Does a Globe of Invulnerability spell block outsiders from teleporting inside with a spell?

Question

The Globe of Invulnerability spell states:

Any spell of 5th level or lower cast from outside the barrier can't affect creatures or objects within it, even if the spell is cast using a higher level spell slot. Such a spell can target creatures and objects within the barrier, but the spell has no effect on them. Similarly, the area within the barrier is excluded from the areas affected by such spells.

The Misty Step spell states:

you teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space that you can see.

The Dimension Door spell states:

You teleport yourself from your current location to any other spot within range. You arrive at exactly the spot desired.

Let's say that Bob casts Globe of Invulnerability; then Fred, who's outside Bob's globe, wants to teleport inside it (using Misty Step, or Dimension Door). Can Fred do that, or does the globe block outsiders from teleporting inside with a spell?

Answer 1

Both Misty Step and Dimension Door work unimpeded

Misty Step and Dimension Door, when cast on creature outside the barrier, do not affect or target creatures or objects within the barrier, and they don't affect an area. Furthermore, Globe of Invulnerability does not block vision (required for Misty Step), nor does it prevent targeting of points within it (required for Dimension Door). So it seems that nothing in the text of Globe of Invulnerability would interfere with either of these spells.

Other teleportation spells might be affected

Note that while the two specific spells in the question are not blocked, not every teleportation spell is guaranteed to get through. For example, suppose you cast Steel Wind Strike targeting only creatures within the globe. The relevant parts of the spell's text are:

[...] Make a melee spell attack against each target. [...] You can then teleport to an unoccupied space you can see within 5 feet of one of the targets you hit or missed.

If all targets are unaffected due to the protection of the globe, then you have not hit or missed any of them, because you have not attacked them. Therefore, you cannot teleport using the spell, since you have no valid targets to teleport next to.

So, it's important to read the text of the specific spell you want to use to determine what interaction it will have with Globe of Invulnerability.

Answer 2

Since RAW, spells only do what they say they do, and Globe of Invulnerability does not specify protecting against teleportation or travel via the ethereal plane, it does not protect you against someone teleporting into the Globe.

Compare the description of the Globe to that of Forcecage, which specifically deals with this:

If the creature tries to use teleportation or interplanar travel to leave the cage, it must first make a Charisma saving throw. On a success, the creature can use that magic to exit the cage. On a failure, the creature can't exit the cage and wastes the use of the spell or effect. The cage also extends into the Ethereal Plane, blocking ethereal travel.

As Globe of Invulnerability has no such provisions, it should not protect you against teleportation (although you cannot be pulled out from the outside.)

Answer 3

Any spell of 5th level or lower cast from outside the barrier can't affect creatures or objects within it, even if the spell is cast using a higher level spell slot. Such a spell can target creatures and objects within the barrier, but the spell has no effect on them. Similarly, the area within the barrier is excluded from the areas affected by such spells.

There is an ambiguity here.

Similarly, the area within the barrier is excluded from the areas affected by such spells.

What is "such spells"?

"such spells" could be "Any spell of 5th level or lower cast from outside the barrier", or it could be "Any spell of 5th level or lower cast from outside the barrier" that "target creatures or objects within the barrier".

I'd argue this is a weak ambuguity, because the previous sentence uses the same "Such a spell [...]" before it adds the "targets creatures [...] within". The echo of "such" in two sentences means that the "such" relatively unambiguously referrs to the first sentence.

So, given "Any spell of 5th level or lower" that is "cast from outside the barrier", then:

1. It cannot affect creatures or objects within it.
2. Creatures or objects can be targeted within it, but it has no effect on them.
3. The area within the barrier is excluded from the areas affects by such spells.

And this holds even if cast using a higher level spell slot.

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The next problem is Misty Step, and what "areas affected" means.

you teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space that you can see.

Is the unoccupied space you can see an "area affected" by Misty Step? That could be interpreted either way. Either no (because it is not part of the "area of effect" of Misty Step), or yes (because it is an identified area -- an unoccupied space -- and having someone appear in an area sure seems to affects it).

If yes, then Misty Step does not work through the barrier. If no, then it works.

For Dimension Door:

You teleport yourself from your current location to any other spot within range. You arrive at exactly the spot desired.

There is less ambiguity here. The "spot" doesn't read as explicitly as an "area" as an "unoccupied space" does. You could stretch "area" to include the target location I suppose as well. But it is more questionable.

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In the end, Misty Step working is questionable, but Dimension Door almost certainly works.

To address other arguments:

1. A Darkness spell cast from outside wouldn't darken anything inside, because "Such spells" is clearly not limited to spells that "target creatures or objects".

2. The rules for Forcecage have nothing to do with the rules for Globe of Invulnerability, and it having special rules about teleportation doesn't change how Globe works.

3. Dimension Door targets a spot, while Misty Step targets an unoccupied space. An unoccupied space is arguably an "area", but only arguably. Given that the two spells are basically doing the same thing, and that DD works, and that area is probably intended to refer to spells that impose effects on measured volumes (like 20' spheres or the like), I'd make MS work myself.

Answer 4

Let us first look at all of the relevant spell description of Globe of Invulnerability (PHB 245):

An immobile, faintly shimmering barrier springs into existence in a 10-foot radius around you and remains for the duration.

Any spell of 5th level or lower cast from outside the barrier can't affect creatures or objects within it, even if the spell is cast using a higher level spell slot. Such a spell can target creatures and objects within the barrier, but the spell has no effect on them. Similarly, the area within the barrier is excluded from the areas affected by such spells.

Sadly Frederike "Fred" the Fighter is incapable of spellcasting so in this task she is replaced by Sabba "Sabba" the Sorcerer who can cast both Misty Step and Dimension Door and tries to reach Roberta "Bob" the Bard.

She first thinks that only creatures or objects within the globe are sheltered, so she ponders to cast Misty Step that targets herself, a creature, but she quickly revises her idea when she stumbles upon the thought that similarly the area within the barrier is excluded from the areas affected by such spells that target creatures or objects, so she will not be able to appear at the unoccupied space within the globe. She also won't be able to take Fred with her, who owes her a large sum of money.

Her rattling mind wanders and sets to attempt it with Dimension Door which she thinks will be successful because unlike Misty Step she targets a point of origin within the globe which is not such a spell that targets creatures or objects. She even gets to bring Frederike "Fred" the Fighter with her even though both are creatures. As she casts Dimension Door her minds zeroes-in on the thought that the deciding factor is the targeting of the spell.

She will not only target the point of origin but also herself and Fred.

Targets (PHB 204):

A typical spell requires you to pick one or more targets to be affected by the spell’s magic. A spell's description tells you whether the spell targets creatures, objects, or a point of origin for an area of effect (described below).

Well, at least that is what Sabba the Sorcerer thought until she realised that she and Fred safely arrived on the inside of the Globe of Invulnerability.

But how did this happen?

She tries her deductive reasoning of the Arcana (PHB 177) and recalls that both Misty Step and Dimension Door would have worked because her revised thoughts were based on an incorrect premise. Her incorrect premise was that "similarly the area within the barrier is excluded from the areas affected by such spells that target creatures or objects" when it should have been "similarly the area within the barrier is excluded from the areas affected by such spells that target creatures or objects within the barrier" which intuitively she knew through her innate skill granted to her by the raw power that chose her to be a sorcerer.

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Tl;dr: Globe of Invulnerability neither blocks Misty Step nor Dimension Door