
Owly |

Devils and Demons have Teleport at Will. It seems to me that this is an incredibly powerful ability to have in combat. How do some of you more experienced GM's utilize this if the party were to face a Devil or three or four?
What's stopping an Infernal from kiting the party with continual teleportations? A Demon with a longbow and a quiver of endless arrows = run for your lives.

SteelDraco |

It's very powerful indeed. It's also very easy to be really annoying with it as a GM. That's the trouble with that kind of thing - it can get very frustrating for players who aren't expecting it.
Smart players will use dimensional anchor or find a way to stun-lock a teleporting target. A devil that was built for archery would be pretty hard to lock down, particularly if it could fly naturally.

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Nothing is stopping Devils and Demons from doing exactly that. Another thing that Devils and Demons do that most people forget is that if they are in a situation where they can't teleport out, they will leave the old fashioned way, beat feet or wings
Devils and Demons, even the "lower end" should be a tough match for any party even if the Devil or Demon is a few levels lower than the party. They can track the party from a distance, hit them when the party is not expecting it.
One thing that people forget is Devils and Demons are OLD, especially the ones that can operate on the Prime Plane. Their concept of time is not like ours as they see things in Decades or Centuries, not day, months (generally)
A Demon or Devil that escapes a tough party will have no qualms about poly-morphing itself (if it can) and raising evil in towns the PCs are most likely to go.
Devils and Demons should be used sparingly as they are formidable foes. Note what they can do and play to their strengths. Teleport is also a good thing and make sure they have a way to escape and cause pain later

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DeathSpot wrote:First, remember that their greater teleport provokes an AoO when used unless the demon/devil passes a concentration check to cast defensively. Second, dimensional anchor.Does Greater Teleport provoke an AOO if it is a Spell-like Ability?
Yes SLAs provoke, if it were supernatural it would not provoke.

Knight Magenta |

irt takes a standard action to teleport. so on its turn, it teleports on the pc's turns they attack it as best they can. its harder then most fights, but not so bad the pcs wont live.
it whats added to the teleport, like a bearded devil, that can have a unique tactic that can hurt.
A longbow has a 100ft range increment. Assuming the fight is in a large-ish area, if the demon teleports 100ft from the PCs, he can shoot them, but they can't charge him (Except for monks! So Broken :p).

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A highly intelligent devil or demon should be played as nasty as possible, so if they teleport away to regenerate, then (assuming they have intel on the party) pop back in to drop a spell or an attack, that's smart combat. They can play that game all day, and the party has to rest eventually.
If you look at the worst of them, the Pit Fiend can "scry" his enemies, eventually succeeding, and teleport in from a distance, get surprise, throw a "quickened" fireball and teleport away.
A bearded devil (Int 6), however, might only see the teleport as an advantage to close ranks rather than hit-and-run.
If the party is having a rough time of it, consider the arrogance of the outsider. After all, I doubt the demons respect mortals and wouldn't contemplate the need to retreat early on, giving the party a chance to slay the creature. Or, if they're summoned, they may be tasked and unable to fulfill that task by fleeing.

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TheSideKick wrote:A longbow has a 100ft range increment. Assuming the fight is in a large-ish area, if the demon teleports 100ft from the PCs, he can shoot them, but they can't charge him (Except for monks! So Broken :p).irt takes a standard action to teleport. so on its turn, it teleports on the pc's turns they attack it as best they can. its harder then most fights, but not so bad the pcs wont live.
it whats added to the teleport, like a bearded devil, that can have a unique tactic that can hurt.
mage tosses up a wall of stone...
a poorly prepared, not for this fight specifically, group will lose to a well played intelligent cr2+ NPC when mobility is an issue. but a well prepared group will have contigencies for fighting mobile enemies. if the group in question cant stop a mobile enemy that doesnt fight to the death they may lose that fight.
i can tell you a few funny DM stories about a rogue with a ring of freedom of movement.

