Rifts are actually scarier in BTS than in Rifts or Nightbane or PF or HU or RUE, but why?

[Plane]

It almost seems like they whitewashed the dangers of magic a little bit to make the Coalition States look bad for universally condemning magic and bolster the whole 'magical good guys' angle.

Digging into the BTS versions of spells this 1987 RPG before they were moved into that 1990 RPG has been pretty interesting, namely with the Dimensional Portal spell which creates the namesake of the latter.

The spell on 176 of BTS had an "always slips through" policy for unwanted creatures, and it was basically a guranteed "monsters by the minute" thing, no matter where you targeted that portal, presumably because you weren't just targeting wherever the portal led, but that tunnel kinda blended into other interdimensional conduits where monsters resided?

Rifts (and Nightbane) removed the table even though it vaguely kept the 'always slips' text, leaving people confused about what it meant or how to enforce it. HU2nd and PF2nd changed it to "may slip", and RUE found a middle ground of "usually slips" but in all three cases these sometimes-situations are less scary than BTS (and NB and 1st edition Rifts despite lacking tables) not to mention frustratingly non-specific since we don't know what to roll against if it's not 100% of the time, putting a burden on the GM to fill in that void.

I wonder why this is the case though - BTS should have less magic than most of these places, no? Why is it rifts would be even more dangerous when their version of dimensional portal is used?

Is it possibly something like the higher magic levels of the other settings actually makes the DP spell more stable so it lessens the chance of random interlopers hijacking the Rift? It's the low magic levels of BTS which is creating the problem of more-unstable-rifts via this spell?

[Grazzik]

BTS is scary because PCs aren't usually toting around plasma cannons or rail guns to fight off a dimensional interloper. A bottle of holy water and a handgun with a handful of silver bullets usually the best you can hope for in BTS.

Anyway, I wouldn't read much into editorial choices over a period of twenty years... just play it how you want to. I almost never have anything slip thru in my games. There's enough going on as it is.

[Marcethus]

I only use the 'slip through' effect when it suits my game's plots or storylines where things might have gotten off track.

[Warshield73]

BTS is scary because PCs aren't usually toting around plasma cannons or rail guns to fight off a dimensional interloper. A bottle of holy water and a handgun with a handful of silver bullets usually the best you can hope for in BTS.

Excellent point. I would add that in this setting even magic and psionic powers themselves are unreliable and aren't as powerful. If even something small slips through you are probably going to die.

Anyway, I wouldn't read much into editorial choices over a period of twenty years... just play it how you want to. I almost never have anything slip thru in my games. There's enough going on as it is.

I only use the 'slip through' effect when it suits my game's plots or storylines where things might have gotten off track.

It's not just the description of the spell but how the spell works in the stories. We learn as early as World Book 3 that even a practiced magic user can try to open a rift to one place (central Mexico) and have it end up somewhere completely different (Wormwood). I had a real problem with this when I was a new GM running Rifts because my players wanted to use them to move around but how unreliable are they? The Mechanoid invasion starts with a shifter just opening a random Rift and letting them in.

The problem with rifts, in any of the settings, is that they are not that well defined in terms of reliability or safety. I eventually started using the failure chart for the teleport spell.

Ultimately if I allow a PC to have the dimensional portal spell I make sure the player knows that things can come through and that it might go to the wrong place.

[Marcethus]

BTS is scary because PCs aren't usually toting around plasma cannons or rail guns to fight off a dimensional interloper. A bottle of holy water and a handgun with a handful of silver bullets usually the best you can hope for in BTS.

Excellent point. I would add that in this setting even magic and psionic powers themselves are unreliable and aren't as powerful. If even something small slips through you are probably going to die.

Anyway, I wouldn't read much into editorial choices over a period of twenty years... just play it how you want to. I almost never have anything slip thru in my games. There's enough going on as it is.

I only use the 'slip through' effect when it suits my game's plots or storylines where things might have gotten off track.

It's not just the description of the spell but how the spell works in the stories. We learn as early as World Book 3 that even a practiced magic user can try to open a rift to one place (central Mexico) and have it end up somewhere completely different (Wormwood). I had a real problem with this when I was a new GM running Rifts because my players wanted to use them to move around but how unreliable are they? The Mechanoid invasion starts with a shifter just opening a random Rift and letting them in.

