Can You Use Teleportation to Stand Up?

Question

I feel like most tables end up asking this question and I think it usually comes down to a table by table decision, but can a caster who has been knocked prone use teleportation to stand up again? I'm seeking a RAW answer or a Crawford quote if available.

For example, a wizard is knocked prone before an ogre. In the interest of getting out of that terrible situation, they cast Misty Step to teleport anywhere else 30' away. When they arrive, do they need to use half their movement to stand to resume their escape or can they arrive standing and move at full speed?

Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat. — nitsua60, Aug 13 '17 at 03:29

score 39 · Answer 1 · edited Apr 14 '23 at 04:43

39

The basic (but unwritten) rule is that spells do not do things that are not in their description. There is a price to pay for standing up and misty step and other similar spells do not waive it.

But there is a way around this. (Inspired by this answer.)

At the end of a fall, a creature takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet it fell, to a maximum of 20d6. The creature lands prone, unless it avoids taking damage from the fall. (PHB, page 183)

If you do not teleport onto the ground (and there is no such requirement in misty step), then you will obviously fall and therefore follow the rules cited above. If you do not teleport higher than 10 feet, you take no damage and therefore do not land prone, leaving the only option of on your feet. Since you do not move horizontally, you cannot teleport that far away (deducting 5 feet seems a reasonable approximation).

edited Apr 14 '23 at 04:43

Nobody the Hobgoblin

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answered Aug 11 '17 at 13:20

Szega

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Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat. – nitsua60 Aug 13 '17 at 03:30
[citation needed] – Trish Sep 27 '22 at 15:11
You say that it is an unwritten rule, but it’s the third sentence of the “Casting a spell” section. – Thomas Markov Apr 14 '23 at 10:42
You're confusing a statement with its converse. The falling rule just says you land prone if you take damage from the fall. It doesn't say not taking damage causes you to not be prone. If the creature is already prone at the start of the fall, there's no reason falling would cancel the condition. – pyrocrasty May 14 '23 at 22:09

score 38 · Answer 2 · answered Aug 11 '17 at 13:13

38

Prone is a condition, and the Conditions section (page 290 of the PHB) says this:

A condition lasts either until it is countered (the prone condition is countered by standing up, for example) or for a duration specified by the effect that imposed the condition.

Teleporting doesn't say anything about countering conditions in general or the Prone condition specifically, so the wizard would still be prone at the end of the teleport.

answered Aug 11 '17 at 13:13

Miniman

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I think that RAW this is correct, but I could still see a table reasonably ruling that if you're picking your next location you kinda can pick how you show up there (not prone.) The cost expenditure remains (spell slot and action vs movement) – NotArch Aug 11 '17 at 14:33
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@NautArch: If you can't, any teleport a quarter of the way around the world must end with you prone. And teleporting halfway around the world logically ends with you arriving standing on your head. – ShadowRanger Sep 24 '22 at 01:04
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@ShadowRanger most fantasy world maps aren't projections of a globe. They're a flat map with magic wrap around. – GcL May 17 '23 at 14:46

score 3 · Answer 3 · edited Aug 12 '17 at 09:55

RAW: You have to stand up and use your movement. Misty Steps does nothing about your prone condition.

For the Eyes You teleport and arrive stading up, is usually no Problem: There should be not much that can interrupt you between your bonus Action and the Standing up... Oh well, except for Ready actions (where some monster says "I Strike anyone that comes near me")

So Sorry, no: I cannot see how this affects the prone condition. So if you allow this as a DM (well it's your game, I won't judge you), then the Door swings both ways for antagonist-casters aswell. and all is good.

Can You Use Teleportation to Stand Up?

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