Flight vs Teleportation

[Diamond Cross]

Which power would you prefer to have and why?

I think I'd prefer flight over teleportation.

For several reasons.

I'd like to pop down and explore an area I fly over if I find it interesting.

I'd like to take pictures of buildings and other locations from a bird's eye view as well.

Teleportation does not allow for that.

But I do like both powers though.

Because there are occasions where I simply want to arrive at my destination when it's important that I be there.

 

[gamerprinter]

While my party members tend to teleport only for long distance travel, the primary advantage is teleporting into a building that you would normally have to enter a doorway, negotiate past halls, other doors, guards or other encounters - arriving at where you intend to be, rather than outside of it and spending more time just getting there.

In fact they tend to only use flight for short distance travel to negotiate a canyon crossing or something similar. Or for places they don't want to mis-teleport, as in someplace they've never been before.

While I don't disagree with you, I don't think my caster players will change that habit.

GP

 

[Sunseeker]

Between flight and teleportation, I almost always vote for flight.

Sure, teleporation will get you into and out of trouble faster, you can pop into a group of enemies, blast 'em and run away, but you can't charge with it, and even if you do teleport away, you generally have to be able to teleport somewhere you can see. Although teleporting into a locked room is cool, there's no guarantee you won't teleport into the middle of a table.

You can't teleport into the middle of the sky to avoid enemies. You can't grapple with someone, fly up and let them go. And if there's any sort of magical aura that makes teleporting bad(such as EnWorld's own campaign), well, there goes that. Of course there could be such a limit to flight as well.

But then it comes down to the two kinds of flight, mental and physical. Flying with your mind(or magic) is pretty awesome, but flying with wings and also pretty epic. Both carry with it that "look how awesome I am!", but teleportation really doesn't give you that. Great for sneaking I suppose.

But still, in the end, I'll always choose flight. It's just much cooler in my book.

 

[Stormonu]

If it were real life, I think I'd take teleportation. The ability to go anywhere instantly would be more helpful than flight would be for me.

In an RPG, I'd probably take flight because with teleport, it'd simply be too tempting to run away from enemies or 'port past the obstacles and away without ever engaging the bad guys.

 

[Nifft]

Teleportation.

Flight would make headlines if I used it day to day, while Teleportation could just save me a bunch of time while remaining nicely covert.

 

[Agamon]

Teleportation, easy. More subtle, quicker, less bugs in your teeth, and the temptation to go higher and higher, then passing out, would be bad. Of course, depends on the type of teleportation. If you can only go somewhere within line of sight or you have a chance of teleporting inside another solid, then I'd take the flying.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

It depends. How far/what duration? Do you have a means of knowing what you're teleporting into? How safe is it?

For example, if teleport range is only a few blocks and you can only do it a few times a day, but flying has a duration of hours: Flying! More or less reverve that and Teleportation for the win!

If both are about even, I don't know. Both can be incredibly useful. I think if I actually had the choice (IRL), I'd go for teleport. As was said above, I'd rather not be the target of headline seeking media types. And especially not of the gummint!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

One question: does momentum get conserved by the process of teleporting?

Each has its advantages: it it is conserved, you COULD charge someone with it...but you couldn't save yourself from a terminal velocity fall.

If it isn't conserved, you're the man for getting rid of volatile grenades...but if you're teleporting from one spot to another on a moving surface, you could wind up prone VERY easily.

 

[coyote6]

Depends on the details, but assuming the optimum circumstances (i.e, no problems with the laws of conservation or risk of appearing inside objects), I'd go with teleport.

As Nifft said, flight is kind of going to attract a lot of attention.

 

[Diamond Cross]

One question: does momentum get conserved by the process of teleporting?

For Nightcrawler it does. But I don't how true it is for other characters, but the general rule seems to be yes. IF you teleport while falling at 50mph you arrive at your destination traveling 50mph.

But I think some advantages can overcome it.

But I'd have to look that up.