Snorter |
4 people marked this as FAQ candidate. Answered in the FAQ. |
Dimension Door
.....You instantly transfer yourself from your current location to any other spot within range. You always arrive at exactly the spot desired—whether by simply visualizing the area or by stating direction. After using this spell, you can't take any other actions until your next turn.
Can anyone confirm if the phrase 'after using this spell' refers only to the caster of the spell, or to anyone else he brings along? Both could be said to have benefitted from the effects, thus 'using' the spell, no?
Our group (especially me) has certainly used it to deliver full-attacking melee-types to base contact with their target, but I've never been sure if we were abusing it.
wraithstrike |
The user is the caster so the melee types are not restricted by it. They should.
You(the caster) instantly transfer yourself from your current location to any other spot within range. You(the caster) always arrive at exactly the spot desired—whether by simply visualizing the area or by stating direction. After using this spell, you(the caster) can't take any other actions until your next turn. You(the caster) can bring along objects as long as their weight doesn't exceed your maximum load. You(the caster) may also bring one additional willing Medium or smaller creature (carrying gear or objects up to its maximum load) or its equivalent per three caster levels. A Large creature counts as two Medium creatures, a Huge creature counts as two Large creatures, and so forth. All creatures to be transported must be in contact with one another, and at least one of those creatures must be in contact with you.
Notice the "you" is referring to the caster throughout the entire description.
edit:my only modification was adding (the caster) after "you" during the paragraph
Snorter |
Just thought of another point; does the caster have any control over the relative positioning of the passengers?
Do they have to remain in the same formation?
(Eg if they formed a cross, with the caster in the centre, do they remain as a cross on arrival, not all the melee-types land in a solid line protecting the caster?)
Can the caster 'rotate' that formation?
(eg line of 3 melee- types to caster's East side, DDoored to form a line of melee-types to caster's North side?)
wraithstrike |
Just thought of another point; does the caster have any control over the relative positioning of the passengers?
Do they have to remain in the same formation?
(Eg if they formed a cross, with the caster in the centre, do they remain as a cross on arrival, not all the melee-types land in a solid line protecting the caster?)Can the caster 'rotate' that formation?
(eg line of 3 melee- types to caster's East side, DDoored to form a line of melee-types to caster's North side?)
No. They arrive however they departed. The touching is how they are allowed to teleport. Since it is instantaneous there is no time to shift(change formation).
Kaisoku |
So if you have a 5' corridor in a north-south orientation that turns, and you have a person in front and a person behind, and you dimension door everyone further down the corridor where it turns to an east-west orientation... are people now teleporting into solid wall and being shunted to the nearest open space, taking damage?
Or do we assume the caster simply changes the facing of the "group" so they are now turned to the correct orientation of where they were going... still the same positions (one in front, and one behind, but now going east-west instead).
Think of the game Portal in style of teleportation, instead of picking up the figures and moving them over to the new spot.
I think I'd allow it... dimension "door" sounds like you are taking a step through a door, so it wouldn't hurt my DM sensibilities to play it out that way in favour of the caster and his group.
I personally feel that the "can't move after" is an old holdover from pre-3e rules where it was a lot more like an actual door you walked through. Doesn't the cape of mountebank have a puff of smoke and a sound effect when you use it to do this spell? Heh...
wraithstrike |
So if you have a 5' corridor in a north-south orientation that turns, and you have a person in front and a person behind, and you dimension door everyone further down the corridor where it turns to an east-west orientation... are people now teleporting into solid wall and being shunted to the nearest open space, taking damage?
Or do we assume the caster simply changes the facing of the "group" so they are now turned to the correct orientation of where they were going... still the same positions (one in front, and one behind, but now going east-west instead).
Think of the game Portal in style of teleportation, instead of picking up the figures and moving them over to the new spot.
I think I'd allow it... dimension "door" sounds like you are taking a step through a door, so it wouldn't hurt my DM sensibilities to play it out that way in favour of the caster and his group.
I personally feel that the "can't move after" is an old holdover from pre-3e rules where it was a lot more like an actual door you walked through. Doesn't the cape of mountebank have a puff of smoke and a sound effect when you use it to do this spell? Heh...