The problem with rifts, in any of the settings, is that they are not that well defined in terms of reliability or safety. I eventually started using the failure chart for the teleport spell.

Ultimately if I allow a PC to have the dimensional portal spell I make sure the player knows that things can come through and that it might go to the wrong place.

I always viewed the unreliability text to mean screw with it when it fits with the story the GM is telling.

[Warshield73]

BTS is scary because PCs aren't usually toting around plasma cannons or rail guns to fight off a dimensional interloper. A bottle of holy water and a handgun with a handful of silver bullets usually the best you can hope for in BTS.

Excellent point. I would add that in this setting even magic and psionic powers themselves are unreliable and aren't as powerful. If even something small slips through you are probably going to die.

Anyway, I wouldn't read much into editorial choices over a period of twenty years... just play it how you want to. I almost never have anything slip thru in my games. There's enough going on as it is.

I only use the 'slip through' effect when it suits my game's plots or storylines where things might have gotten off track.

It's not just the description of the spell but how the spell works in the stories. We learn as early as World Book 3 that even a practiced magic user can try to open a rift to one place (central Mexico) and have it end up somewhere completely different (Wormwood). I had a real problem with this when I was a new GM running Rifts because my players wanted to use them to move around but how unreliable are they? The Mechanoid invasion starts with a shifter just opening a random Rift and letting them in.

The problem with rifts, in any of the settings, is that they are not that well defined in terms of reliability or safety. I eventually started using the failure chart for the teleport spell.

Ultimately if I allow a PC to have the dimensional portal spell I make sure the player knows that things can come through and that it might go to the wrong place.

I always viewed the unreliability text to mean screw with it when it fits with the story the GM is telling.

Agreed, I just think it needs to be communicated to the player in advance as the spell description doesn't . Although, the Nazca lines description is more detailed.

[Plane]

We learn as early as World Book 3 that even a practiced magic user can try to open a rift to one place (central Mexico) and have it end up somewhere completely different (Wormwood). I had a real problem with this when I was a new GM running Rifts because my players wanted to use them to move around but how unreliable are they?

Funny thing when I compare Tarn's letters is she's not entirely consistent about the nature of the person who flubbed that rifting...

May 103 PA (WB3p8) "a gentle and kind Mexican shaman, knowledgeable in the mystic arts of shifting"
December 103 (DB1p29) "The Mexican ley line walker"

Wormwood went into more detail, about how the rift was excessively large (30ft tall, what were you trying to move through there bro? also apparently Tarn's persnoally seen one a MILE tall WOAH)

They were holding hands (I'm not sure who specifically, Thorpe obviously one) going through (the Rift had blowing winds, maybe afraid of falling) and the LLW apparently shouted "wait!" too late.

Instead of the casual 'stepping through a doorway' Tarn writes about strange sensations, swirling color, and a sense of falling.

This anomaly/disruption I think eventually got detailed in the Megaverse Builder dimension book - beginning with Maelstroms on pg 20.

Maelstroms have the described "vortex of windw and blue energy" and the whole section seems written to explain what happened to Tarn. Apparently these happen more often if you don't wait 5+ months after the latest ley line storm. Their impatience to travel's what caused it!

I'm thinking either this mexican LLW wasn't a shifter or was a rushed one, because shifters (DB7p21) have a Dimension Sense which can sometimes detect Maelstroms w/ enough prep and delay going through a portal for 6-36 minutes while it passes.

Given the mage gave SOME kind of warning there might be ways for non-shifter portal-makers to detect them too I'm just not sure how it works for LLWs or LLRs

[Marcethus]

BTS is scary because PCs aren't usually toting around plasma cannons or rail guns to fight off a dimensional interloper. A bottle of holy water and a handgun with a handful of silver bullets usually the best you can hope for in BTS.

Excellent point. I would add that in this setting even magic and psionic powers themselves are unreliable and aren't as powerful. If even something small slips through you are probably going to die.

Anyway, I wouldn't read much into editorial choices over a period of twenty years... just play it how you want to. I almost never have anything slip thru in my games. There's enough going on as it is.

I only use the 'slip through' effect when it suits my game's plots or storylines where things might have gotten off track.

