Low level teleportation

[NHBaggesen]

I'm sure this has been discussed before, propably several times, but I was wondering if anybody else is bothered by the all the low level teleportation effects in 4E (Eldarin Fey Step and Warlock Misty Step as the most obvious).

First of all there is the flavor issues - Casually opening portals to other realms or going insubstantial are pretty blatant effects (At least for me), and it is hard to reflavor teleportation effects into something that fits a low magic setting (though I guess you can always ban the offenders).

But I also have a hard time understanding the availability of low level teleport from a gameplay perspective. Sure it is a cool special effect, but it seems to fly in the face of "error on the side of caution" philosophy that seems prevalent in 4E. Teleportation allows you to bypass a lot of obstacles such as chasms and high walls. You can even pass through windows, transparent forcefields, doors (if they have keyholes or other cracks). It even frees you from being restrained or immobilized so you can't be tied up, chained or held. Houdini would be green with envy. This would seem to invalidate a lot of Athletics and Thievery challenges, not to mentions combat options such as grabbing and wrestling. The ability to teleport when restrained also seems to be contrary to the descriptions of at least some of the effects such as Fey Step and Dimension Door, so it seems strange to have it by default.

Of course you can work around many of these issues, but considering how 'scared' everybody was of flight, teleportation seems a lot more problematic both in and out of combat.

 

[Stalker0]

The eladrin is the main one, as his if when he chooses, while the warlock actually has to kill something.

But here's the kicker, the eladrin must have line of sight to use teleport. If you have an eladrin prisoner, a simple blindfold will completely negate his ability to teleport.

Is the ability to teleport awesome? Yes it is, and the game world probably takes into account when dealing with eladrin. But other than a few extra precautions its not that bad.

 

[malraux]

For a low magic setting, change teleport to a shift of the same distance. You'll have to work out the flavor of that, but certainly that'll eliminate all the crazy effects, while still preserving movement in combat.

 

[DreamChaser]

And while we're at it, let's note that the eladrins are at the bottom of the "low-magic friendly" list, given their back story and emphasis. Were I to try a low magic game, I would ditch them first thing.

DC

 

[Vaeron]

And while we're at it, let's note that the eladrins are at the bottom of the "low-magic friendly" list, given their back story and emphasis. Were I to try a low magic game, I would ditch them first thing.

DC

I agree. The Eladrin are just a magic-heavy form of elf. Their citadels and cities shifting between worlds doesn't sit very well in a low magic setting, and the best thing to do would just be to make that race unavailable. Just like if you were from a low-planar interaction setting you might be justified in ruling there are no tieflings. Or, if you were from a world where dragons are very rare or somehow different from traditional dragons (like in Dark Sun) you might be justified in saying no to the dragonborn.

DMs should always feel free to exercise their discretion.

 

[NMcCoy]

It would also be a very easy and in-flavor house rule to say that being bound by iron blocks all fey-based teleportation effects.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

It would also be a very easy and in-flavor house rule to say that being bound by iron blocks all fey-based teleportation effects.

In one of my settings, because of the way the Feywild and World works in it (long background story). The major, permanent structures (or objects left in place for years on end) begin to bleed into the Feywild.

So as such, if a Eladrin Fey-Stepped, while in a old prison, they would find themselves in a old prison in the Feywild. As such, there may be a chance the bars will be rusted out, walls collapsed, etc. (since the structures that bleed over, are quickly overtaken by the Feywild) in general it is just like being in the World.

Hell, in some cases it is worse, since you don't know what is lurking on the otherside when you Fey-Step.

 

[ZetaStriker]

Yeah, I like the idea of a BBEG using the Eladrin's Fey Step against him... starting a fight with him while a team equipped with iron-wire nets waits to stop him from shifting back and capture him. Yeah, like the earlier poster said, there's no way I can give up Iron as a weakness of the Fey that easily. The fluff for it is just too good.

 

[am181d]

Have not had the opportunity to read the full rules for teleportation, but I have to ask...

Teleportation allows you to bypass a lot of obstacles such as chasms and high walls. You can even pass through windows, transparent forcefields, doors (if they have keyholes or other cracks). It even frees you from being restrained or immobilized so you can't be tied up, chained or held.

Really? I was under the impression there was going to be some kind of language like "must be a space that the player can move to legally", at least in the low level teleports. Is it now simply line of sight?

But even if that's the case, surely being restrained is being restrained. I can see some gray areas, but unless there's specific language in the PHB, I would assume that "tied up over here" translates to "poof + tied up over there".

 

[Gloombunny]

Really? I was under the impression there was going to be some kind of language like "must be a space that the player can move to legally", at least in the low level teleports. Is it now simply line of sight?

But even if that's the case, surely being restrained is being restrained. I can see some gray areas, but unless there's specific language in the PHB, I would assume that "tied up over here" translates to "poof + tied up over there".

It's line of sight, you can only enter a space that you could normally be in but you don't need to able to walk to it, and it explicitly frees you from physical immobilizing/restraining effects.

edit: Explicitly frees you from physical immobilizing effects, anyway. It's not entirely clear what happens with something that doesn't immobilize you, like say handcuffs.