You can't DD to a place that you can not visualize so if the wizard tries to make such a teleportation he is just setting his buddies up for failure. I think the shunting rules would come into place or the spell would not activate. I don't think the devs thought of this since a visual of the place would be enough to choose the correct formation.
mdt |
You can't DD to a place that you can not visualize so if the wizard tries to make such a teleportation he is just setting his buddies up for failure. I think the shunting rules would come into place or the spell would not activate. I don't think the devs thought of this since a visual of the place would be enough to choose the correct formation.
DD specifically says you can send yourself to any other place in range you can see.
Since there is no facing in PF, you can arrive in whatever orientation you wish.
Therefore, the others you tag along will arrive in the same orientation with respect to the caster.
Example :
00000
00C00
01200
00000
00000
In the above, C = Caster, 1 = Buddy 1, and 2 = Buddy 2.
The Caster can Dimension Door to any space within range he wants. The two with him come along, in the same orientation, with respect to him.
For example :
0000##
0001##
0002C0
0000##
0000##
Our caster from above DDs himself to this new location, where # = stone walls. His buddies traveled with him, and arrived in the same orientation as they left (2 directly next to C, 1 diagonal to C and directly next to 2), just at 90 degrees rotation.
This, to me, seems the best way to handle it.
I agree, though, if you DD, for example, such that C in the second graph above was one box further down the corridor, that Buddy 1 would materialize in the wall, get shoved out to where he is in the graph, and take damage. C and 2 would be fine though.
james maissen |
[quote = "Dimension Door"]You always arrive at exactly the spot desired - whether by simply visualizing the area or by stating direction.
You can't DD to a place that you can not visualize so if the wizard tries to make such a teleportation he is just setting his buddies up for failure. I think the shunting rules would come into place or the spell would not activate. I don't think the devs thought of this since a visual of the place would be enough to choose the correct formation.
You can say 'I ddoor 300 feet to the right' even when blinded.
And to the other poster- yes you keep the same relative formation. So if there were two passengers that were flanking the caster, when they arrive the two passengers are still flanking the passenger. It might be that the caster has them appear as 321 rather than 123, but you will note that in either case the relative positions are the same.
And yes both 1 & 3 are not the caster and as such they can take their turns normally.
-James
wraithstrike |
wraithstrike wrote:
You can't DD to a place that you can not visualize so if the wizard tries to make such a teleportation he is just setting his buddies up for failure. I think the shunting rules would come into place or the spell would not activate. I don't think the devs thought of this since a visual of the place would be enough to choose the correct formation.DD specifically says you can send yourself to any other place in range you can see.
Since there is no facing in PF, you can arrive in whatever orientation you wish.
Therefore, the others you tag along will arrive in the same orientation with respect to the caster.
Example :
00000
00C00
01200
00000
00000In the above, C = Caster, 1 = Buddy 1, and 2 = Buddy 2.
The Caster can Dimension Door to any space within range he wants. The two with him come along, in the same orientation, with respect to him.
For example :
0000##
0001##
0002C0
0000##
0000##Our caster from above DDs himself to this new location, where # = stone walls. His buddies traveled with him, and arrived in the same orientation as they left (2 directly next to C, 1 diagonal to C and directly next to 2), just at 90 degrees rotation.
This, to me, seems the best way to handle it.
I agree, though, if you DD, for example, such that C in the second graph above was one box further down the corridor, that Buddy 1 would materialize in the wall, get shoved out to where he is in the graph, and take damage. C and 2 would be fine though.
Facing and orientation are not the same thing.
Being lined up XXXXX is not the same as
X
X
X
X
X
If a hallway has a 5 foot width one would fit while the other would not.
edit:If we agree then nevermind this post.
mdt |
Facing and orientation are not the same thing.Being lined up XXXXX is not the same as
X
X
X
X
XIf a hallway has a 5 foot width one would fit while the other would not.
edit:If we agree then nevermind this post.
We agree on facing =/= orientation.
I see nothing in the spell that says you can't reorient. I would say you can't have the passengers appear somewhere out of orientation with you.
For example..
0000
0C10
0200
0300
0000
Could not get DD'd to
1000
0200
00C0
0003
However, I would see no problem with them reorienting after DD to
00000
032C0
00010
00000
The only caveats I'd require are the Caster has to declare he's reorienting before he casts the spell, and he has to be able to see the square he intends to end up in.
wraithstrike |
wraithstrike wrote:
Facing and orientation are not the same thing.Being lined up XXXXX is not the same as
X
X
X
X
XIf a hallway has a 5 foot width one would fit while the other would not.
edit:If we agree then nevermind this post.