It's not just the description of the spell but how the spell works in the stories. We learn as early as World Book 3 that even a practiced magic user can try to open a rift to one place (central Mexico) and have it end up somewhere completely different (Wormwood). I had a real problem with this when I was a new GM running Rifts because my players wanted to use them to move around but how unreliable are they? The Mechanoid invasion starts with a shifter just opening a random Rift and letting them in.

The problem with rifts, in any of the settings, is that they are not that well defined in terms of reliability or safety. I eventually started using the failure chart for the teleport spell.

Ultimately if I allow a PC to have the dimensional portal spell I make sure the player knows that things can come through and that it might go to the wrong place.

I always viewed the unreliability text to mean screw with it when it fits with the story the GM is telling.

Agreed, I just think it needs to be communicated to the player in advance as the spell description doesn't . Although, the Nazca lines description is more detailed.

I can agree that it needs to be communicated to the player in advance. I make sure that the player knows when they have access to those spells that that is how I run things.

[Marcethus]

We learn as early as World Book 3 that even a practiced magic user can try to open a rift to one place (central Mexico) and have it end up somewhere completely different (Wormwood). I had a real problem with this when I was a new GM running Rifts because my players wanted to use them to move around but how unreliable are they?

Funny thing when I compare Tarn's letters is she's not entirely consistent about the nature of the person who flubbed that rifting...

May 103 PA (WB3p8) "a gentle and kind Mexican shaman, knowledgeable in the mystic arts of shifting"
December 103 (DB1p29) "The Mexican ley line walker"

Wormwood went into more detail, about how the rift was excessively large (30ft tall, what were you trying to move through there bro? also apparently Tarn's persnoally seen one a MILE tall WOAH)

They were holding hands (I'm not sure who specifically, Thorpe obviously one) going through (the Rift had blowing winds, maybe afraid of falling) and the LLW apparently shouted "wait!" too late.

Instead of the casual 'stepping through a doorway' Tarn writes about strange sensations, swirling color, and a sense of falling.

This anomaly/disruption I think eventually got detailed in the Megaverse Builder dimension book - beginning with Maelstroms on pg 20.

Maelstroms have the described "vortex of windw and blue energy" and the whole section seems written to explain what happened to Tarn. Apparently these happen more often if you don't wait 5+ months after the latest ley line storm. Their impatience to travel's what caused it!

I'm thinking either this mexican LLW wasn't a shifter or was a rushed one, because shifters (DB7p21) have a Dimension Sense which can sometimes detect Maelstroms w/ enough prep and delay going through a portal for 6-36 minutes while it passes.

Given the mage gave SOME kind of warning there might be ways for non-shifter portal-makers to detect them too I'm just not sure how it works for LLWs or LLRs

The Shifter changed from the time that alot of that stuff was first written to when the shifter was redesigned in the RUE. So that is where the discrepancy comes in in the fluff text describing what occurred when Tarn went through that Rift.

[Shorty Lickens]

Potentially ANYTHING could come through a Rift so really Kevin was right. "Limited only by your imagination".
And he wasn't afraid to hand over god awful things like rape and torture and literally sending people to hell & back. Thus far its the bravest game setting I have ever seen. Like he was inspired by Event Horizon except that movie came out in 1997 so it couldn't be that.

[Warshield73]

My problem is when a rift opens what do you see? Some artwork, like the well known Xiticix flying through a rift from the RMB and on pag. 40 of RUE, shows the other side of the rift so when you open a rift don't you automatically know "this isn't the place I was aiming for" and can't the mage instantly shut it down? We also know from Rifts SB2 Mechanoids that when the shifter opened a rift in Archie's base that a bigger one opened above ground so another possible complication.

Even dimensional teleport which actually has a percentage value is not well explained. If my DT is 33% can I try once every attack, every minute, one try and done? it would be helpful to GMs and even players if it was just a tad more structured.

[Marcethus]

As far as Dimensional Teleporting goes, if its the spell you could theoretically try it every casting. (IIRC It's a 15th level spell so takes 3 actions?) As far as a DT ability (similar to a dragon or demon) I would say that they could retry it every action. That has always been how I have run it. IIRC I got that info off of the description of the Dragon Hatchling RCC, though it may be based off of the original RMB version.

