particular narrative explanation breaks down for me.

 

[Darkthorne]

You could go with the pov that your fey (or target of a power) is "anchored" to his current location and the power/ability is not powerful enough to fully break the "anchor". Kind of like trying to pull a bouy underwater, you'll do it for a brief moment but no matter what it'll go back to the surface. And as for actually going to the feywild, maybe at the point you actually cross over it transitions where your "anchor" is at.

 

[Pbartender]

It's more like skipping a stone across the surface of a pond. One is able to dip into the other plane for a brief moment and then the natural resistance of the planar boundaries forces the creature back out. And, just like it's difficult to skip a stone on rough water, once the boundary is disturbed, it's difficult to slip into the other plane again until the area calms back down (explaining why many such abilities are encounter/daily/recharge.)

So some creatures and powers have the ability to "skip" across the surface of planes they have a strong affiliation with.

"The Space Between where you're smiling high is where you'll find me if I get to go. The Space Between the bullets in our firefight is where I'll be hiding, waiting for you." - Dave Matthews.

I like to imagine it as stepping into the space between worlds. If Planar Portal is using an elevator to go from the 1st floor Lobby to the Penthouse on the top floor, then Feystep is more like crawling through the ventilation ducts to go from the 1st floor Lobby to the 1st floor Restroom.

 

[Sir Brennen]

If Planar Portal is using an elevator to go from the 1st floor Lobby to the Penthouse on the top floor, then Feystep is more like crawling through the ventilation ducts to go from the 1st floor Lobby to the 1st floor Restroom.

"Here! Have a taste of .... the Ventilation Ducts of Hell! A brief moment of the infernal fires licking your skin! And you'll be all dusty, too!"