We agree on facing =/= orientation.
I see nothing in the spell that says you can't reorient. I would say you can't have the passengers appear somewhere out of orientation with you.
For example..
0000
0C10
0200
0300
0000Could not get DD'd to
1000
0200
00C0
0003However, I would see no problem with them reorienting after DD to
00000
032C0
00010
00000The only caveats I'd require are the Caster has to declare he's reorienting before he casts the spell, and he has to be able to see the square he intends to end up in.
The spell does not give one the power to change other's relative position, only the power to transport them, but I don't think it is a big issue, and is best solved by the group's particular DM. It is enough of an edge case that I don't think it will matter most of the time.
james maissen |
The only caveats I'd require are the Caster has to declare he's reorienting before he casts the spell, and he has to be able to see the square he intends to end up in.
While I agree that the caster can move and rotate (as its part of moving), he does NOT have to see the square he intends to end up in.
Dimension Door does NOT require line of sight.
-James
mdt |
mdt wrote:
The only caveats I'd require are the Caster has to declare he's reorienting before he casts the spell, and he has to be able to see the square he intends to end up in.While I agree that the caster can move and rotate (as its part of moving), he does NOT have to see the square he intends to end up in.
Dimension Door does NOT require line of sight.
-James
Whoops, my bad. In that case, I'd ask the caster to state prior to casting he's reorienting. I might also add in a caster check if there's a good reason (trying to reorient so nobody get's dd'd into a wall or so they all land on a small ledge safely, that sort of thing).
If it's open area to open area, no issues then.
wraithstrike |
Its magic. Any spot is any spot. RAW does not limit orientation or even relative positioning. All must touch going in and coming out, other than that any limits is houseruling.
The argument of "it doesn't say I can't so I can" is not a good general rule to go by.
I don't think there is an official rule for orientation changing so any call is a houserule call either way.NathanE |
Dragonchess Player wrote:I'd say: "Yes, but only if you've readied an action before being transported."Or if you come out of delay right after being transported.
Much preferable to a ready, which would trigger and act BEFORE the DD happened! Remember, ready is to preempt an action, hold to post-empt.
But, you can't hold if you already spent a move to get beside your wizard and put your hand on his shoulder. You can't even ready because that would mean acting before transportation. Your turn is basically done.
The wizard would hold until everyone else gets into contact, then the wizard goes in initiative, casts the spell, then loses his move action (why? The spell doesn't say why, just forces a loss of a move action through RAW fiat). The others who were transported will have to wait until their initiative comes around again before they can act. This is assuming a time-sensitive casting (ie RETREAT!!!). If time is not an issue, everyone else can just move, wizard holds, everyone else holds, wizard casts, then everyone else un-holds and acts.
As to positioning in the destination, I would rule that it is the same, although the facing is up to the wizard when he casts the spell. If everyone is in a short line going Ftr - Wiz - Clr, then they will end up in the same order, in a line, but could be facing East instead of North. Whether or not there is room is up the reliability in the wizard who is casting the spell, and the reality of non-shifting rooms or hallways (which is not 100% guaranteed reality).
James Jacobs Creative Director |
mdt |
Only the caster is limited by this spell.
Those he brings along are free to do as they want on their turns, since the actual casting of the spell wasn't part of their action.
That's how I'd run it, in any case.
Woah!
T-Rex came through and stamped all the pretty card houses everyone was building. :)
Just out of curiosity, how would the T-Rex rule on the orientation thing?
Dragonchess Player |
@wraithstrike and Lyrax, I was going by the thread title "immediately after dimension door." Delaying sort of works, but you act on the next initiative count after the spell, not "immediately." Both delaying and readying do wonky things to the initiative order, though.
James Risner Owner - D20 Hobbies |
you can't take any other actions until your next turn.deliver full-attacking melee-types to base contact with their target, but I've never been sure if we were abusing it.
I'd overrule that in all games including PFS games.
The "you" in that refers (to my reading of the rules) to all entities that travel through the door.
I've always imagined the door opens (with a standard) and the PC get a free move to travel through the door. In exchange for the free move, you voluntarily give up your turn including all those people who went through with you (if they are acting on your turn.)
