5-foot Step -- I need a clarification


Rules Questions


So, suppose two directly adjacent enemies (as in, side-by-side, not diagonal), A and B. Could one of them use a 5-foot step to place himself directly to the side of the other?

Example:

Starting:
AB

After a 5-foot step:
A
B

Came up last game. My GM ruled it's possible, to make the game go along, but we'd like a more definitive answer, for future reference :)

The Exchange Owner - D20 Hobbies

Yes you can make a diagonal 5 ft step.


You can 5-foot step in any direction. Is something blocking your diagonal movement?


Ciaran: Other than the guy right there trying to hit you with a sword? No.

My argument was that walls block diagonal movement, why wouldn't an enemy? But then again, I couldn't find anything in the rules to confirm this, so here we are :)


You can five foot step, or make any other kind of movement diagonally, unless there is something like a corner wall blocking your path.

I think if you check the "environment" chapter there are all kinds of specific rules for different situations. Creatures are treated similar to pillars or other things that occupy the center of a square, rather then actually filling and blocking a 5x5x5 area.


Creatures don't prevent 5 foot steps. About the onky time you can't do it is around a hard corner into a creatures square or into rough terrain.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

The logic that it doesn't is that in the case of walls or other things I would call "hard corners", they actually occupy that entire space. In the case of creatures, their occupation is more from an area control perspective. I would probably, for example, disallow 5' steps past a gelatinous cube in that way.

That admittedly means there are more features of the grid that are represented mechanically (a creature can pass between two creatures "adjacent" on a diagnonal but not "adjacent" along an edge), but I think it's not too excessive.


Berinor wrote:
a creature can pass between two creatures "adjacent" on a diagnonal but not "adjacent" along an edge

Yeah, it was that weirdness that got me convinced you couldn't.

But it seems I'm wrong. You learn something new every day :)

Dark Archive

also a reminder that you cannot 5 ft step in difficult terrain unless you have an ability, feat, etc.. that allows you to.


I could see disallowing a 5 foot diagonal step on the basis that you are moving more than 5 feet. When moving diagonally you are actually moving at 2/3 speed rounded down. Each odd square is 5 feet, each even square is 10 feet.


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CRB, Combat wrote:
You can't move diagonally past a corner (even by taking a 5-foot step). You can move diagonally past a creature, even an opponent.

Seems straightforward.

Liberty's Edge

Mysterious Stranger wrote:
I could see disallowing a 5 foot diagonal step on the basis that you are moving more than 5 feet. When moving diagonally you are actually moving at 2/3 speed rounded down. Each odd square is 5 feet, each even square is 10 feet.

You aren't moving at a reduced speed when moving diagonally. The 5-10-5-10 movement pattern is an approximation of the geometry of triangles. Is a nod to Pythagoras.

In game terms, a single diagonal square is five feet of movement bit isn't 7.5 feet of movement. It is counted this way for all purposes.

You can assuredly make a 5-foot step unless prohibited by a hard corner, terrain, etc. disallowing a 5-foot diagonal step due to the diagonal distance is wholly within the realm of houserules do so if your style of gaming suggests it. The effect is to push the game further toward a slug-fest by further reducing mobility and tactical movement during movement.

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