Does the Diagonal Threaten ruling for reach weapons from Sean Reynolds apply to 5 ft step?

[Titania, the Summer Queen]

This is the way i see it. Perspective is always taken from the point of view of the active character. Because the grid represents a gross reflection of combat where all of the combatants are in constant motion, the double diagonal represents a space of 15 feet. However a single square of diagonal movement represents a movement of 7.5 feet. When you measure the total movement of a person you tally the diagonals and lateral movements, then round down to nearest integer divisible by 5.

[Komoda]

While correct, that process is what causes the problem.

[silverace99]

Gilfalas wrote:

silverace99 wrote:

Benchak, it boils down to this: You should NEVER be able to get within 5ft of a reach weapon user without him being able to attack you from where he is standing unless you have Spring Attack or the environment provides you with cover.

Um wrong? 5 foot steps are specifically there to do just that, either from a corner square of from coming straight on at the guy using the reach weapon. If your willing to lose the attack rounds to approach super cautiously then you can get next to a reach user without causing any AoO. But it will be giving them full attacks while you get none.

You want to fix this? Get rid of the grid and go back to the days of Original D&D and measure things on a table with tape measures or rulers. Then when you use your 6 inches of movement in a move action (one square on most common grids is an inch)which represents 30 feet you will not have to worry about squares and corners messing up your reach.

Then again the 5 foot step will STILL be there and if used correctly will STILL allow you to approach and engage reach weapon users without causing an AoO. It will again slow you down giving them full attacks for a round while you get none but that is part of the utility of a reach weapon.

In ANY case, the answer to all your questions have already been posted:
In the thread you linked SKR specifically said his response was notFAQ and he does not do FAQ.
The PFS Playbook rules states only official FAQ or ERRATA affect Society play.
The core rules state that a 5 foot step of any kind never causes an attack of opportunity.

These answer your questions. Just because you do not like the answer does not make them any less valid.

1) The 5 ft step is NOT specifically there to prevent a reach user from ever getting in an attack on a diagonal. I have no idea why you think this.

2)This is again PFS. Why do you keep asking me to fix the grid?

3) The diagonal attacker is again, NOT slowed down if he can just move in diagonally without provoking. By the basic rules he doesn't even have to slow down to take that 5 ft step!

4) Despite the fact that the playbook rules state only FAQ and Errata affect Society play, I just brought up this question with both my local PFS organization and the Pathfinder Society Online collective and you know what the funny thing is? Almost everyone seems to use the rule that you can't approach on the diagonal without provoking, even though the 3.5 Exception doesn't exist! Why? Because it turns out they are all using SKR's opinion despite the fact that it isn't in the FAQ.

So no those aren't the answers to my questions.

[Matthew Downie]

"You can move 5 feet in any round when you don’t perform
any other kind of movement. Taking this 5-foot step
never provokes an attack of opportunity."
The rules are clear. A 5 foot step doesn't stop being a 5 foot step just because you get 10 feet closer to someone according to Pathfinder's weird non-Euclidean geometry.

Since doing this requires that he move into a position two diagonal squares from you and not get adjacent to you until his next turn, I suggest you move on your turn to prevent this from happening.

And as far as I can tell the SKR rule isn't PFS-legal anyway.

[seebs]

Yeah, I don't think SKR's ruling has any implications for the 5-foot-step. Yes, a 5-foot-step on the diagonal can create more than 5 feet of effective movement sometimes.

Thought experiment: Move two squares diagonally. You've moved 15 feet.

Now, take a diagonal 5-foot step this round. Next round, take another. On which round did you move "10 feet"? Answer: Neither.

So I don't think there's a problem here. The rule about reach weapons only applies in cases where you're trying to bypass the fact that normal moves don't let you get next to someone with a reach weapon without provoking AoO. It doesn't matter that 5-foot steps let you avoid AoO, because they would anyway. Consider: With a normal move, even if you're already on a horizontal square 10' from the reach weapon user, that next five feet provokes. Which is why, instead, you'd take the 5' step.