Jagged Berms

[eboats]

Which way are you ruling Jagged Berms? It feels like you can make a RAW case for either of the diagrams below.

♒♒♒♒♒♒♒♒♒⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
♒⬛♒♒⬛♒♒⬛♒⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛= Jagged Berm
♒♒♒♒♒♒♒♒♒⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜ = Open Space
♒♒♒♒♒♒♒♒♒⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ♒ = Berm Spikes
♒⬛♒♒⬛♒♒⬛♒⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
♒♒♒♒♒♒♒♒♒⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜

You conjure up to six cube-shaped mounds of packed earth. Each appears in an unoccupied square within 120 feet, fills its square, and provides cover. A mound has AC 10, Hardness 10, and 20 HP, and is immune to critical hits and precision damage. If destroyed, a mound becomes difficult terrain. The mounds last for an unlimited duration, but if you use the impulse again, any previous one ends.

Sharpened wooden stakes protrude from each mound into adjacent squares. They can project from any of its sides; you choose which sides for each mound. For each square of wooden stakes a creature enters, that creature takes 2d6 piercing damage. Destroying a mound also destroys its stakes.

⬜♒⬜⬜♒⬜⬜♒⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
♒⬛♒♒⬛♒♒⬛♒⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛= Jagged Berm
⬜♒⬜⬜♒⬜⬜♒⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜ = Open Space
⬜♒⬜⬜♒⬜⬜♒⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ♒ = Berm Spikes
♒⬛♒♒⬛♒♒⬛♒⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜♒⬜⬜♒⬜⬜♒⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜

You conjure up to six cube-shaped mounds of packed earth. Each appears in an unoccupied square within 120 feet, fills its square, and provides cover. A mound has AC 10, Hardness 10, and 20 HP, and is immune to critical hits and precision damage. If destroyed, a mound becomes difficult terrain. The mounds last for an unlimited duration, but if you use the impulse again, any previous one ends.

Sharpened wooden stakes protrude from each mound into adjacent squares. They can project from any of its sides; you choose which sides for each mound. For each square of wooden stakes a creature enters, that creature takes 2d6 piercing damage. Destroying a mound also destroys its stakes.

I am ruling all adjacent squares to the square the berm is in can have spikes. I am also ruling that while the berm itself has to be in an unoccupied square, the spikes can be in occupied squares, but they don't deal damage to anything currently occupying the square. Am I missing something in the RAW that clearly states one of these is correct, or is it really GM discretion on adjacent vs "sides" and which takes priority in the ruling?

[Ximen Bao]

I can't find anywhere where the rules officially define 'adjacent'. If you need rules support for that, if you read the reach rules together you can attack adjacent creatures included those on diagonals, so adjacent has to include diagonals.

https://2e.aonprd.com/Traits.aspx?ID=192
https://2e.aonprd.com/Rules.aspx?ID=352

So the spikes should stick into the diagonals as well, and since they're not occupying those squares, you could put a berm within range of another berm's spikes.

[breithauptclan]

Ximen Bao wrote:

I can't find anywhere where the rules officially define 'adjacent'. If you need rules support for that, if you read the reach rules together you can attack adjacent creatures included those on diagonals, so adjacent has to include diagonals.

https://2e.aonprd.com/Traits.aspx?ID=192
https://2e.aonprd.com/Rules.aspx?ID=352

Yes. That is what I could find too.

Range and Reach says that with a 5 foot reach you can use Strike to hit anything within 5 feet.

Grid Movement says that one diagonal square is still only 5 feet of distance.

Reach trait finally implies that a 5 foot distance equates to 'adjacent' by stating that an increase to 10 foot reach means that you can attack up to 10 feet away instead of only adjacent creatures.

It isn't an explicit rule, but it is pretty close. And it matches what we intuitively think about what adjacent means normally.

[Thorn]

eboats wrote:

Which way are you ruling Jagged Berms?

As per your second diagram because of the words you have highlighted, cube-shaped and sides.

[Farien]

Ah, but it doesn't say that the wooden stakes are straight. Or that they project perpendicular to the sides.

They are called Jagged Berms, right. So you just need to highlight different words.

[Ravingdork]

I think the first interpretation is correct. It's the only way the current phrasing makes sense. If it was only little t's, I feel it would have been written differently.