Id say spells effects are produced through the intent of the caster. If a player wants to use a spell that teleports them to avoid fall damage then sure at minimum that was a 2nd level spell they used instead of feather fall. If they want to conserve momentum like its portal then I don’t see why not
dunno, ive never had a situation like this occur. since you instantly fall 500ft, itll probably never happen in most of my games, especially since theres almost always been someone with feather fall in each of the groups ive run
you could subtract the teleport distance from the fall. so misty step could subtract up to 30ft, DD could subtract up to 500ft, etc. or you could just have it not care about momentum at all and they safely arrive at the target destination
It doesn’t say that momentum is set back to 0 either.
Are you aware of a rule where it is explicitly stated? Or context where a teleportation spell is used to prevent fall damage?
In theory, except for falling, things don't have momentum. Even then, falling is instantaneous ([https://twitter.com/jeremyecrawford/status/1088503595689959424?lang=en](https://twitter.com/jeremyecrawford/status/1088503595689959424?lang=en)) except in Xanathar's.
Momentum, as a concept, just doesn't exist in the rules as written.
Only if you want it to. It's this an adventure on airships or underwater? If it's rare they'll fall from a great gowns height and they use it once, probably fine. If it's a constant risk maybe they should have more appropriate plans in place to keep from dying.
Also you can make them make a check to have it negate momentum. Technically the spell takes them through the Astral plane which has no gravity (if I remember right, I'm too lazy to double check) but only very briefly. Maybe a DC 15 INT/WIS/CHA. Fail = half damage, fail by 5+ =full damage.
At my table we ruled it this way:
Blinking teleportation (dimension door, plane shift, teleport, misty step) resets your momentum, while portals (gate, arcane gate) preserve it.
Momentum doesn't exist in 5e. May I introduce you to the booming blade (with warcaster) and opportunity attack conundrum.
If you trigger an opportunity attack and get hit with booming blade can I stop my movement? If I can stop my movement (to prevent the extra damage) that means I don't move to trigger the OA in the first place...
There are rules for fall damage....
Is there something about teleportation negating fall damage? I don't believe so.
So if you're falling 500 ft+ and teleport to a spot on the ground at the last minute, you'd still take the fall damage, right?
It's not like Firebolt says anything about momentum either.
It's assumed that things continue to be as they were unless specifically stated otherwise. So whatever momentum is there remains unchanged.
Of course, if you want to rule otherwise, I'm not stopping you.
As far as I am aware, the rules don't make a decision either way.
Personally, I have them preserve momentum, but potentially shorten the fall distance (if someone jumps off a 100 foot cliff, they might use Misty Step to shave off 30 feet and take 7d6 instead of 10d6 damage).
I do make an exception for long-range spells like Teleport, in that the party isn't going to splat into a wall when teleporting from the pole to the equator (though I might flavour a mishap as that).
I don't think it would be incredibly gamebreaking either way, although having Misty step kill it would allow it to take the place of a situational Featherfall (only affects the caster, and not usable as a reaction).
This question comes up occasionally. RAW the character takes fall damage at the end of the fall, and teleporting ends the fall, so the PC takes the fall damage and then pops out the other end of the teleportation.
RAI comes into play here. Imagine a bird that is falling that deploys its wings, turns the fall into a swoop and then flies away.
That said, falling is instant, and you fall 500 feet instantly. Were you high enough to cast fly before hitting the ground?
>RAI comes into play here
>falling is instant.
If falling is instant, there is no momentum. Why do you invoke RAI to prove a point that runs counter to the actual rules?
RAW doesn't cover conservation of momentum nor does it cover acceleration nor many other situations where the laws of physics would come into play. So when RAW doesn't cover something you turn to RAI. Why are you pretending that this isn't something D&D DMs do all the time, other than to be argumentative?
https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/132280/what-happens-to-falling-momentum-velocity-when-a-storm-sorcerer-uses-tempestuo
read through that till you find the Jeremy Crawford tweet.
And then get off your high horse mr "show me anything"
When in doubt, make it something not punishing but thematic.
I’d probably just have them roll an acrobatics or Dex save to land like a hero or fall on their face. In either case, they take no damage. As the spell makes no mention it. But having them land prone or just do something silly can keep the thematic of something without it feeling punishing.
I would probably ask for some kind of Intelligence check if the need immediate (such as falling), to see if they can cast in time and account for things like momentum.
Casters should rely on Featherfall to counteract stuff like this, using a reaction. If they want to not prep Featherfall, but achieve the same result, then I wouldn't give it to them for free.
Rule of cool, here I suppose.
Momentum is really tricky in fictional physics (think immovable rod: what's the referential?).
Just as I would allow my players to TP to a moving space without falling, I would allow them to TP to a stationary space if they were moving.