But, if you are on init 20, the enemy is on init 4 and the fighter is on init 19. You can take the fighter. You and your fighter give up your turn on 20. The fighter then gets his turn on init 19 and kills the BBEG who never gets to init 4.
James Jacobs Creative Director |
James Jacobs wrote:Only the caster is limited by this spell.
Those he brings along are free to do as they want on their turns, since the actual casting of the spell wasn't part of their action.
That's how I'd run it, in any case.
Woah!
T-Rex came through and stamped all the pretty card houses everyone was building. :)
Just out of curiosity, how would the T-Rex rule on the orientation thing?
There's no facing in the game so that don't matter.
As for what squares the travelers arrive in... should be in the same array as they were when they left.
wraithstrike |
My house rule with this spell is that passengers who haven't already acted lose their move action (I let them take a standard and a 5ft step). I know it's not RAW, but it avoids some really gamist situations where everyone delays until after the wizard so they can teleport/full attack.
Ken
That is not gamist it is common sense. It is no different than me waiting my turn and charging in right after the caster on my team launches a fireball. I am setting the timing of my attacks up to strike as soon as I land with the DD scenario.
Snorter |
Thanks for all the replies.
As I wrote earlier, I certainly spammed the living daylights out of the spell, as a player in Shackled City, so I hardly have any high ground to stand on, for disallowing it, or de-powering it.
I was a regular taxi for the martial PCs, delivering full-attack payloads into every fight. Sure, it meant my wizard was in, or close to, the melee, but I enjoyed the chance to get my hands dirty, and it added some much-missed risk back into the encounters, which once this tactic became available, seemed to become rather....easy?
I know our DM sometimes despaired, but that may have been due to the (I believe, illegal) 6-classed Occult Slayer we had on our side...
That's why I often wondered if we were abusing the spell, that if one of the staff were to see or hear of our sessions, they would look at us as if we were mad. "What are you DOING? You can't full-attack after a Dimension Door? What were you thinking?"
To those who may be wondering "What's your problem, mate? Can't you read?", I maintain that it's not as clear as it could be. And it is not necessarily affected by how you visualize the spell's effect.
If you believe the travellers are breaking themselves down into their component atoms, like Mike Teevee, broadcast round Wonka's Chocolate Factory, then I can totally see how this would be a disorientating experience, which would leave one rather queasy on re-assembly.
The Star Trek away teams used to pause on arrival, whenever they used the transporter, though that may be down to primitive SFX of the day.
Or maybe you see the caster opening up a door in space, through which, all the travellers have to barrel through, under their own steam? Thus using up their action?
Or the caster connects two points in space, and the travellers are streeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetched like Mr Fantastic Silly Putty, and drag their carcasses through? And stand there, wobbling, as they fit their vital organs back where they belong?
Either way, it wasn't clear if it were the casting (and concentration) that took the wind out of just the caster, or the travelling itself, which would apply to everyone who used the 'magic door in space'.
I was half hoping James would say we'd been doing it wrong, as that would mean the latter half of SCAP should have been more challenging, and certainly I'm all for a narrowing of the 'magic-solves-all' perceived to run through 3.X.
The main aim is that we know we are playing the game as the writers intended, and since JJ has probably had more than a few games with Tweet, Cook, Williams & co, plus playtesting PF with JB, I'm sure he'd know if such a staple was meant to play differently.
mdt |
It's not all that overpowered. It also allows anyone at the destination to full attack the PCs as well.
Typical defensive spells work well to, mirror image, etc.
If I had a bad guy who knew you did this a lot, I'd put an illusion on a mook, along with say, an item that detonated fireball linked to his life force, and make him look like me and stand in the back. Then I'd disguise myself as a mook and stand somewhere in the middle. :)
Or better yet, disguise all my construct mooks as me, and disguise myself as me, and then put the same fireball necklaces on them. :) I, of course, would have Fire Resistance up on myself. :)
Snorter |
It's not all that overpowered. It also allows anyone at the destination to full attack the PCs as well.
That's part of my misgivings; as GM, I have to consider both sides of the screen. Players tend to get fixated by the OMG AWSUM pwnage they can do to others, but rarely make the mental leap, that what they do to others, others may be able to do to them.
I don't enjoy killing PCs (the current lot are level 11, and I've only caused one death, though I've had them on the ropes many times), but I also don't enjoy playing NPCs as dumb, pretending they don't have the abilities listed, just to fulfil some skewed sense of 'fairness'. Especially if the players are merrily spamming those same tactics, without a thought for how it affects the landscape of the setting.
