Levitate and 5-foot step

[densetsu_hoshi]

As the title says. Does this work? I was running a session and had a monster use it to avoid having to move around a pit but otherwise stay on the floor. For clarity's sake it was a large monster moving over a 5'x10' pit.

Since I couldn't find an answer right away I ruled that the monster still had to take a move action. So was I correct or was I nerfing the monster?

[SlimGauge]

How is the monster levitating ? If he can cast spells, then it's at least a standard action to do that (if he hasn't quickened it). If it's an SLA, then it's also a standard action unless that particular SLA says differently.

Why didn't the monster just jump the measly (for a large creature) 5'x10' pit ?

[kronovan]

You can't perform a move action and take a 5' step in a round. Levitate is the equivalent of a move action as clearly stated on pg. 304 of the CRB:

"...You can mentally direct the recipient to move up or down as much as 20 feet each round; doing so is a move action."

[densetsu_hoshi]

SLA. Didn't think about having the monster jump over something when it could just spend an action activating levitate and essentially just walk across.

I was more wondering about subsequent rounds where it could 5-ft into / out of the pit containing squares or just having it active when moving normally and only seeing the effects when it is actually over the pit.

At this point I'm starting to think it couldn't 5-foot into / out of the pit squares but I don't see anything that says it couldn't have levitate active and just be walking on the floor like normal and take normal 5-foot steps.

--kronovan
It says you can move up and down as a move action and that you have no horizontal movement if you are above the ground. But what about if you can actually touch the ground and you choose not to levitate except when the ground falls away?

Sorry my initial post should have been clearer. I'm thinking about a horizontal 5-foot step as the spell clearly says any vertical movement is a move action.

[Majuba]

I always let PCs 5'-step off of cliffs...

I don't think have any issue with 5' off, or a 5' step back for a large creature over a 5' wide hole. As long as it has footing it should be able to step.

[EvilMinion]

levitate is up/down... how is 5' step coming up?

[kronovan]

EvilMinion wrote:

levitate is up/down... how is 5' step coming up?

Based on what was in the OP and what the poster has clarified since, the monster had levitate active -which has a duration of 1 min./lvl.- and is taking a 5' step in a subsequent round over a 10' cliff. I believe going by the RAW stepping over that cliff still constitutes a move action, because levitate is required to prevent the monster from falling. Hence that would still be a 5' step and move action in the same round - not allowed. If this was for PFS play I'd say it shouldn't be allowed, but if it was for a private campaign IMO it wouldn't be that big a deal to allow it.

[Avatar-1]

As soon as you start 5ft stepping while levitating (out of the pit, from what you seem to be describing), the levitating stops.

Worse if you're trying to levitate over the pit, because that means levitate breaks and you fall in (while you're trying not to. Ha!)

[Skeld]

kronovan wrote:

You can't perform a move action and take a 5' step in a round. Levitate is the equivalent of a move action as clearly stated on pg. 304 of the CRB:

"...You can mentally direct the recipient to move up or down as much as 20 feet each round; doing so is a move action."

You can take a move action and a 5 foot step in the same round, so long as you don't actually move. Not all move actions cause you to move.

[kronovan]

Skeld wrote:

kronovan wrote:

You can't perform a move action and take a 5' step in a round. Levitate is the equivalent of a move action as clearly stated on pg. 304 of the CRB:

"...You can mentally direct the recipient to move up or down as much as 20 feet each round; doing so is a move action."

You can take a move action and a 5 foot step in the same round, so long as you don't actually move. Not all move actions cause you to move.

Correct, and I really should have stated that better in my earlier post. That said, a levitation is a move action that involves movement of up to 20' vertically.

[densetsu_hoshi]

Ok, so what I'm getting is even though i activated levitate before I could 5-ft step over the pit but I would need to spend a move action to not fall in? Or would I instantly begin falling and levitate would not keep me at my current height and thus suffer falling damage?

If the latter then how is that different from someone casting levitate on a person and pushing that person over a cliff. Do they fall or do they float? I mean theoretically they could levitate 1/2 mm above the floor as a move action and be basically touching the floor for movement purposes but still be levitating, right?

Also Avatar-1, I don't see anyplace in the spell description that says levitate breaks when moving over a pit. Could you point out where it says that happens?

Sorry not trying to game the system (in fact I ruled that the creature needed to take a move action to move over the pit) just want to figure out how the rules actually work as RAW.

[EvilMinion]

Important to remember that its the caster that controls the up/down movement from a levitate spell, not the person it was cast on.

[Arlandor]

I see nothing in the description of Levitate that would suggest that you have to spend a move action just to stay where you are if the floor came out from under you.

the spell states that: You can mentally direct the recipient to move up or down as much as 20 feet each round; doing so is a move action.

so if took a 5ft step off a cliff or over a pit you would hang in space. since you took a 5ft step you would not be able to move any more that round. but the next round you could move up or down as per the spell.

5ft step states that: You can move 5 feet in any round when you don't perform any other kind of movement.

so even using the spell to move up or down would be limited if you have taken a 5ft step.

[Driver 325 yards]

Arlandor wrote:

I see nothing in the description of Levitate that would suggest that you have to spend a move action just to stay where you are if the floor came out from under you.

the spell states that: You can mentally direct the recipient to move up or down as much as 20 feet each round; doing so is a move action.

so if took a 5ft step off a cliff or over a pit you would hang in space. since you took a 5ft step you would not be able to move any more that round. but the next round you could move up or down as per the spell.

5ft step states that: You can move 5 feet in any round when you don't perform any other kind of movement.

so even using the spell to move up or down would be limited if you have taken a 5ft step.

Very much this!!!

[densetsu_hoshi]

Ok I see where you're coming from. Makes sense. I might have gimped my encounter but that's fine, would have resulted in a TPK otherwise.

Thanks everyone for your input.