Dimension Door Repositioning Questions


Rules Questions


I'm trying to figure out exactly how Dimension Door works while transporting party members in combat (for example, delivering two melee characters into flanking position for a full attack).

Let's say we start with position #1:

https://i.imgur.com/aiTdXTO.png

Eolas wants to transport Storm and Marsh to either side of the Baron.

Eolas can clearly do position #2:

https://i.imgur.com/ZRp9qHw.png

What about position #3 (flipping Storm and Marsh)?

https://i.imgur.com/AlVuQYV.png

What about position #4 (rotating the "array" 180 degrees)?

https://i.imgur.com/4IF2u2J.png

Or position #5 (rotating 90 degrees)?

https://i.imgur.com/Xf09TiZ.png

Can he even rearrange their positioning as long as both are adjacent to him, such as position #6?

https://i.imgur.com/MlDykp3.png

What exactly is allowed for this spell?

Based on this post I would assume only #2 is valid (same arrangement of characters with each character moving the same number of squares in the same direction) but I wanted to double check.

Also, what happens if one or more of the people being transported (but not the caster) would wind up in a square occupied by a creature (or part of a large creature)? Do they get shunted? If so, how do you determine where they end up?

Just trying to wrap my head around this...


There is no RAW answer beyond arriving together at the location designated by the caster. Personally I would say they have to arrive in the same relative positions to each other (i.e. number 2). But more important if this is a home campaign would be consistency in the ruling and operating the same manner for both npcs and the pcs. I see no immediate reason why the caster couldn't arrange for folks to be moved about as long as at least one remains in contact with him and all are in contact with at least one other if that is what the group and DM thinks should be allowed.

I'd shunt anyone ending up in the wrong place per the text to the closest legal position.


As Kayerloth says, I don't think there are any formal rules - or even guidelines - for this.

That said, what we do at our tables is treat dimension door as a utility, not combat spells. This means that normally the relative position of creatures remains before and after... unless utility dictates otherwise. As in, if the party needs to reshape a little to arrive on a ledge, or on a boat deck, or similar, where the exact arrangement of squares isn't valid... okay, fine, we allow rearrangement, just to get the relocation done. But using it for combat purposes, to rearrange to create flanks or other desired formations... no.

Basically, we allow repositioning if you need to, not if you want to.

Put one other way... we allow repositioning as long as the DM gets to choose where everyone is at the end, to avoid it being gamed.

But that's our way of running it.


Ask your DM to let you use Dimensional Dervish to grab allies and move them around instead of attacking.

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