If any wizard past level 7 can pop out of nowhere, at any time, bringing two friends who come out swinging at the weakest member of a group, then why aren't they doing it all the time? Why aren't the streets littered with corpses, running red with the blood of countless victims, as vendettas spiral out of control?
It seems a difficult tactic to defend against, 24-7, without some of the material from the old Spell Compendium. Given that the assumed pattern of the game is for PCs to get in the face of BBEGs of higher level than they are, and those BBEGs are often the minions/cohorts of even higher-level BBBEGs, my only reason for trying to question the apparently foolproof effectiveness of DDoor-Frappe, or Scry-Buff-Teleport, is that I want to be able to run a believable campaign, from level 1 to level 15+, without it ending as "Well, guys, I guess your level 3 PCs royally screwed the plans of a level 9 wizard. I guess you're all murdered in your beds. Game over.".
wraithstrike |
Thanks for all the replies.
As I wrote earlier, I certainly spammed the living daylights out of the spell, as a player in Shackled City, so I hardly have any high ground to stand on, for disallowing it, or de-powering it.
I was a regular taxi for the martial PCs, delivering full-attack payloads into every fight. Sure, it meant my wizard was in, or close to, the melee, but I enjoyed the chance to get my hands dirty, and it added some much-missed risk back into the encounters, which once this tactic became available, seemed to become rather....easy?
I know our DM sometimes despaired, but that may have been due to the (I believe, illegal) 6-classed Occult Slayer we had on our side...
That's why I often wondered if we were abusing the spell, that if one of the staff were to see or hear of our sessions, they would look at us as if we were mad. "What are you DOING? You can't full-attack after a Dimension Door? What were you thinking?"
To those who may be wondering "What's your problem, mate? Can't you read?", I maintain that it's not as clear as it could be. And it is not necessarily affected by how you visualize the spell's effect.
If you believe the travellers are breaking themselves down into their component atoms, like Mike Teevee, broadcast round Wonka's Chocolate Factory, then I can totally see how this would be a disorientating experience, which would leave one rather queasy on re-assembly.
The Star Trek away teams used to pause on arrival, whenever they used the transporter, though that may be down to primitive SFX of the day.Or maybe you see the caster opening up a door in space, through which, all the travellers have to barrel through, under their own steam? Thus using up their action?
Or the caster connects two points in space, and the travellers are streeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetched like Mr Fantastic Silly Putty, and drag their carcasses through? And stand there, wobbling, as they fit their vital organs back where they belong?
Either way, it wasn't clear if it were the...
I have my bad guys scouting the PC's. I would just have you(the party) DD right into a readied action. :)
mdt |
There's ways to mess with them. Have a mook summon a bunch of 1st level summons via SNA 3 or SM 3 and scatter them around as soon as the bad guy knows they are in range. They'll stay around quite a few rounds (can be wanded or scrolled to save resources). Then when they t-port in, they take damage from t-porting into the summons.
Walls of flame around the bad guy work well too. :) So do trap floors that fall away when people t-port in. :)
Leave one part of the castle scryable, and have the floor be full of pit and fire traps, so when they t-port into the only place they can scry, BOOM. :)
Remco Sommeling |
I'd just houserule it to cost everyone's next move action, reflects some disorientation with the dimensional travel. I am not sure wether the description 'forgets' that the wizard is not necesarily traveling alone or that it is meant to only penalize the wizard, which honestly seems a bit redundant.
Then I just hate all the teleporting and rather have my adventures a little more cinematic, maybe I should read more fiction with teleporting characters to be inspired.
Quandary |
I think the question this thread is based on is itself misleading.
In no cases do the passengers act ´immediately´... They act on their own normal Init, after the Caster´s Init.
So to remove their actions is giving them net less actions/turns, which the Caster themself isn´t subject to (they just have to use their full action alotment before the DD).
If GMs or players are worried about this tactic, there´s a great defensive abilty that Paizo published: Teleport tactician. Knockback or just Disarm and now they can´t Full Attack ya (effectively) anymore. IMHO, Teleport Tactician should also let you treat the Teleporter that you are AoO´ing as Flat-Footed, but that´s me.
