D&D General I Just Want To Teleport and Stab Things

[TiQuinn]

It's weird to me that people are saying Nightcrawler isn't a valid idea for a D&D character or class, especially with his longer range teleportation abilities being clipped.

Like, wasn't the Eladrin Swordmage exactly that for almost a whole edition?

I basically played my Horizon Walker character as a D&D version of Nightcrawler.

 

[Pauln6]

I kinda like the idea of teleporting as part

Wasn't that the forbidden edition whose name shall never mentioned (except all the times it does?)

I must admit, sometimes I like the idea of teleport being something reserved more for the Paragon Tier of D&D for my sense of "verisimilitude" or whatever emotion that is. But dang, it's so much fun to zap around the battlefield, why force people to wait to have fun?

Mustrum "4Ever" Ridcully

I think, for me, the issue is more that Nightcrawler, even from his first appearance, was not a low level character, so any attempt at like for like at low levels is asking for a massive power up. Also, the distance and frequency of his teleportation would exhaust him, so even at higher levels, the comic book version never had at-will teleports.

So IMO, if you want Nightcrawler-style PC as a lower level character, custom build his heritage to allow him Misty step and either an origin feat or cunning action subclass option that allows a bonus action to ignore obtacles and difficult terrain when using movement flavoured as teleport. So 30' teleport 1/LR at level 1. At will up to 60' teleport at level 3. Then maybe adopt a teleport progression akin the arcane archer trick arrows with a list of teleport options that you can ladle onto your Misty step or bonus action movement based on the old 4e Sword Mage class features or things such as extra distance, surprise attack, extra attack, reduced cost (no bonus action), casting Misty Step as a reaction etc.

Then at higher levels Dimension Door comes in. Even Nightcrawler didn't teleport to places he couldn't see very often.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I think, for me, the issue is more that Nightcrawler, even from his first appearance, was not a low level character, so any attempt at like for like at low levels is asking for a massive power up. Also, the distance and frequency of his teleportation would exhaust him, so even at higher levels, the comic book version never had at-will teleports.

So IMO, if you want Nightcrawler-style PC as a lower level character, custom build his heritage to allow him Misty step and either an origin feat or cunning action subclass option that allows a bonus action to ignore obtacles and difficult terrain when using movement flavoured as teleport. So 30' teleport 1/LR at level 1. At will up to 60' teleport at level 3. Then maybe adopt a teleport progression akin the arcane archer trick arrows with a list of teleport options that you can ladle onto your Misty step or bonus action movement based on the old 4e Sword Mage class features or things such as extra distance, surprise attack, extra attack, reduced cost (no bonus action), casting Misty Step as a reaction etc.

Then at higher levels Dimension Door comes in. Even Nightcrawler didn't teleport to places he couldn't see very often.

Nightcrawler never gts exhausted from short range teleports, and we know he was teleporting short range atwill even when he first started out.

The only thing missing then is weapon competence which is inarguably a low level thing in dnd.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

It's weird to me that people are saying Nightcrawler isn't a valid idea for a D&D character or class, especially with his longer range teleportation abilities being clipped.

Like, wasn't the Eladrin Swordmage exactly that for almost a whole edition?

Yup.

 

[Pauln6]

Nightcrawler never gts exhausted from short range teleports, and we know he was teleporting short range atwill even when he first started out.

The only thing missing then is weapon competence which is inarguably a low level thing in dnd.

Not quite. Doing multiple ports in quick succession or teleporting at the upper end of his weight limit could also take their toll after which time he needed rest before he could short range port again. So, from a game perspective, there could well be a limit and in the comics, he just rarely hits it. He doesn't port that often in most 'scenes'.

But certainly, if short range personal movement is at will, that still leaves limited resources for carrying other people, multiple teleporting to avoid opportunity attacks etc.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Not quite. Doing multiple ports in quick succession or teleporting at the upper end of his weight limit could also take their toll after which time he needed rest before he could short range port again. So, from a game perspective, there could well be a limit and in the comics, he just rarely hits it. He doesn't port that often in most 'scenes'.

But certainly, if short range personal movement is at will, that still leaves limited resources for carrying other people, multiple teleporting to avoid opportunity attacks etc.

I mean, in the real world, people can only sprint for so long, so realistically, you should be able to use something like dash only a few minutes or so, but there aren't actually rules specifically for that.

I think such details can easily be glossed over, if it needs a bonus action already its enough to suggest it's still a bit more strenous activity than just walking the distance by foot.