It finally happened: Party can Teleport

[Altalazar]

You don't have to do anything special. They got to the level they can use teleport. They earned it. Let them enjoy it. Perhaps in some cases, they'll decide they want those 5th level slots for something else and they'll not teleport out that night. Leave that to them.

Do NOT nerf it or try to mess with it just because you don't like it. It just is something you need to keep in the back of your mind about their abilities. Don't try and make a plot dependant on them not having that spell - because there is really one word for such a plot: 8th level and under. And they are 9th level, so it isn't for them. Time to let go of the easy avenues and graduate to the more advanced game.

 

[MerakSpielman]

Don't try and make a plot dependant on them not having that spell - because there is really one word for such a plot: 8th level and under. And they are 9th level, so it isn't for them. Time to let go of the easy avenues and graduate to the more advanced game.

Agreed. In fact, you have several new options available to you now as a DM - Adventures that require teleport to complete. Things might need to be done nearly simultaniously in two different places. The only way to do it in time is to Teleport. Or, multiple calamities could strike at the same time. The party has to decide which to thwart - or make the decision to split their forces and deal with both at the same time.

 

[Rel]

Wow, thanks for all the quick replies.

For those saying essentially, "They earned the ability to Teleport so don't nerf it.", believe me, that's not the way I operate. I always try to find ways to make sure their cool new abilities can be used while still making the encounters challenging. The only concern I had was that it had the potential to make part of the game rather dull. Clearly that's not likely to be the case as Storminator and others have pointed out.

In addition, upon further reflection, I don't think they're actually going to be doing this all that much. As it stands, it would take up two of the Wizard's highest level spell slots AND two 4th level slots from the Druid (the only way they can get themselves under the weight limit right now is for him to cast Feathers on the party before they Teleport). Not a very efficient means of camping.

I also think that the limitation of having to either Teleport to a place they have little familiarity with or backtrack to a place where they have "studied extensively" will limit how often they want to do this.

But I'd still be interested in hearing any Teleport tricks I can pull on them for those moments when a RBDM maneuver might enhance the game a bit.

 

[MerakSpielman]

But I'd still be interested in hearing any Teleport tricks I can pull on them for those moments when a RBDM maneuver might enhance the game a bit.

Ah, well, that's different!

You can have enemy spellcasters cast Dimensional Anchor on a solitary PC, so if the others Teleport out, they have to leave somebody behind.

You can have the entire dungeon be crafted out of hundreds of small, identical square rooms. When they teleport back in, they have no idea which room they're in.

The BBEG could figure out where their "home base" is and set a trap - perhaps even creating a precice duplicate of it in his own territory to "divert" the teleport.

 

[BSF]

Hey Rel!

OK, a few things here. It looks like you are still using 3.0 rules. With 3.5, there isn't a weight limit. The caster can move medium-sized creatures, dependent on caster level. Even if you don't like 3.5, this is one rule you might consider just to alleviate the discussions of "If everyone lost a few pounds, we could teleport more treasure."

Teleport is great fun. What I usually do, if the group wants to teleport back to a spot in the wilderness I have the outdoorsy types skill sets come into play. I mean, you have one spot on a mountain you want to return to right? Or in a forest, or in the desert, or wherever. I allow a Wilderness Lore (Survival in 3.5) check to see if the person can assist the teleporter in memorizing enough unique features to have a good feeling to teleport back. The longer the want to take identifying key points, the lower the DC. It should be fairly easy for somebody with the appropriate skills to do it.

However, how many wizards have Wilderness Lore? Once somebody has pointed out landmarks, I allow an intelligence check to memorize/familiarize themselves with the designated landmarks. Depending on success, I categorize it as "Viewed Once", "Seen Casually", or "Studied Carefully".

This allows more of the party to have fun with the action too. People with outdoor skills get to show them off. If they are clever, and worried about ambushes, the rogues might setup a few traps around the teleport spot. They have to plan around spending some looking for a good spot to teleport to. Teh vagaries of the dice are still in the Teleport action, but the group can work together to try to minimize them. Overall, it seems to add to my games by allowing everyone to think about what they are doing.

As for true RBDM tricks, let me think about it. I'll get back to you.

 

[MerakSpielman]

This is a RBDM trick from PC's story hour.