As for JJ´s point that the passengers arrive in the same array as when they left, I completely agree, with the caveat that I don´t see any reason why the array AS A WHOLE couldn´t be rotated. I mean, certainly when one considers long-distance Teleport effects, is one meant to believe that the array always has the same exact 3-d orientation even when translated 45* or more across the face of a spherical planet? The limitation of same intra-array orientation is still a quite-inflexible limitation, so I feel comfortable using this in-game.
0gre |
As for JJ´s point that the passengers arrive in the same array as when they left, I completely agree, with the caveat that I don´t see any reason why the array AS A WHOLE couldn´t be rotated. I mean, certainly when one considers long-distance Teleport effects, is one meant to believe that the array always has the same exact 3-d orientation even when translated 45* or more across the face of a spherical planet? The limitation of same intra-array orientation is still a quite-inflexible limitation, so I feel comfortable using this in-game.
DDoor doesn't go far enough for the earths curvature to have an effect.
Regardless, I agree about orientation.
ciretose |
Only the caster is limited by this spell.
Those he brings along are free to do as they want on their turns, since the actual casting of the spell wasn't part of their action.
That's how I'd run it, in any case.
That is how we have always run it. Back when abundant step was functionally dimension door, taking the martial classes into battle was a primary monk move.
Now if we could only get you to bend on your new the monk/abundant step ruling...
Come on, maybe errata with an addendum you can't use quivering palm with it...it is a move action for them after all, and you took away being able to bring people.
I've got to keep trying ;)
Snorter |
I think the question this thread is based on is itself misleading.
In no cases do the passengers act ´immediately´... They act on their own normal Init, after the Caster´s Init.
So to remove their actions is giving them net less actions/turns, which the Caster themself isn´t subject to (they just have to use their full action alotment before the DD).
Well, when I wrote 'immediately', I was thinking of the whole party simply delaying, DDooring, then snapping out of delay 1 Initiative count after arrival.
It's near enough to immediate for all intents and purposes.If they're in an ongoing battle, where Initiative has already been established, I often have to step in to cut short some long, ooc, tactics discussions ("Leave them! Take me! They won't go till 10, but I'm going on 15, which is 3 before that guy...) to remind them that they're metagaming. Not only are they spending far longer than 6 (or even 60!) seconds flapping their gums, but all actions are supposed to be fast, furious and almost simultaneous, and their PC doesn't have a magnetic combat tracker.
If GMs or players are worried about this tactic, there´s a great defensive abilty that Paizo published: Teleport tactician. Knockback or just Disarm and now they can´t Full Attack ya (effectively) anymore. IMHO, Teleport Tactician should also let you treat the Teleporter that you are AoO´ing as Flat-Footed, but that´s me.
Thanks for the tip; just reading it now.
I'm still working my way slowly through the APG, so I hadn't come across it yet.Fourth feat in a chain, minimum level 11, Fighter only (or combos that count toward such feats).
It's useful, but I could use something that's not limited to one specific class. It doesn't really prevent low-level PCs being murdered on the lavatory, by the boss of the boss they just humiliated, in Chapter One of an AP.
As for JJ´s point that the passengers arrive in the same array as when they left, I completely agree, with the caveat that I don´t see any reason why the array AS A WHOLE couldn´t be rotated. I mean, certainly when one considers long-distance Teleport effects, is one meant to believe that the array always has the same exact 3-d orientation even when translated 45* or more across the face of a spherical planet? The limitation of same intra-array orientation is still a quite-inflexible limitation, so I feel comfortable using this in-game.
I totally agree with the rotating orientation of the travellers, as long as they keep the same essential formation. I intended to run it that way, if no reply was forthcoming, but I was curious if there was an official stance.
I do have some devious ideas, like mdt listed above, but they're worthless if the players are allowed to use hindsight to pick their landing spot.
thepuregamer |
well ddooring into a readied action isn't so bad. Thats just a standard action. I get a full attack on them first. Also, while the enemy you ddoor to gets a full attack too, I believe the idea is that all the players are holding their actions until right after the caster, so the party gets a bunch of full attacks first. It allows for some pretty useful focus fire and the dangers aren't so bad as to outweigh the benefit.
If using the trick often forces a DM to have his high initiative npcs ready actions, then that is great. If you only sometimes use the trick then ddoor forces the dm to sometimes waste his npcs first turn.