[Plane]

My problem is when a rift opens what do you see? Some artwork, like the well known Xiticix flying through a rift from the RMB and on pag. 40 of RUE, shows the other side of the rift so when you open a rift don't you automatically know "this isn't the place I was aiming for"

That's something I've seen various depictions for in art. In terms of in-game text I'm less sure, Tarn on Wormwood 29 (December 103 PA journal) that when a Rift finishes opening it looks like "a glistening field of white and blue light" and "I have seen rifts many times in my life" implying it always looks this way. Is there any text which mentions being able to see what's on the other side of a Rift or is that purely an art thing?

RUE40's art by Kevin Long was present in the original 1990 main book and I'm thinking maybe they had less clear an idea of how Rifts would appear at the time?

I'd like to think both types exist I'm just not sure how to detemrine which happens, like if it's the mage's options, some random % for random rifts, etc.

can't the mage instantly shut it down?

That's an interesting question - I used to think so but that's not necessarily what a spell like Dimensional Portal necessarily means in terms of it's duration.

Megaverse Builder introduced a new OCC ability for the Shifter (one RUE retained) called the "special ritual of meditation" which makes them better at the Dimensional Portal spell.

It enables them to 'close it in a heartbeat at will' which is pointless to mention if that's something already possible by anyone using the spell normally without the SPOM

I think this means something other than the spell being active (an expired duration) causes rift closures, barring specially opened rifts using the ShifterSPOM

Close Rift is one obvious example - but otherwise you might need to wait for them to close naturally.

We never had rules for that AFAIK until RUE where 196 mentions the Random Rift table is to be used for rifts made by magical spells.

This generates a predetermined duration for rifts independent of the Dimensional Portal spell.

I believe the way it'd work is you roll that predetermined duration, but if the result is the rift is going to close or become unusable, as long as the duration is active it keeps it open and usable. But once that duration expires or is cancelled it should revert to behaving as it would on that table.

Even dimensional teleport which actually has a percentage value is not well explained. If my DT is 33% can I try once every attack, every minute, one try and done? it would be helpful to GMs and even players if it was just a tad more structured.

That largely goes unexplained, and might work differently for various species, but I believe a generic rule which clarified this at least for demons was finally put into Dark Conversion page 12 - it costs 1 melee action per attempt and can be attempted once per melee.

I'd just go with that for all other non-demon supernaturals unless it specifies otherwise.

[taalismn]

Indeed, on the issue of scariness...In BTS, characters are coming from a general culture that poo-poos the supernatural as wishful thinking, superstition, or brainfarting.
In Rifts, it's acknowledged FACT, it's just over the hill from your house, and you best know about the stuff or it's going to ctach you unawares!

As Grazzik stated, people are also lugging around personal artillery and maybe a grimoire ready to lay down smackdown. A dark alley gets a little less frightening when you got a flashlight, a can of mace, and a flamethrower.

[Marcethus]

Indeed, on the issue of scariness...In BTS, characters are coming from a general culture that poo-poos the supernatural as wishful thinking, superstition, or brainfarting.
In Rifts, it's acknowledged FACT, it's just over the hill from your house, and you best know about the stuff or it's going to ctach you unawares!

As Grazzik stated, people are also lugging around personal artillery and maybe a grimoire ready to lay down smackdown. A dark alley gets a little less frightening when you got a flashlight, a can of mace, and a flamethrower.

Dark alley vs Flamethrower. Hmmmm I like the odds unless it's a fire elemental.

[taalismn]

Well the big fire extinguishers are also useful if you can lug them. If cold chemical spray doesn't hurt the whatever, maybe it will blind them. Or maybe you throw the empty cylinder at them or use it to block a bite or slash. Of, if it's still pressurized, force-fed the monster a belch-bomb.

[Warshield73]

My problem is when a rift opens what do you see? Some artwork, like the well known Xiticix flying through a rift from the RMB and on pag. 40 of RUE, shows the other side of the rift so when you open a rift don't you automatically know "this isn't the place I was aiming for"

That's something I've seen various depictions for in art. In terms of in-game text I'm less sure, Tarn on Wormwood 29 (December 103 PA journal) that when a Rift finishes opening it looks like "a glistening field of white and blue light" and "I have seen rifts many times in my life" implying it always looks this way. Is there any text which mentions being able to see what's on the other side of a Rift or is that purely an art thing?

RUE40's art by Kevin Long was present in the original 1990 main book and I'm thinking maybe they had less clear an idea of how Rifts would appear at the time?

