D&D 5E If you use thunderstep but teleport less than 10 feet do you take damage?

[Lyxen]

95% of Crawfords tweets on rule clarifications are simply explaining English language to people. Better? This is exactly what I'm talking about.

And the damage is instantaneous as well, so you are stuck unless you apply the proper RULE as I've explained.

 

[commandercrud]

And the damage is instantaneous as well, so you are stuck unless you apply the proper RULE as I've explained.

It clearly does actually say "after" for the damage. There are two successive instantaneous events. Teleportation and the thunder. If you disappear, there's a sound, and then you appear, where did you go? That is not instantaneous travel. That's shifting into another plane or something.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

where did you go?

Pattern buffers. Who cares, it's magic, a wizard did it.

 

[commandercrud]

it's magic

Eventually in every D&D debate, the full stop for any attempt to rationally debate.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Eventually in every D&D debate, the full stop for any attempt to rationally debate.

Of course. It's fiction. Which means "not true". There is no "true" answer, no matter how many dictionary definitions you look up.

Trying to rationally debate something that is not true is not rational.

 

[commandercrud]

Trying to rationally debate something that is not true is not rational.

You are the harbinger of destruction to all civilization.

 

[Lyxen]

It clearly does actually say "after" for the damage.

After what ? Come one, it's only one sentence. "after you disappear", not after you move, teleport, reappear, it's extremely specific. And, I must add, it says: 'Immediately after you disappear."

There are two successive instantaneous events. Teleportation and the thunder. If you disappear, there's a sound, and then you appear, where did you go?

You don't need to go anywhere, everything is instantaneous here.

That is not instantaneous travel. That's shifting into another plane or something.

It's instantaneous, but it was interrupted by another instantaneous event, just like an instantaneous fireball is interrupted by an instantaneous counterspell, which itself can be interrupted by an even "more instantaneous" counterspell.

This is exactly why there is the Xanathar rule, which tells you how to deal with simultaneous instantaneous events. The fireball above does not disappear, it does not go into nowhere to reappear when the second counterspell counterspells the counterspell...

 

[Maxperson]

It’s the caster’s choice because the caster decides whether to teleport beyond the range of the thunder damage or not. I don’t think there’s much if any leeway for the caster to teleport to a space within the damage radius and not take damage considering that the duration of the spell is instantaneous, meaning that the teleportation effect (instant transportation) happens instantly upon casting, and the thunder happens immediately after that.

Sure, but the question was, "What if you only move yourself 10 feet, do you take damage from it?" The caster made the choice and didn't move out of range.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

I'd rule that they take the damage. I think that makes most sense with the thematics and the intended function of the spell. I don't want it to double as an AOE damage spell centred on self by the caster 'teleporting' in place. I would of course inform the player about this ruling before they commit to the action.

 

[Maxperson]

So is the damage, as per the description of the spell. Prove that one is more "instantaneous" than the other, I'll be waiting.

@commandercrud has a point, and so do you. This is a DM call like I said. The problem here is that you are setting up disappearing and reappearing as two different effects when that is not stated anywhere. Teleport to my knowledge has no transit time at all.

Disappearance and reappearance happening together is a reasonable interpretation, despite the "Immediately after you disappear..." portion of the spell. So is interpreting it in succession like you are doing. First the DM needs to make a ruling on that, then if it's the latter ruling, the player gets to decide. If it's the former ruling, there's nothing for the player to decide and he gets hit if me moves 10 feet or shorter in distance.