Also, I would hope that anyone using dimension door like this would not just drop themselves into the middle of the enemy. I would rather not get myself surrounded just to get a full attack. But for smart players, they should be able to find good ways to use this relatively often.
mdt |
Just a note.
If you're running BBEG's who are singletons, this tactic is very good.
If you're BBEG's are groups, or have hirelings, this is not nearly as effective. Sure, you can get an early hand and take one guy in the group out...
But then you are also all bunched up for his friends to fireball you, or for an alchemist to lob a bomb into your group, or for a mook to throw a flask of oil and splash everyone.
I rarely run singleton BBEGs because they are too easy to take down. A group of 4 who are level appropriate are much harder to take down than a singleton who's level appropriate.
Snorter |
I rarely run singleton BBEGs because they are too easy to take down. A group of 4 who are level appropriate are much harder to take down than a singleton who's level appropriate.
Quite true.
In a world where strangers can jump out of your broom closet at any moment, to shank you, no-one would go anywhere alone.
PCs certainly never do. 'Don't split the party' applies to everyone in the game-world.
Remco Sommeling |
Just a note.
If you're running BBEG's who are singletons, this tactic is very good.
If you're BBEG's are groups, or have hirelings, this is not nearly as effective. Sure, you can get an early hand and take one guy in the group out...
But then you are also all bunched up for his friends to fireball you, or for an alchemist to lob a bomb into your group, or for a mook to throw a flask of oil and splash everyone.
I rarely run singleton BBEGs because they are too easy to take down. A group of 4 who are level appropriate are much harder to take down than a singleton who's level appropriate.
Sure, it can suck, especially when the wizard discovers they are in dimensional lock or he gets dimensional anchored, or he gets counterspelled, it also makes the party vulnerable for AoE before they DD since they are grouped together.
Quandary |
Yeah, I have NO idea what-so-ever why Teleport Tactician was made Fighter only, I mean BAB-requirements are reasonable, but how are Fighters more into fighting Teleporting opponents than anybody else? I see no reason why Barbarians aren´t just as appropriate, and in fact Paladins are probably MORE appropriate (given the them of fighting Demons) than Fighters are. Especially given that Fighters have the Feats to afford grabbing a Feat like this in the first place, it doesn´t make sense to make it Fighter (or psuedo-Fighter) only.
The subject of re-orientating passengers mid-Dimension Door/Teleport was brought up before, and JJ chimed in with the no-re-orientating thing to which I responded with the point that rotating the array as a whole DOESN´T change the relative positioning of each passenger and doesn´t rely on individual facing in any way... But there was no follow-up.
In a normal combat with dispersed Init orders, having your allies Delay, giving up actions and allowing other enemies to act before them is a significant deal, in order that they can all ´stack up´ 1 Init tick after you. And this is assuming the Caster communicates the fact that everybody should get ready for a DD, which in many cases may alert the enemy to prepare for that fact (Readied or even Delayed Move Action away). Besides above aspects that Renco mentions (having to potentially move BACK together, which is probably not standard fighting formation for melee types, itself would waste actions and prevent Full Attacks, which they likely could take if they acted normally).
Xraal |
I'd just like to point out that the Wizard is suboptimal to use for this tactic. The Summoner can do it every round after level 6. The Summoner moves into target position, then Maker's Call the Eidolon who is touching the Fighter. They appear in base contact with the Summoner, presumably placed by him to also be in base contact with eachother and the soon to be sorry enemy. Summoner is the new Monk.
Quandary |
Yeah... Except the Wizard not to mention Sorceror has more 3rd level spell slots to actually use the real spell Dimension Door.
Maker´s Call ´functions like Dimension Door´, but isn´t actually Dimension Door... If that WAS intended they would just say you have a Su ability accomplishing Dimension Door. Maker´s Call summons the Eidolon only (no other passengers), only other relavent parameters (range) are based off of Dimension Door. One might note that Maker´s Call is inherently functioning radically differently because it doesn´t require touch, but is in fact summoing the Eidolon TO your present location, while DImension Door requires touch and transports you and passengers to another location.
This is standard practice for how the game works, TONs of ability say they do XYZ but function like N spell... All that means is XYZ is accomplished within parameters of N spell, not ALL effects of spell take place (again, which would just be stated as X ability allows you to use N spell).
Wizards (and Sorcerors and Magician Bards) also have another signifigant advantage: Familiars delivering Touch Spells.