I have a question regarding the language of 5 foot step.
"You can only take a 5-foot-step if your movement isn't hampered by difficult terrain or darkness. Any creature with a speed of 5 feet or less can't take a 5-foot step, since moving even 5 feet requires a move action for such a slow creature."
From the PRD
So, if you're entangled from a net, or a Rime metamagic spell giving you the entanlged condition you're still free to take a 5' step. As I read it. This doesn't seem like it is as intended.
Well, from the text of the Entangle spell, " The entire area of effect is considered difficult terrain while the effect lasts." So your movement is explicitly hampered by difficult terrain, so no 5' step.
I've not checked the wording of Rime metamagic, but it wouldn't be inappropriate to house rule that the effect of it is "considered difficult terrain."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Well, the Entangled condition states that "an entangled creature moves at half speed, cannot run or charge..." and rules under Hampered movement state "When movement is hampered, each square moved into usually counts as two squares..." and "You can't run or charge through any square that would hamper your movement."
It seems that a creature suffering from the Entangled condition is experiencing the same restrictions as a character traversing terrain that causes hampered movement.
The inability to take a 5-foot step should be part of those restrictions.
If entangled from a net, and within the length allowed by the rope, nothing seems to prevent a 5-foot step. It makes sense too. You can move freely (at half speed) within range of the rope, so why couldn't you move 5 feet? A normal medium character could move 15 feet without hindrance, given the right movement path.
As far as things like Rime Spell and other entanglement effects just slow a character down, they don't immobile them entirely. When slowed, I'm still able to take a large step backward, which is all the 5-foot step is supposed to emulate.
It helps to realize that the character isn't actually moving 5 feet. While a medium/small character takes up a 5-foot square in the game, he actually only takes up an area 1/4th of that. A 5-foot step is really more like a 3-foot step. It's just that this 3-foot step moves you into the adjacent square, and the minimum distances used by the grid are 5 feet.
I hope that helps explain the RAW and the rationale.
EDIT (due to ninjas):
The entangle spell acts differently than the entangle condition, so those rules aren't universal. However, that spell does prohibit 5-foot steps.
Not being able to run or charge has nothing to do with being able to take a single step in one direction, so that's not particularly relevant. The double movement, however, might apply, but a character with a speed of 10 feet and a character with a speed of 50 feet both get to take the same 5-foot step in combat, so I'd be hard pressed to take it as a reason to disallow them.
Not being able to run or charge has nothing to do with being able to take a single step in one direction, so that's not particularly relevant.
It is relevant to demonstrating how being "Entangled" is similar to having "Hampered Movement."
If we can determine that being "Entangled" is similar to having "hampered movement," but worse (because of the attack and dexterity penalties,) then we can reason that denial of a 5-foot step while "entangled" is reasonable for the same reasons one is denied a 5-foot step while suffering from "hampered movement."
Two things being similar are great realms for houserules, but this is the Rules Forum and RAW is what should be addressed. Cowering and Stunned both disallow movement and impose a -2 penalty to AC, and lose their Dex bonus to AC. However, just because something effects stunned opponents does not mean it effects cowering opponents, or vice versa.
As far as things like Rime Spell and other entanglement effects just slow a character down, they don't immobile them entirely. When slowed, I'm still able to take a large step backward, which is all the 5-foot step is supposed to emulate.It helps to realize that the character isn't actually moving 5 feet. While a medium/small character takes up a 5-foot square in the game, he actually only takes up an area 1/4th of that. A 5-foot step is really more like a 3-foot step. It's just that this 3-foot step moves you into the adjacent square, and the minimum distances used by the grid are 5 feet.
Actually, it could just as easily be 7 feet back instead of 3. Nothing says that you're necessarily moving from the center of the square to the center of the square, true. But if I take two successive "five foot steps" in two rounds (in the same direction), at least one of the two would have to be five feet or more.
And, actually, being slowed down, especially by an entangled effect, would, in fact, keep you from "taking a large step backwards," unless you want to fall on your arse because you slipped or tripped over an impediment. On an ordinary wooden floor, you know (without looking) that there's no tree branch between you and the place you want to put your foot, and that you're not going to step on a marble or a caltrop. You can therefore just put your foot wherever you want. You also know, for instance, that no one's tied your shoelaces together. Take away those assumptions, and you need to carefully feel where you place your foot, which takes time and attention, and hence you can't do as much else in a given round.
Except that the only time that a 5-foot step checks your speed is if it's under 10 feet. Otherwise it checks if you are in difficult terrain or can't move because of darkness. Unless another ability specifically limits taking 5-foot steps, it doesn't. It's pretty simple.
Regarding having to move 7 feet to move into the next square, since you are always considered to be in the most advantageous portion of your space, this is never true. Essentially, because you are able to move about in your square (to dodge, parry, position yourself for attack, etc.) you are never more than a single step away from the next square. This is why a 5-foot step doesn't provoke. If you were to actually move 5 full feet, that would be a larger strain of credulity for it to not provoke than a single step which happens to put you in a different tactical square.