Diagonal reach, skipping through diagonal threatened areas, and other antics


Rules Questions


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Have the developers straightened it all out yet, and if so, what are the current rules regarding reach and moving through threatened spaces as they apply to diagonals?


I hadn't heard this was in contention. As far as I know, each diagonal is 1.5 squares (1, then 2, then 1, etc.) with the sole exception for the reach of a large creature (their reach is effectively squared out so that one cannot use a technicality to bypass threatening). What else have you heard?

Liberty's Edge

The debs have said that 10 foot reach doesn't threaten the 2nd diagonal, but that a character provokes when moving through the 10 foot distance between 15 and 5. Pretty sure this has not made it to errata nor FAQ. How that covers your needs, you'll have to decide for yourself. The link exists, but I'm not gonna attempt it on my phone.


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

Howie's got it right (Thanis, the way you describe it is known as "the 3.5 exception" to the rules for measuring diagonals, but has not actually made it into Pathfinder. Howie's description is based on a description by Sean K Reynolds, and gets called "the SKR method/rule").

A full treatment of the SKR rule involves a revision to how AoO are provoked from movement, and gets stated something like this:

If a creature moves so that a square it passes into is closer than the reach of a weapon, it provokes an attack of opportunity for moving out of a threatened square, even if the square it moved out of was not threatened by the weapon.


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Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Yeah...methinks I prefer the Thanis method.

I hope the overly complicated silliness that is SKR's method gets overturned by the other devs should they ever actually consider putting it on paper.

Silver Crusade

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I have some sympathy for SKR here.

I feel that he's not allowed or feels he can't use the 3.5 exception for whatever reason. So he has to find another way to make sense.

The trouble is, the 3.5 exception is orders of magnitude better than any other solution, and any attempt to explain any other way of doing it is doomed to failure.

What would it take to get Paizo to bite the bullet and officially recognise the 3.5 exception as the official PF rule?


Nuke it from orbit and convert to hexes. It's the only way to be sure!

But, seriously, I agree with Malachi Silverclaw. The 3.5 exception is the obvious best solution, and the SKR rule is the next best solution if that's not allowed.


Every time I fight in a diagonal hallway and yes this actually happens I start disliking the rule more and more.

I have had entire fights where the only reason I was able to attack was DM pity.

Liberty's Edge

Malachi Silverclaw wrote:

I have some sympathy for SKR here.

I feel that he's not allowed or feels he can't use the 3.5 exception for whatever reason. So he has to find another way to make sense.

I can't see why he wouldn't be allowed to re-institute the 3.5 exception other than someone at Paizo higher up the chain not allowing it. Even if the exception isn't in the SRD, you can still institute the same rule, just not use the wording WotC used in the 3.5 PHB.

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