What happens when you attempt to teleport to a moving object like, say, a ship on the ocean or onto the back of a moving horse?
The only ruling I can find in the spell description is: "You must have some clear idea of the location and layout of the destination".
I imagine it's not a big deal if you can see the destination (through scry or whatnot).
Also, should the spell caster have to remain in the same position when they arrive? (Could a wizard teleport to his lab desk in a sitting position instead of the standing position that he was in when he cast the spell?)
What happens when you attempt to teleport to a moving object like, say, a ship on the ocean or onto the back of a moving horse?
The only ruling I can find in the spell description is: "You must have some clear idea of the location and layout of the destination".
I imagine it's not a big deal if you can see the destination (through scry or whatnot).
Also, should the spell caster have to remain in the same position when they arrive? (Could a wizard teleport to his lab desk in a sitting position instead of the standing position that he was in when he cast the spell?)
Long story short is: there is no mechanic in place that penalizes any of these actions. Teleport to a boat? Fine. Since the planet is always in motion, technically teleporting to any location is doing so to a moving location. If you can use the spell to get to a nearby town, you can get to a boat. That being said, the usual criteria for visualizing your destination is important.
As for posture, again, there's no mechanical call for penalty. So the answer is "whatever". Minor movement is a free action, so if a caster teleports out of a chair onto the deck of a ship, they straighten their back. Of course, it's assumed most casters are smart enough to plan for this and are probably standing up at the time.
So, really, there are no rules for any of this because there doesn't need to be. Nothing bad happens. You can do it. That's about it.
Well don't forget about the general inaccuracy of Teleport too. If you get off target when aiming at a boat you could end up in some very unpleasant places like stranded on an island or maybe some other ship.
Or, you know, floundering about in the sea. I hear they have kraken there.
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What happens when you attempt to teleport to a moving object like, say, a ship on the ocean or onto the back of a moving horse?
I'd be a lot more flexible about teleporting onto a ship than onto the back of a horse, especially if the caster is aiming for below decks (where things like the skyline can't mess with their visualization of the location). With a moving horse, I'd be very unlikely to let it succeed unless the caster can see the horse at the present - otherwise they are very likely to end up teleporting to someplace they've seen the horse before (like the stable they keep the horse at).
If the target is moving violently (which could include normal flat ground in an area being hit by an earthquake), I would reasonably give them an Acrobatics/Ride check, but if they fail I'd also give them a second Reflex Save/Climb Check/Ride Check if failure might threaten them falling off completely (depending on target size/situation). But if they don't pass the first one, basically they would end up Prone/holding on for dear life.
Yeah a horse isn't a location so I wouldn't rule that it works either. I think you'd have to make it an inanimate object. So a wagon yes, horse no. I'd probably also rule that it has to be within your sight given that a wagon isn't likely to be distinctive from one over another. I guess its a potential cinematic moment that isn't going to be too broken so why not allow it given there is a chance of failure with serious consequences.
Assuming you're using the spell "Teleport:"
Teleporting to a boat would not be a problem assuming the boat looked unique enough to teleport to. How many boats look really similar to other boats? Also there's a chance you can arrive % feet off target. You might try to teleport to the boat only to end up hundreds of yards behind it. (hope you have more than one teleport for the day and a floatation device) Or better still on a different but similar looking boat entirely in a different part of the sea. Maybe it'll be crewed by undead pirates and captained by Johnny Depp.
Using Teleport to get to a horse is ridiculous. even if you managed to teleport just above the horse it's moving forward and you're not. Horses move at 60' (or 180' if they're running). If the gods of dice are with you it's possible that you may teleport just above it, but its unlikely you can grab the reins and balance yourself on its back before it's hauled ass out of your arms reach. Of course, if the horse isn't moving and you can see it you may be able to pull that bit of teleportation madness off. However, what would be the point? You can TELEPORT. You don't need the horse. If you're trying to escape you'd be better served to sneak/run-like-hell to touch the horse then teleport the both of you far away (assuming maximum load limits are not breached).
Using teleport without error you could unerringly teleport wherever you wanted, but you may still have a hard time landing on top of a moving horse for all the reasons listed above.
Dimension door is a short range teleport designed for more precise control. As a DM I would rule that you can use that to land wherever you want within the limits of the spell, even a moving horse. However, I'd still have a few skill checks to successfully land on and hold onto the moving horse.
Summary : teleport isn't designed for precise control. Mishaps happen. Try at your own risk.
Using Teleport to get to a horse is ridiculous. even if you managed to teleport just above the horse it's moving forward and you're not.
It's best not to bring physics and things like momentum into it all. It only opens up a big can of ugly little worms like "how come teleporters don't go splat"--the earth moves a hell of a lot faster than any horse.
It's best not to bring physics and things like momentum into it all. It only opens up a big can of ugly little worms like "how come teleporters don't go splat"--the earth moves a hell of a lot faster than any horse.
Well surely you remember that the normal spell formula for a simple point to point spatial translocation includes the calculations that take into account the lateral and horizontal rotations and orbits of the planet one is currently on. Otherwise a wizard would just go flying off the edge of the world, or possibly bury his or herself into the local "ground". :-P
As for the OP- I'd allow teleportation onto a moving ship though if they tried to teleport to the deck I might give them a penalty to the accuracy roll. And if they fail like some other people said, there's a whole lot of other ships out there- along with deserted (or not so deserted) island and a lot of open water. Sounds like a plot hook to me!
You'd have to be very familiar with a particular ship. I hope familiarity doesn't include a view of the former harbour of X. Ideally it would be inside of a cabin.
Sigurd