I'm going to play a gnome with a third-party alternate racial trait (which is probably my first mistake :) ) that allows him, as a full-round action, to become Diminutive. This is proving to be more difficult to stat out than I assumed, as it seems there is nowhere in the Pathfinder books to find all the rules about size categories in one location.
My initial question is, are there any hard rules about speed changes as a character goes up or down the size chart? Base speed isn't altered by Enlarge or Reduce Person, but I have a hard time believing that an eleven-inch-high gnome would be able to cover the same ground as his four-foot-eight Small normal form. (Which is not to say that I'll object if the rules say he can.)
(Looking into the bestiaries, I see that Small or littler humanoids and fey tend to be able to move at least 30' per round, leading me to the suspicion that halflings and gnomes have been unfairly slowed. Especially gnomes, who in Pathfinder are depicted as lithe and quick rather than the big-nosed stumpiness found in prior D&D editions.)
Then we come to what looks like a hole in the rules. Tiny and smaller creatures have to enter their opponents' space to attack. No creature may end its turn in an opponent's square. Should we conclude that Tiny creatures literally cannot make melee attacks unless they have Mobility, Flyby Attack, or use combat maneuvers? I must be overlooking something. Do they automatically bounce out of the space at the end of their attack, and if so, does this provoke additional AoOs?
I'm going to play a gnome with a third-party alternate racial trait (which is probably my first mistake :) ) that allows him, as a full-round action, to become Diminutive. This is proving to be more difficult to stat out than I assumed, as it seems there is nowhere in the Pathfinder books to find all the rules about size categories in one location.
My initial question is, are there any hard rules about speed changes as a character goes up or down the size chart? Base speed isn't altered by Enlarge or Reduce Person, but I have a hard time believing that an eleven-inch-high gnome would be able to cover the same ground as his four-foot-eight Small normal form. (Which is not to say that I'll object if the rules say he can.)
(Looking into the bestiaries, I see that Small or littler humanoids and fey tend to be able to move at least 30' per round, leading me to the suspicion that halflings and gnomes have been unfairly slowed. Especially gnomes, who in Pathfinder are depicted as lithe and quick rather than the big-nosed stumpiness found in prior D&D editions.)
Then we come to what looks like a hole in the rules. Tiny and smaller creatures have to enter their opponents' space to attack. No creature may end its turn in an opponent's square. Should we conclude that Tiny creatures literally cannot make melee attacks unless they have Mobility, Flyby Attack, or use combat maneuvers? I must be overlooking something. Do they automatically bounce out of the space at the end of their attack, and if so, does this provoke additional AoOs?
You may move through an opponent's square if you are 3 or more size categories smaller. Many people assume this means you can end your movement in an opponent's square. That is most likely, what the 3pp company did by accident.
As for the speed there is no hard rule. For the sake of balance the GM can keep it at 20. Hopefully he does not go the realism route.
RE: Moving into an opponent's square:
Very Small Creature: A Fine, Diminutive, or Tiny creature
can move into or through an occupied square. The creature
provokes attacks of opportunity when doing so.
Square Occupied by Creature Three Sizes Larger or
Smaller: Any creature can move through a square occupied
by a creature three size categories larger than itself.
A big creature can move through a square occupied by a
creature three size categories smaller than it is. Creatures
moving through squares occupied by other creatures
provoke attacks of opportunity from those creatures.
You can move and stay in an opponent's square. If you move through the square though, you do provoke attacks of opportunity.
RE: Moving into an opponent's square:
Very Small Creature: A Fine, Diminutive, or Tiny creature
can move into or through an occupied square. The creature
provokes attacks of opportunity when doing so.
Square Occupied by Creature Three Sizes Larger or
Smaller: Any creature can move through a square occupied
by a creature three size categories larger than itself.
A big creature can move through a square occupied by a
creature three size categories smaller than it is. Creatures
moving through squares occupied by other creatures
provoke attacks of opportunity from those creatures.
You can move and stay in an opponent's square. If you move through the square though, you do provoke attacks of opportunity.
Ending Your Movement: You can’t end your movement in
the same square as another creature unless it is helpless.
Is the "into or through" clause in Very Small Creature an exception to this?
...Looking at other rules for sizes smaller than Small, it seems this won't be the abusive wonder I thought it would be: can't flank, does not threaten squares... this is not something to build a rogue around. :)
I'll still keep the trait, since it's got many noncombat uses (it represents a gnome who's part pixie, and you grow wings when Diminutive starting at 5th level), but my feat and rogue choices are definitely changing...
Is the "into or through" clause in Very Small Creature an exception to this?
Yes, this is an exception to the normal rule.
As for the speed adjustment... people have asked this for years and I do not believe there is any official rule on this.
Is the "into or through" clause in Very Small Creature an exception to this?Yes, this is an exception to the normal rule.
As for the speed adjustment... people have asked this for years and I do not believe there is any official rule on this.
All righty, thanks to you and Wraithstrike for the help. :)
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Opponents do not get AoO if you have cover or total concealment.
Consider that if you are Tiny, you can easily conceal yourself behind most objects, such as an ally's shield.
And if your alternate Tiny form is still considered a humanoid creature, you can become Fine through Reduce Person, which makes it even easier to conceal yourself from opponents.
You could hide behind your friend's shield, follow its movement when he attacks, thereby entering his opponent's square without provoking an AoO, and then strike your unsuspecting enemy, maybe even fly back to your friend's shield.
With Sneak Attack, and even worse if you have an Agile weapon, this can become an ugly routine.
Opponents do not get AoO if you have cover or total concealment.
Consider that if you are Tiny, you can easily conceal yourself behind most objects, such as an ally's shield.
And if your alternate Tiny form is still considered a humanoid creature, you can become Fine through Reduce Person, which makes it even easier to conceal yourself from opponents.
You could hide behind your friend's shield, follow its movement when he attacks, thereby entering his opponent's square without provoking an AoO, and then strike your unsuspecting enemy, maybe even fly back to your friend's shield.
With Sneak Attack, and even worse if you have an Agile weapon, this can become an ugly routine.
Full cover goes both ways. If we are on opposite sides of a brick wall we can't hit each other. In the game cover is determined by drawing lines. The lines go both ways.
Another issue is that if you are tiny and you have to be in the opponent's square, but the person with the shield is not in the opponent's square then how are you benefiting from their shield?Most games also don't just have random object's lying around, and whether or not they provide cover is up to the GM.