The party is journeying into the Underdark to destroy a civilization of ghouls. Every now and then they meet a ghoul with glowing yellow eyes who talks to them politely and urges them to leave or join them for various, apparently logical reasons. When the party refuses, the yellow glow fades and the ghoul attacks. It became apparent that a separate creature was possessing the ghouls in some way to use them for communication. This person gave his name as, say, Lord Bob (I forget the real name, ok?). The party decides they're sick of Lord Bob and they scry for him, spend time studying the place around him, and teleport in to do a quick assassination. Lord Bob is, by the way, extraordinarily powerful and putting up a helluva fight. The RBDM part is that the yellow-eyed possesser-person isn't really named Lord Bob. He wanted the party to go and kill the real Lord Bob and deliberately gave them the wrong name, assuming they'd do the scry-teleport-kickarse bit. In this case the party realized before they killed Lord Bob that something was up and teleported the heck out of there, but they might just have ended up killing the wrong person and aiding the enemy.

 

[Vahktang]

Use the tables.
It is not teleport without error, after all.
Anybody can roll a 00.
And have some interesting similiar areas when they do come in ready.
If someone teleports into my house uninvited, I'm going to be pissed. So, I chase them down. Look, new enemies!
And the 'very familiar' is _home_, a base. Not a nearby inn.
And if they have a base, the base can have problems...

The BBEG could figure out where their "home base" is and set a trap - perhaps even creating a precice duplicate of it in his own territory to "divert" the teleport.

The party I gm teleport in and out all the time, heal up, magic up, etc.
They were in a deep dungeon, teleported out, came out several days later - into water!
The bad guys had flooded that part of the caverns.
Everybody had to do swim and the spell casters had a difficulty casting. They barely escaped.

And this brought up the idea:
Big bad guy knows the place where the party teleports into her domain.
So she creates a deathtrap identical room and fills the target area with rocks.
Heroes automatically go to deathtrap area, hijinks ensue.

More later,

Vahktang

 

[BSF]

OK - how about a storm as the party teleports back to the inn. When they return, they are in the middle of a lightning created wildfire.

A divinely powered adversary might have Forbiddance cast on an area.

But, let's go for something _really_ out there. Toss out the rules for Teleport not being able to handle interplanar travel. Amend the rules so that you cannot voluntarily travel to a different plane with Teleport. However, mishaps can send you anywhere similar. Of course, the first thoughts are going to Hell, or the Abyss, or something other Outer Plane. Sure, that could be fun. Let's ratchet it up a notch though.

The PC's teleport to - exactly where they think they were going. It looks the same, it feels the same. They begin to continue on their daily travel towards their destination. Until that pack of huge, slavering, silver wolves with arms coming out of their backs and dual-wielded short swords pops out of nowhere to attack them. Or the enormous telepathic cockroaches with several levels of Sorceror. The day's journey will just get more and more strange. Send them to the Land of Dreams. Anything is possible, if you believe. first, small little oddities are noticed. Stuff like the moss on the trees always moving just out of sight, until somebody stops and stares. Then introduce stranger and stranger things. Creatures from the PC's worst nightmares appear. Maybe the Wizard hates them so much he bursts into a barbarian type rage and does a whirlwind attack on everything in reach with his staff.

If you have Penumbra's Occult Lore, this is a nice opportunity to begin introducing Oneiromancy. If you don't have it, play real fast and loose with the rules. Maybe your players will catch on and start to try odd things to see if they can pull it off. Play up the session for drama if you want to ratchet up the tension. Or play it for comic relief if you got a mishap when everything else is really tense. Or, if they somehow missed an important clue, keep replaying the scene that they missed until they figure out the clue. Since it is a dream, feel free to ratchet up the monsters and when a PC dies, they wake up wherever it was that the party tried to teleport from. Everyone else is out cold on the ground. Of course, they can't participate any longer, but it is better than really being dead. And, if you are feeling real generous, put a special item in the Land of Dreams. If they can retrieve it, it comes back with them to the real world. If you want to try out an intelligent magic item or even a Book/Manual that grants inherent bonuses, maybe you can use that as an award.

 

[Rel]

Of course, the first thoughts are going to Hell, or the Abyss, or something other Outer Plane. Sure, that could be fun. Let's ratchet it up a notch though.

Your ideas don't lack for gusto, BSF! Thanks for the additional ideas (though I'm afraid if I did the "you die - then you wake up" bit that I might be walking home from the session with a d20 lodged in my nether regions). I'm now fully convinced that Teleportation need not make any aspect of my campaign dull or boring.

 

[BSF]

Your ideas don't lack for gusto, BSF! Thanks for the additional ideas (though I'm afraid if I did the "you die - then you wake up" bit that I might be walking home from the session with a d20 lodged in my nether regions). I'm now fully convinced that Teleportation need not make any aspect of my campaign dull or boring.

Really? Would the players react that poorly? I sent a group of my PC's into a dreamland once. They were freaked out by it until they woke up and realized that they were in a dream, but it was a real, interactive dream. They seemed to enjoy it. Enough so that the Player of the Shaman in my new campaign has decided to integrate dreams as a part of his character. He is excited by the potential.