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View Full Version : Handling (long range) Teleporting Enemies



Goober4473
2011-04-20, 12:04 PM
Sometimes it's pretty cool to have that BBEG that teleport away before being defeated, leading to a long-term conflict that could last a campaign.

But what about all the other stuff that might teleport? How do you deal with it? Especially in D&D 3.x and Pathfinder, a lot of outsiders can teleport and/or plane shift at will, even the random mooks.

I'm currently running a Pathfinder game, and have an encounter with a mind flayer planned, which can normally plane shift at will. It's an important enemy, but I really want the players to move on after this fight, and not go chasing this thing down for the entire campaign. They have no access to any abilities that would stop plane shifting. Should I remove the ability? Make it take a few minutes to use?

Any thoughts/ideas?

Flame of Anor
2011-04-20, 12:28 PM
Have an NPC advise them that it would be fruitless?

CrazyBlue
2011-04-20, 02:22 PM
Why not let them try to chase it down if they decide to do so?

Goober4473
2011-04-20, 02:40 PM
Why not let them try to chase it down if they decide to do so?

No reason not to if it happens, but I don't want to hand them a giant neon sign that says "plot this way," pointing at nothing interesting.

Toofey
2011-04-20, 03:25 PM
If it's relevant to the plot why wouldn't it flee to somewhere that's down the line in the plot of the story you're looking to tell so they get cool sandbox track it down and once they get "there" they're looped back into the plot.

also as a DM I fully support and endorse it simply teleporting away again if they don't have (ie: haven't tried to figure out/find) something to stop it from doing so by the time they get there.

Gamer Girl
2011-04-20, 03:26 PM
Some easy ones:

1.The Bad Guy does not get away for long..as they come right back. Sure, they teleport when they are surrounded and in trouble..but they are only gone a bit. And then they are right back, with a surprise attack and some trick they hope will win the day.

2.Leave a decoy. In classic comic book style. The group fights there way over to the illithid, who acts a bit odd. Then they kill it, and have a dead body...but it's not Evil Bob, it's just Minion Ted in disguise. But as far as the players know, Evil Bob is dead.

3.Let them get away. It happens.

And in the case of plane shift it's not so easy to track that person down. After all, they can plane shift at least once a day...and even if you know what plane they are on...well, planes are big.

evirus
2011-04-20, 03:31 PM
Have the illithid plane shift IN to combat.

Makes a dramatic entrance and it's used for the day so he can't escape.

Grendus
2011-04-20, 03:42 PM
Doesn't plane shift only get you within 250 miles of the target? That'd be one mighty strange coincidence if the illithid plane shifted into combat.

evirus
2011-04-20, 03:50 PM
Doesn't plane shift only get you within 250 miles of the target? That'd be one mighty strange coincidence if the illithid plane shifted into combat.

Heh, I guess so.

However you can still rule that it's been used that day. Plane shift into mat plane + teleport gets him in combat. Just make sure the players -know- it happened. Otherwise it's the same as simply saying he doesn't use it.

If you are going to fudge something, I'd pick his sudden appearence as an optimal choice.

Goober4473
2011-04-20, 03:52 PM
It's also at-will, not 1/day, so having it used up isn't an option. I actually did something like that for a thoon infiltrator, who get dimension door 1/day.

And yeah, it's 5d% miles away from the target.

I think for this one, I'll probably go with removing illithids' plane shift. Or, more specifically, limit it to Xoriat (this is Eberron), and declare Xoriat out of plane shift range. But they also have an allied (temporarily) mind flayer with them that could tell them it's hopeless for them to try to chase it down. So that could work too.

Gamer Girl
2011-04-20, 04:17 PM
I think for this one, I'll probably go with removing illithids' plane shift.

Instead of running the game in favor of the players...you might just leave this up to them..it can be a lot more fun that way:


Friendly illithid--"As soon as you attack Evil Bob he might plane shift way!"
Players 1-5--"Oh, no, we can't stop him!"
Player 6--If we can all hit him at once on round one and do 200 damage...then he will be too dead to plane shift away.

Or
Friendly illithid--"I do have a dimensional anchor bomb, if the price is right!"

Goober4473
2011-04-20, 04:24 PM
Instead of running the game in favor of the players...you might just leave this up to them..it can be a lot more fun that way:


Friendly illithid--"As soon as you attack Evil Bob he might plane shift way!"
Players 1-5--"Oh, no, we can't stop him!"
Player 6--If we can all hit him at once on round one and do 200 damage...then he will be too dead to plane shift away.

Or
Friendly illithid--"I do have a dimensional anchor bomb, if the price is right!"

Also good ideas.