[RPG] reappear on the other side of a wall if I Blink and then pass through it

dnd-5eethereal-planespells

Scenario:

I have cast Blink on a previous turn and I am facing a solid wall with at least 5 feet of empty space on both sides. During my turn I ready an action with the following trigger: "When I enter the ethereal plane, I move 10 feet forward."

When my turn ends, I enter the ethereal plane and use my reaction to execute my readied move which lets me pass through the wall so that I end up on the other side.

I can now no longer see the space I vanished from, but I can see a space on the other side of the wall I passed through which is within 10 feet of the space I vanished from.

Assumptions:

  • I roll 11 or higher on the end of turn D20 roll for Blink
  • I can execute a readied move while in the ethereal plane. (as per this Q&A)
  • I can move through walls while I am moving in the ethereal plane. (as per the same Q&A)

Reference material:

Blink says the following on returning to the material plane:

you return to an unoccupied space of your choice that you can see within 10 feet of the space you vanished from.

Questions to answer:

When my next turn starts can I reappear on my original side of the wall even though I can't see it anymore?

Conversely, can I reappear on the other side of the wall since I can see it and it is within 10 feet of my starting location?

Best Answer

Yes, you can use Blink to reappear on the other side of a wall.

At the start of you next turn, and when the spell ends if you are on the Ethereal Plane, you return to an unoccupied space of your choice that you can see within 10 feet of the space you vanished from. (PHB pg. 219)

Notice how this does not say "...from within 10 feet of the space you vanished from." or "...that you can see from the space you vanished from."

Therefore I interpret the wording as "any space within 10 feet of the casting origin you can currently see."

A traveler on the Ethereal Plane is invisible and utterly silent to someone on the overlapped plane, and solid objects on the overlapped plane don't hamper the movement of a creature in the Border Ethereal. The exceptions are certain magical effects (including anything made of magical force) and living beings. This makes the Ethereal Plane ideal for reconnaissance, spying on opponents, and moving around without being detected. The Ethereal Plane also disobeys the laws of gravity; a creature there can move up and down as easily as walking. (DMG pg. 48, emphasis mine)

So you cast Blink close to a wall, roll over 11, move to other side of the wall and, since you are still within 10 feet of your starting location, you return to the material at the start of your next turn where you are currently standing (Or some other square within 10 feet of the origin).

Be sure you already have some idea as to what's on the other side of the wall; You do not want to travel into the wall just to find out it is too wide and pop back into the material while still inside!

Note: 10 feet in DnD is only 2 squares, so you would have to cast Blink right next to the wall.