Can a medium creature mechanically be in two squares so that two splash damages that only hit one of the squares both hit them?
Can a medium creature mechanically be in two squares so that two splash damages that only hit one of the squares both hit them?
Splash damage doesn't hit the same creature multiple times.
Throw Splash Weapon[...] A hit deals direct hit damage to the target, and splash damage to all creatures within 5 feet of the target. If the target is Large or larger, you choose one of its squares and the splash damage affects creatures within 5 feet of that square.
You can instead target a specific grid intersection. Treat this as a ranged attack against AC 5. However, if you target a grid intersection, creatures in all adjacent squares are dealt the splash damage, and the direct hit damage is not dealt to any creature.
The bolded passages say "Creatures in adjacent squares are dealt splash damage." If you read that it's actually a binary condition:
-> Am I a creature in an adjacent square? -> Take Splash damageIt's not phrased in such a way that large or larger creatures, or a creature taking up more than one square, could take the same splash damage multiple times. Anyone who says otherwise has house-ruled it.
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I believe, but am not entirely sure, that creatures can ever be in multiple squares; but can't find how i'd prove that in a meaningful timeframe.
Can a medium creature mechanically be in two squares so that two splash damages that only hit one of the squares both hit them?
I believe what he's saying is this:
There are 2 adjacent squares, A and B
Splash attack 1 hits square A, but not B
Splash attack 2 hits square B, but not A
Can a medium creature be in both squares A and B (and therefore be hit by both splash attacks)?
The answer I'll give is "no". Why use squares at all if you're going to ignore them? Squares are simply a way to simplify things like this, if you don't like them you don't have to use squares at all (and then you can measure points of origin etc if you want).
The actual answer is probably "yes", but you'd have to specify you're in both squares beforehand, and you probably don't get any benefit from being in both (and likely would have to pick 1 that's your "main" square as far as reach etc is concerned).
Mr charisma has the right of what I was asking.
The question came up when I wanted to fireball a large event and not hit my 6ft half orc and the gm was saying that the half orc would be hit cause his head was in the higher square too
Oh! I would've definitely asked about Vertical "squares" since it's not well defined. I guess if you were 6ft tall and thus in the explosion, but would've have been if you were <5ft, that's fair.. ish.
I'd have probably let you duck myself; as his ruling is assuming a Cylindrical fireball explosion, rather than a spherical one.
That said, vertical combat is loosely defined and you'll have to defer to the DM (as far I know.)
Yeah this isn't well defined in the rules, but as far as i know RAW is that you inhabit a 5 foot cube. Your limbs (and head) extend outside of this (to make attacks etc) but since you're considered to be moving all the time it wouldn't be unreasonable to think you'd be able to duck a fireball from above if it doesn't extend into the square you're standing in.
The way i got to this reasoning was to imagine 2 characters fighting - one hovering 5 feet above the ground and the other beneath them. If they were actually uovering 8 feet in the air most people wouldn't be able to reach them (certainly not a dwarf - who's technically medium - or a halfling or a gnome). I imagine them hovering around head-hight attacking downward while the character below defends their head and attacks upward. In game mechanics they occupy a 5 foot cube, but in reality all of their movement and attacks go in and out of squares all the time. The squares just make it easier to work out reach/AoEs/etc, so the best thing for them is to be simple and consistent - even if it's jot the most realistic way of doing it.
From where you are now the best course is to talk to your gm (and the rest of the group) and decide how to proceed. It doesn't matter what the consensus is, but as long as it's consistent your players (and characters) will understand how the world works and plan accordingly.
(Sorry for long sentences/bad editing, i'm on my phone)