Spell Combos

[AlanBruce]

Greetings! One of my players came up with this idea for a spell combination:


So I stumbled upon this combo: anticipate teleportation + stand
Stand is an immediate action 1st level spell that teleports a target into a standing position. And if cast in the area of an anticipate teleport spell (since it is a teleport spell) the target would not reappear until it's next turn.

Would this work in this fashion? (with the purpose being to use immediate action spells to save allies from possible death)
What kind of attacks would it be able to interrupt? And would they be used up afterwards?
Melee attacks? Ranged attacks? Ranged touch attacks (disintegrate)? Targeted spells (horrid wilting)? AOEs (fireball)?

I found it interesting, but would appreciate any input whether it can actually be done and if so, what would it be able to interrupt.

Thank you very much in advance.

[Nettlekid]

Huh, sort of like a Celerity->Time Hop kind of thing? Not bad, although the enemy will know exactly where your ally will reappear (if they Spellcrafted something well enough to know you're using Anticipate Teleport) so it might be bad. But it's a clever way to avoid that Apocalypse From The Sky.

One issue is that the target must be prone, and dropping prone is a free action that you may take on your turn. You won't be able to do this against something totally out of the blue, just something you see coming like a turn in advance.

[rweird]

I think it could avoid pretty much anything.


An immediate action is a swift action that can be performed at any time—even if it’s not your turn.


- http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Action_Types

This means that as long as the person is prone, they can effectively, if willing, vanish for one round until the creature's next initiative count. However, in most cases, this means that action wouldn't take place (so spells/ammo wouldn't' be used up, or could be used to target someone else, if in range). It is perfectly legal though.

The big problem I see is that Stand requires the ally to be prone, which, while it is a free action, I believe it only can be taken with another action (not quite sure, ask the Q&A by RAW people), of course, many DMs rule otherwise (talking when not your turn).

The only thing I could see interrupting it is another immediate action attack that goes before the original triggering one, a readied/immediate action attack to disrupt the caster of the spell, or counterspelling. It also wouldn't save you from AoEs that have a non-instantaneous duration (for example, you'd still reappear in an acid fog, if it was cast on you), and if the spell creates a solid object where the person was, they would have a problem (though for Stand, what happens if you appear in a solid object is unspecified, I'd probably rule you get shunted to the nearest open space as per dimensional door rules, if out of that range, you, sadly, reappear inside a solid object and die).

I believe the caster would have to be aware of the attack (not flat-footed), as it is required to take immediate actions. I wouldn't think it would be too much of a problem. The caster couldn't take himself out of the way with this combo however, because the moment he leaves, the Anticipate Teleportation goes with him, so he wouldn't teleport into the area, because until he appears, the area wouldn't be there (this part may be incorrect).

Hope this helps,
- rweird

[DarkSonic1337]

Anticpate Teleportation is cast on an area (meaning it has a valid target even if the caster isn't around) and has a duration other than concentration. Ergo, once it's cast, the spell remains in effect until it is either dispelled or it's duration expires.

So I don't see why the caster couldn't use this trick on himself.

[Nettlekid]

Anticpate Teleportation is cast on an area (meaning it has a valid target even if the caster isn't around) and has a duration other than concentration. Ergo, once it's cast, the spell remains in effect until it is either dispelled or it's duration expires.

So I don't see why the caster couldn't use this trick on himself.

That's just not true. The target is one touched creature, and the spell's effect emanates out from that touched creature. If that touched creature should disappear, so too should the emanation.

[Phelix-Mu]

Except that teleportation is astral movement, not "disappearing." The emanation doesn't disappear, it moves with the person it's emanating from.

That said, I'm not sure that this combo would be allowed if the caster targeted themself with stand. That all sounds pretty sketchy. But for other targets, I think it works.

For more mindbending, there is greater anticipate teleport, which creates a 3 round delay before reappearance. I'm pretty sure this all is an unanticipated use of anticipate teleport. Which is unfortunate, because it's such an obvious use when reading the spell.

[DarkSonic1337]

That's just not true. The target is one touched creature, and the spell's effect emanates out from that touched creature. If that touched creature should disappear, so too should the emanation.

So it is! :smallredface:

The caster could cast anticipate teleportation on a familiar or something...but that's a lot more risky.

[Venger]

ray of dizziness + choking sands. make a full-round action to attempt a fort save to clear your lungs. except you are limited to partial actions only. >:]

you can always use two standards on subsequent turns, of course. assuming you last that long flushing your actions down the toilet.

[AlanBruce]

Except that teleportation is astral movement, not "disappearing." The emanation doesn't disappear, it moves with the person it's emanating from.

That said, I'm not sure that this combo would be allowed if the caster targeted themself with stand. That all sounds pretty sketchy. But for other targets, I think it works.

For more mindbending, there is greater anticipate teleport, which creates a 3 round delay before reappearance. I'm pretty sure this all is an unanticipated use of anticipate teleport. Which is unfortunate, because it's such an obvious use when reading the spell.

The caster in question should be reaching level 12th. I believe he plans to use it on his party members, since he isn't usually hit due to the Abrupt Jaunt ACF he chose.

[rweird]

The caster in question should be reaching level 12th. I believe he plans to use it on his party members, since he isn't usually hit due to the Abrupt Jaunt ACF he chose.

If he has it cast, it could work, though I'd advise him to be wary if he used it on a party member against a ranged attack because the attack it made an ally avoid could target him, after he used an immediate action.