I'd like to think both types exist I'm just not sure how to detemrine which happens, like if it's the mage's options, some random % for random rifts, etc.

I tend to be meaner about it. If the player, or NPC, intentionally opens a rift it is the tunnel of blue light but random/natural rifts can appear as either type.

can't the mage instantly shut it down?

That's an interesting question - I used to think so but that's not necessarily what a spell like Dimensional Portal necessarily means in terms of it's duration.

Megaverse Builder introduced a new OCC ability for the Shifter (one RUE retained) called the "special ritual of meditation" which makes them better at the Dimensional Portal spell.

It enables them to 'close it in a heartbeat at will' which is pointless to mention if that's something already possible by anyone using the spell normally without the SPOM

I think this means something other than the spell being active (an expired duration) causes rift closures, barring specially opened rifts using the ShifterSPOM

Close Rift is one obvious example - but otherwise you might need to wait for them to close naturally.

We never had rules for that AFAIK until RUE where 196 mentions the Random Rift table is to be used for rifts made by magical spells.

This generates a predetermined duration for rifts independent of the Dimensional Portal spell.

I believe the way it'd work is you roll that predetermined duration, but if the result is the rift is going to close or become unusable, as long as the duration is active it keeps it open and usable. But once that duration expires or is cancelled it should revert to behaving as it would on that table.

This is more or less how I do it but I usually just make it so they can shut it down unless I need it to work some other way for story purposes.

Even dimensional teleport which actually has a percentage value is not well explained. If my DT is 33% can I try once every attack, every minute, one try and done? it would be helpful to GMs and even players if it was just a tad more structured.

That largely goes unexplained, and might work differently for various species, but I believe a generic rule which clarified this at least for demons was finally put into Dark Conversion page 12 - it costs 1 melee action per attempt and can be attempted once per melee.

I'd just go with that for all other non-demon supernaturals unless it specifies otherwise.

I do the same but the problem is what is failure. Sort of like the dragon teleport ability when you fail does it mean nothing happens or do you go someplace you don't want to.

Indeed, on the issue of scariness...In BTS, characters are coming from a general culture that poo-poos the supernatural as wishful thinking, superstition, or brainfarting.
In Rifts, it's acknowledged FACT, it's just over the hill from your house, and you best know about the stuff or it's going to ctach you unawares!

As Grazzik stated, people are also lugging around personal artillery and maybe a grimoire ready to lay down smackdown. A dark alley gets a little less frightening when you got a flashlight, a can of mace, and a flamethrower.

I think this is true but also very situational. In most of the Rifts con games I've run when they encounter a rift it might be mysterious (do they have to go through it) or exciting (do I get to shoot what's coming through) but I have a scenario called shatter point where the players are stuck in a town that is shifting between dimensions and rifts are constantly opening and the rifts are all of the type you can see the other side. In the 2 times I have run it so far it can get more than a little frightening, for the characters if not the players.

That brings up another point, do we mean scary for the characters or the players?

[Marcethus]

Even dimensional teleport which actually has a percentage value is not well explained. If my DT is 33% can I try once every attack, every minute, one try and done? it would be helpful to GMs and even players if it was just a tad more structured.

That largely goes unexplained, and might work differently for various species, but I believe a generic rule which clarified this at least for demons was finally put into Dark Conversion page 12 - it costs 1 melee action per attempt and can be attempted once per melee.

I'd just go with that for all other non-demon supernaturals unless it specifies otherwise.

I do the same but the problem is what is failure. Sort of like the dragon teleport ability when you fail does it mean nothing happens or do you go someplace you don't want to.

IIRC it was explained in the original RMB that when a dragon tries to teleport and fails the skill roll then nothing happens. I don't recall if it says the same thing in the RUE when I get the chance I will check. And that is how I do it with the Dimensional Teleport when it has the % listed. Takes an action whether it fails or succeeds, if it fails nothing happens other than action is used.

[Plane]

This is more or less how I do it but I usually just make it so they can shut it down unless I need it to work some other way for story purposes.

This takes away from the Shifter's SROM though since heartbeat-closer is supposed to be their bread and cutter.

It seems like there's other possible solutions though, like keeping a Scroll of Close Rift handy (these can be mass produced now, without permanent PPE sacrifice, by shifters)

I think there's other possible solutions too, like maybe allow Dimensional Portal to be recast and while it can't "close" the rift, it can REDIRECT it to a new location, effectively cutting off a problem like if you're getting chased by something on the other end.