Knight Magenta |

mage tosses up a wall of stone...a poorly prepared, not for this fight specifically, group will lose to a well played intelligent cr2+ NPC when mobility is an issue. but a well prepared group will have contigencies for fighting mobile enemies. if the group in question cant stop a mobile enemy that doesnt fight to the death they may lose that fight.
Devil teleports 100 ft from the other side of wall :p I guess you can make a tiny cube and rest until you can prepare proper spells :D
i can tell you a few funny DM stories about a rogue with a ring of freedom of movement.
Care to share? I always like stories about preparedness.

Grimmy |

Owly wrote:Yes SLAs provoke, if it were supernatural it would not provoke.DeathSpot wrote:First, remember that their greater teleport provokes an AoO when used unless the demon/devil passes a concentration check to cast defensively. Second, dimensional anchor.Does Greater Teleport provoke an AOO if it is a Spell-like Ability?
Learn something every day. I did not know SLA's provoke.

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http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/special-abilities
The only difference between SLA and regular spells is that they cannot be counterspelled or be used to counterspell.
Nastiness I've used with teleporting devils: horned devil with lava pits in cave, fights from pits using reach and spells or teleports into them to regenerate a bit in peace and quiet; pit fiend (older edition but same idea) in a building it knew well, hit and run teleporting, never letting the party rest and regenerating if needed.

Macharius |

Agreed with all the posters above, though I will add that if the party is able to put the demon or devil in a position it has to teleport away in order to survive the party should get at least part of the XP for defeating it.
I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that XP is awarded for successfully completing the encounter, not for killing the monster (though that's the most sure way to do so). If a party is able to force a demon/devil to flee the field of battle (not just a 5 or 10 round "regrouping"), that would be full XP in my book/at my table.

Owly |

AnnoyingOrange wrote:Agreed with all the posters above, though I will add that if the party is able to put the demon or devil in a position it has to teleport away in order to survive the party should get at least part of the XP for defeating it.I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that XP is awarded for successfully completing the encounter, not for killing the monster (though that's the most sure way to do so). If a party is able to force a demon/devil to flee the field of battle (not just a 5 or 10 round "regrouping"), that would be full XP in my book/at my table.
That is an interesting distinction. I will think on that.

Stephan schmitz |
I may be wrong, but as far as I know, the "Teleport at will" ability or other "at will" abilities still need a standard action to perform.
So a devil could teleport (Standard action), but not attack in the same round. He could use a move equivalent action though...so now Bow kiting within the same round.
At least we played it that way.. :)
Maybe someone could comment on this.
Steve

boring7 |
Spell-likes can be disrupted, right?
The two things that might stop your average demon (I'm assuming we mean the CR<12 ones) from only playing archer are:
1. They usually work in the dark places, dungeons and dark alleys and sewers and places where their evil cannot be seen and archers can't get a good bead.
2. They are all filthy, bloodthirsty sadists who want to tear their enemies apart, taste their blood and fear as their blood sprays into the air, and watch them die up close and personal.
Also, my understanding of the rules is as Macharius said, if the enemy retreats, the party gets the same XP as if it had died.
I may be wrong, but as far as I know, the "Teleport at will" ability or other "at will" abilities still need a standard action to perform.
So a devil could teleport (Standard action), but not attack in the same round. He could use a move equivalent action though...so now Bow kiting within the same round.
At least we played it that way.. :)
Maybe someone could comment on this.
Steve
Yeah, no, the idea is the demon is just teleporting WAAAAAY out and firing a longbow for a couple of rounds while the PCs waste actions and effort running after it, never getting close enough to do anything except toss long-range spells, and most of those a demon/devil is resistant to.

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Wait until a PC wanders off to pee, kill him, teleport away while the rest comes to see what all the noise is. Pick them off one by one.
Set up world-spanning schemes while most other opponents lack regular long-range communication.
Find a forgotten broom closet in the royal palace as a place to teleport in unseen, spy around (disguised somehow), disappear again.
Your lair will be really hard to find, because nobody ever sees you coming or going.