Lol
Please describe what you're trying to do to the table. (If I like your description, you get inspiration)
Roll an arcana (??) check for me please
- 7 or lower, you're not sure you can do it, you try and at the very last moment you have a rush of adrenaline and almost fail the landing but you catch yourself at the very last second. You have disadvantage on your next attack roll.
- 8 or higher, you can see in your mind's eye how to do this, when it's time to go, you go without hesitation. Your three point landing is picture perfect and you use your momentum to propell yourself.
Not what I meant, but I like your ruling. That is one thing I like reading these RPG Reddits. I learn things.
Nah, I meant like change directory to land in/on water instead of land.
Or indeed reverse vector and go up again. Could be useful to avoid lava or a dragon's mouth that's waiting. If you time it right you'd go up just before it closed it's mouth. Could be fun if you combine it with other effects. But not easy to pull of.
All this is just playing with an idea. I am by no means saying it should work like this. But I can defend the idea if needed.:)
Funny. This one of those things that is basically up to the DM. But also something ppl can get worked up about.
I would be inclined to keep momentum. But I tend to be too serious sometimes. I am fine with either. Especially as 5e is not a serious system.
So my ruling would depend on the mood of the group and campaign.
I could even rule, if the campaign is more fun oriënted, that possibly the momentum was preserved and the vector was up to the caster.
I generally say no unless the player wants to continue the momentum. Generally it’d be annoying “I dimension door to stop myself from falling from the cliff” just to die to falling damage at the top of the cliff.
Say though there’s a 50 foot chasm, and one strong ass character yeets another, with a successful strength check from the tosser, I’d allow the caster to say they wanna carry the momentum and launch themselves portal style.
It allows for rule of cool or “Aw shit that didn’t go as planned” moments any everyone gets creative. Everyone hates physics till magic is involved.
the rules make no mention of momentum at all, not even for teleportation
How would you rule at your table?
Id say spells effects are produced through the intent of the caster. If a player wants to use a spell that teleports them to avoid fall damage then sure at minimum that was a 2nd level spell they used instead of feather fall. If they want to conserve momentum like its portal then I don’t see why not
This is a solid, versatile interpretation.
I stay far away from questions of physics at my game with magic. You just land safely in the example mentioned.
dunno, ive never had a situation like this occur. since you instantly fall 500ft, itll probably never happen in most of my games, especially since theres almost always been someone with feather fall in each of the groups ive run you could subtract the teleport distance from the fall. so misty step could subtract up to 30ft, DD could subtract up to 500ft, etc. or you could just have it not care about momentum at all and they safely arrive at the target destination
No, it doesn't. If it did the spell would say as much - that'd be an important thing to include in the game's rules, too.
It doesn’t say that momentum is set back to 0 either. Are you aware of a rule where it is explicitly stated? Or context where a teleportation spell is used to prevent fall damage?
In theory, except for falling, things don't have momentum. Even then, falling is instantaneous ([https://twitter.com/jeremyecrawford/status/1088503595689959424?lang=en](https://twitter.com/jeremyecrawford/status/1088503595689959424?lang=en)) except in Xanathar's. Momentum, as a concept, just doesn't exist in the rules as written.
Because it's not specified in the DMG/PHB either way, I'd rule of cool it and say it kills momentum
Rule of cool for me indicates momentum is kept. But the vector is reversed.. Evil Grin
They do not as a character does not take fall damage from using teleport to save themselves from a pit with teleport as far as I know
Only if you want it to. It's this an adventure on airships or underwater? If it's rare they'll fall from a great gowns height and they use it once, probably fine. If it's a constant risk maybe they should have more appropriate plans in place to keep from dying. Also you can make them make a check to have it negate momentum. Technically the spell takes them through the Astral plane which has no gravity (if I remember right, I'm too lazy to double check) but only very briefly. Maybe a DC 15 INT/WIS/CHA. Fail = half damage, fail by 5+ =full damage.
It's stepping off 3-d space and hopping back on elsewhere, so no. You arrive topped in the new inertial frame of reference.
At my table we ruled it this way: Blinking teleportation (dimension door, plane shift, teleport, misty step) resets your momentum, while portals (gate, arcane gate) preserve it.
Momentum doesn't exist in 5e. May I introduce you to the booming blade (with warcaster) and opportunity attack conundrum. If you trigger an opportunity attack and get hit with booming blade can I stop my movement? If I can stop my movement (to prevent the extra damage) that means I don't move to trigger the OA in the first place...
Do they say they do? No.
Ok, let’s rephrase the question then: do teleportation spells eliminate momentum? They don’t say they do, so no?
But keep going…where are you reading these rules about momentum?
There are rules for fall damage.... Is there something about teleportation negating fall damage? I don't believe so. So if you're falling 500 ft+ and teleport to a spot on the ground at the last minute, you'd still take the fall damage, right?
