It would be useful to use the 4E rename of the "five-foot step" as a "shift" or "adjust". I'm going to call it an "adjust".
When not in difficult terrain, the rules allow you to make a free adjust as part of any turn where you don't otherwise change positions.
In difficult terrain, you may not adjust.
That text you quoted has nothing to do with making an adjust, which you're not allowed to do in diffcult terrain. The text has to do with hampered movement instead.
For instance, let's say that your character has failed his save against a monk's Scorpion style, and has a movement of 5 feet. Let's also say that your character is in difficult terrain under poor visibility. So now moving one square would cost four squares of movement. Even using a double move, your character only has two squares worth of movement. You are "so hampered that you don't have sufficient speed even to move 5 feet (a single square)."
What this special movement rule allows you to do is to spend a full-round action to move one square. This is NOT an "adjust" -- this is essentially equivalent to a double move. This rule is there so that, no matter how hampered your movement or slow your speed might be, you can always move at least a single square when you spend your entire round to do so.
Good afternoon All;
For years our group has playe a strict "no 5' step when movement is hampered, as in difficult terrain" rule.
So when I ran accross the quote below I got to wondering.
from CRB pg#188
Move 5 Feet through Difficult Terrain
In some situations, your movement may be so hampered
that you don’t have sufficient speed even to move 5 feet (a
single square). In such a case, you may spend a full-round
action to move 5 feet (1 square) in any direction, even
diagonally. Even though this looks like a 5-foot step, it’s
not, and thus it provokes attacks of opportunity normally.So if one has sufficent movement to move one square in a move action one may take a 5 foot step?
wc
A five-foot-step can only be made if moving that one square would only "cost 5ft". If you're in the middle of difficult terrain, a square "costs" 10ft, so it's not a five-foot-step, and you can't make it as a free action - unless, of course, you have an ability that makes you ignore that difficult terrain.
Such an ability can be very helpful, especially for a PF spellcaster! Because of the new feat Step Up, a five-foot-step will not always move you out of harm's way, as an enemy with that feat can make a five-foot-step as an immediate action. But if you're on difficult terrain, can ignore that terrain and the enemy cannot, you can negate his Step Up.
Hm.... I just had that idea! And I just happen to play a cleric who focuses on healing and spellcasting, with a side-order of ranged attacks (little, weak halfling). One of his domains is Travel which lets you ignore difficult terrain!
Hee hee hee. I think my GM will have a fit when I first use this :)
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A five-foot-step can only be made if moving that one square would only "cost 5ft". If you're in the middle of difficult terrain, a square "costs" 10ft, so it's not a five-foot-step, and you can't make it as a free action - unless, of course, you have an ability that makes you ignore that difficult terrain.
Such an ability can be very helpful, especially for a PF spellcaster! Because of the new feat Step Up, a five-foot-step will not always move you out of harm's way, as an enemy with that feat can make a five-foot-step as an immediate action. But if you're on difficult terrain, can ignore that terrain and the enemy cannot, you can negate his Step Up.
Hm.... I just had that idea! And I just happen to play a cleric who focuses on healing and spellcasting, with a side-order of ranged attacks (little, weak halfling). One of his domains is Travel which lets you ignore difficult terrain!
Hee hee hee. I think my GM will have a fit when I first use this :)
I found this is also great for archers; we have a Ranger that heads to the rough terrain anytime she can. :)