[RPG] What happens if a Player Misty Escapes into an Invisible Creature

dnd-5einvisibilityteleportation

The Archfey warlock patron grants the Misty Escape feature at level 6 (PHB p. 109). Part of the description of the feature states:

When you take damage, you can use your reaction to turn invisible and teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space you can see.

Now, if a space was occupied by a creature that was already invisible, and if the character had no prior knowledge of its existence, it would appear unoccupied.

Say a player picks a space on the battlefield, one that the GM knows is occupied by an invisible creature.

Does the character "appear" in the invisible creature, suffering and inflicting some effect, or do they just "bounce off" into the next available space?

Best Answer

Resolve the edge case with an impartial ruling: random location via die roll.

Since the rules don't explicitly define what happens in a case like this, and since the class ability moves the PC into a place that is based on PC knowledge, letting go of the gridbound mind set is a simple way to resolve this unexpected encounter. This link is to a similarly inexact situation regarding players being spit out of a gelatinous cube.

or do they just "bounce off" into the next available space?

That's a fair and simple way to resolve this: the PC bounces of the invisible obstacle. The PC still gets to escape the current problem, but due to the ever present problem of dealing with "the unknown" something unexpected happens when taking this action.

  • This is a common pattern in play at the table: for example when dealing with unseen traps or invisible barriers. The PC moves with confidence from "here" to "there" and something unexpected happens along the way

Die rolls are used to resolve uncertain results: use the available tool

The basic framework of "How to Play" is retained. (PHB p. 6)

  1. DM describes the situation
  2. Player describes the desired action
  3. DM narrates results
    (Roll dice when the outcome is uncertain).

Roll a 1d8 (if using a square grid) or a 1d6 (if using a hex based map) and assign the number 1 to relative north (top of the map). Move clockwise around the grid or hex pattern to determine where the warlock unexpectedly ends up.

Example of a bump:

  • On a roll of 4 on a d6, the warlock ends up directly below the hex she was escaping to. (relative "south" to the top of the map)

  • On a roll of 3 on a d8, she ends up directly to the right of that space. (relative "east) to the top of the map)

    What does this ruling do for you(DM) and for the player?

  • It keeps play moving

  • It removes any hint of DM influence on the final destination

  • It preserves the location of the invisible creature

  • It provides a surprise/unexpected outcome due to incomplete player knowledge -- which is OK since the players are dealing with the unknown a lot during their adventures

    I've used this quick and easy tool for unexpected things like this (most commonly for our old "shooting into melee and you missed, what did you hit?" scenario in a couple of older editions) since around the time I began DM'ing.

In my experience, this way of making an ad hoc ruling based on an unexpected situation is both quick and fair. It has been with the game as long as it's been played. I learned it from DM's before me.

The dice are a tool. In this case, what the dice do is keep it fair and random. This also frees the DM from having to explain why the PC ended up on a given square. Fate/chance took over when the PC bumped into an unseen obstacle at its destination.

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