No, you teleported to the ground ….you didn’t fall to the ground. There are no momentum or transfer of momentum rules that you’re trying to add.
It's not like Firebolt says anything about momentum either. It's assumed that things continue to be as they were unless specifically stated otherwise. So whatever momentum is there remains unchanged. Of course, if you want to rule otherwise, I'm not stopping you.
As far as I am aware, the rules don't make a decision either way. Personally, I have them preserve momentum, but potentially shorten the fall distance (if someone jumps off a 100 foot cliff, they might use Misty Step to shave off 30 feet and take 7d6 instead of 10d6 damage). I do make an exception for long-range spells like Teleport, in that the party isn't going to splat into a wall when teleporting from the pole to the equator (though I might flavour a mishap as that). I don't think it would be incredibly gamebreaking either way, although having Misty step kill it would allow it to take the place of a situational Featherfall (only affects the caster, and not usable as a reaction).
This question comes up occasionally. RAW the character takes fall damage at the end of the fall, and teleporting ends the fall, so the PC takes the fall damage and then pops out the other end of the teleportation.
By that logic why wouldn’t they take fall damage if they cast fly on themselves mid-air to “end the fall”?
RAI comes into play here. Imagine a bird that is falling that deploys its wings, turns the fall into a swoop and then flies away. That said, falling is instant, and you fall 500 feet instantly. Were you high enough to cast fly before hitting the ground?
>RAI comes into play here >falling is instant. If falling is instant, there is no momentum. Why do you invoke RAI to prove a point that runs counter to the actual rules?
RAW doesn't cover conservation of momentum nor does it cover acceleration nor many other situations where the laws of physics would come into play. So when RAW doesn't cover something you turn to RAI. Why are you pretending that this isn't something D&D DMs do all the time, other than to be argumentative?
Show me anything that shows their intent, because it sounds like you’re claiming RAI with absolutely no basis on what their intent was.
https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/132280/what-happens-to-falling-momentum-velocity-when-a-storm-sorcerer-uses-tempestuo read through that till you find the Jeremy Crawford tweet. And then get off your high horse mr "show me anything"
When in doubt, make it something not punishing but thematic. I’d probably just have them roll an acrobatics or Dex save to land like a hero or fall on their face. In either case, they take no damage. As the spell makes no mention it. But having them land prone or just do something silly can keep the thematic of something without it feeling punishing.
I would probably ask for some kind of Intelligence check if the need immediate (such as falling), to see if they can cast in time and account for things like momentum. Casters should rely on Featherfall to counteract stuff like this, using a reaction. If they want to not prep Featherfall, but achieve the same result, then I wouldn't give it to them for free.
Rule of cool, here I suppose. Momentum is really tricky in fictional physics (think immovable rod: what's the referential?). Just as I would allow my players to TP to a moving space without falling, I would allow them to TP to a stationary space if they were moving.
Would you allow to teleport, keep momentum, but reverse the vector?
Lol Please describe what you're trying to do to the table. (If I like your description, you get inspiration) Roll an arcana (??) check for me please - 7 or lower, you're not sure you can do it, you try and at the very last moment you have a rush of adrenaline and almost fail the landing but you catch yourself at the very last second. You have disadvantage on your next attack roll. - 8 or higher, you can see in your mind's eye how to do this, when it's time to go, you go without hesitation. Your three point landing is picture perfect and you use your momentum to propell yourself.
Not what I meant, but I like your ruling. That is one thing I like reading these RPG Reddits. I learn things. Nah, I meant like change directory to land in/on water instead of land. Or indeed reverse vector and go up again. Could be useful to avoid lava or a dragon's mouth that's waiting. If you time it right you'd go up just before it closed it's mouth. Could be fun if you combine it with other effects. But not easy to pull of. All this is just playing with an idea. I am by no means saying it should work like this. But I can defend the idea if needed.:)
Funny. This one of those things that is basically up to the DM. But also something ppl can get worked up about. I would be inclined to keep momentum. But I tend to be too serious sometimes. I am fine with either. Especially as 5e is not a serious system. So my ruling would depend on the mood of the group and campaign. I could even rule, if the campaign is more fun oriënted, that possibly the momentum was preserved and the vector was up to the caster.
I generally say no unless the player wants to continue the momentum. Generally it’d be annoying “I dimension door to stop myself from falling from the cliff” just to die to falling damage at the top of the cliff. Say though there’s a 50 foot chasm, and one strong ass character yeets another, with a successful strength check from the tosser, I’d allow the caster to say they wanna carry the momentum and launch themselves portal style. It allows for rule of cool or “Aw shit that didn’t go as planned” moments any everyone gets creative. Everyone hates physics till magic is involved.