As for preventing them from going wild - I'd say the initial Random Rift duration counter keeps going even through the 2nd casting of the spell, so enough castings would mean you wait out the minutes of randomness and can guarantee a safe intant closure once enough minutes have past- I believe sixteen are needed to make sure the 10% chance of a Misting Rift (pg 196 an Astral Plane portal) has fully closed - though even those tend to last an average of only TEN minutes.

The other kinds (Dying/Shrunken/Pulsating/Swelling/Consuming/Transparent/Exploding) last much shorter...

It mentions explicitly that both Shifter and Ley Line Walkers know EXACTLY how many seconds an Exploding Rift will last (4 to 24) but I don't know if they can estimate other rifts that well...

It's also not clear, if you're over-riding whatever a rift would naturally (randomly) be, if stabilizing it via Dimensional Portal would prevent a mage from understanding what the rift would default to once the spell expires...

If you do allow that (or maybe even tell the mage how much time was rolled) it would remove a lot of the guesswork - but I don't think that knowledge should be automatic.

Special skills being involved makes more sense - like that's the whole point of Dimension Sense (RUE 121) which requires 3-8 minutes of concentration - more immediate feedback would probably require some kind of spell or device.

the problem is what is failure.
Sort of like the dragon teleport ability when you fail does it mean nothing happens or do you go someplace you don't want to.

Dark Conversions when discussing demons teleporting home explicitly says "no teleport" which I think would serve as a default unless we're told otherwise.

There are mechanics in DB7 (Megaverse Builder) to allow dimensional teleports to head in the wrong direction though - just use page 21 to roll the % chance of hitting a Dimensional Maelstrom. You roll separately on both ends of a rift or teleport based on how recent the last Ley Line Storm was in the past four months.

Even though monsters may like to hang around ley lines, the wise ones wouldn't do dimensional travel near them due to this storm problem - you can take a lot of damage or even permanently lose ISP or PPE from those tables.

IIRC it was explained in the original RMB that when a dragon tries to teleport and fails the skill roll then nothing happens. I don't recall if it says the same thing in the RUE when I get the chance I will check. And that is how I do it with the Dimensional Teleport when it has the % listed. Takes an action whether it fails or succeeds, if it fails nothing happens other than action is used.

Yeah you're right it's "the likelihood of being able to activate" - there isn't any separate % chance for targeting the teleport properly, RMB pg 100-101 just seems to assume if you get it off then you land exactly where you want to be within the five-mile range.

There's also that whole "Only a mature dragon can perform a dimensional teleport without using a ley line nexus." bit which seems to strongly imply if you're at a ley line nexus the five mile limit is waved and you can teleport ANYWHERE.

RUE talks about it at 159 starting with the Cat's Eye - "Hatchlings can attempt a dimensional teleport at a ley line or nexus at half its usual percentage number" - this is inconsistent language. "Line or Nexus" is hardly "Nexus" after all. I'd say half skill at a nexus and QUARTER skill at merely a line - if allowing it at all.


There's a thrice-per-day limit on dimensional teleports on page 12 of Dragons and Gods but I don't think that applies to the whole "normal teleport upgraded at a nexus" thing but rather non-ley teleports which adults can attempt anywhere - not an ability of hatchlings.

Then there's also the "can only teleport himself" which raises questions about clothing and equipment...

Dragons and Gods page 12 emphasizes adult can bring 1000 pounds of equiment, with no equipment weight at all given for hatchlings so I'm thinking it's naked-only.

[Marcethus]

Dragons and Gods is mainly for PFRPG. So if it says something different than RUE then RUE supersedes what is said in D&G in the Rifts setting. Though that is up to individual GM's to decide what supersedes what in regards to rules clashes.

There's also that whole "Only a mature dragon can perform a dimensional teleport without using a ley line nexus." bit which seems to strongly imply if you're at a ley line nexus the five mile limit is waved and you can teleport ANYWHERE.

There is no such implication.

Yeah you're right it's "the likelihood of being able to activate" - there isn't any separate % chance for targeting the teleport properly, RMB pg 100-101 just seems to assume if you get it off then you land exactly where you want to be within the five-mile range.

That is not an assumption. That is exactly what occurs. If you succeed you teleport exactly where you want within range.