Footwork Lure - Sliding Big Creatures

[Pasus Nauran]

One of my players has asked me to clarify my interpretation of the fighter at-will power "Footwork Lure" before he decides whether or not he'll be swapping it into his powers.

The power doesn't have a limitation on the distance slid and doesn't specify how that affects bigger creatures (with multi-square bases).

The description for Sliding mentions the following:

Slide: When you slide a creature, there’s no restriction on the direction you can move it.

...

• Line of Effect: You must have line of effect to any square you pull, push, or slide a creature into.
• Distance in Squares: The power you’re using specifies how many squares you can move a target. You can choose to move the target fewer squares or not to move it at all. You can’t move the target vertically.
• Specific Destination: Some powers don’t specify a distance in squares but instead specify a destination, such as “adjacent” (a square adjacent to you).
• No Opportunity Attacks: Forced movement does not provoke opportunity attacks or other opportunity actions.
• Ignore Difficult Terrain: Forced movement isn’t hindered by difficult terrain.
• Not a Move: Forced movement doesn’t count against a target’s ability to move on its turn. A target’s speed is irrelevant to the distance you move it.
• Clear Path: Forced movement can’t move a target into a space it couldn’t enter by walking. The target can’t be forced into an obstacle or made to squeeze into a space.
• Catching Yourself: If you’re forced over a precipice or a pit, you can try to catch yourself before you fall. See “Falling,” page 284.
• Swapping Places: Some powers let you swap places with a target. You slide the target so that its space overlaps your space, and then you shift so your space includes at least one square that the target just left.

Most slides I've seen specify a number of squares of movement, which resolves issues with the placement of a large creatures. However, since Footwork Lure doesn't specify a distance of movement, there is question as to whether the fighter could slide a large creature in so as to place any one the creatures base squares over the target square (at his choosing), as the movement of a slide is determined by the person doing the sliding.

My issue with this is that (in an extreme example), a fighter wielding a poelarm could effectively slide a gargantuan creatures 6 squares (2 for the polearm's reach, and 4 to move the back side of the creature into the target square).

This seems a tad powerful for an at-will attack. It also seems to go against the flavour of the attack, which states:

You press the attack, engaging your enemy before falling back and drawing him after you.

If the creatures is drawn after you, why would he completely move through where you were, repositioning himself far more than need be?

I don't have an issue with the concept of the power, I just think it can easily be exploited on larger creatures, as the RAW is quite vague, not making any mention of movement distance nor how to deal with larger creatures.

How are others interpreting this power?

 

[Mort_Q]

It's only abusive if the DM lets you slide creatures off of cliffs.

 

[Chzbro]

I don't think you actually can slide large (or larger creatures) in the way the OP describes.

Although the power does not specify a distance, it says "into a square adjacent to you" rather than "any square adjacent to you." I would contend that once you have slid one square of the creature into any square adjacent to you the requirements of the power have been met and you have to stop there.

In other words, I don't think the power lets you keep sliding the creature until you have it positioned "just so."

Now, the problem still arises that the rules don't explicitly state that you must slide the creature in the most direct route possible, but since I'm pretty sure that is RAI and what most DMs would rule, that's probably less of an issue.

 

[UltimaGabe]

Although the power does not specify a distance, it says "into a square adjacent to you" rather than "any square adjacent to you." I would contend that once you have slid one square of the creature into any square adjacent to you the requirements of the power have been met and you have to stop there.

Actually, the wording is "into the space you left" if I'm not mistaken. Not hugely different, but still an important distinction.

 

[Pasus Nauran]

Now, the problem still arises that the rules don't explicitly state that you must slide the creature in the most direct route possible, but since I'm pretty sure that is RAI and what most DMs would rule, that's probably less of an issue.

The problem with that interpretation is it's then essentially a Pull, rather than a Slide, isn't it.

Yeah, "adjacent space" is on Luring Strike (the Swordmage version). For Footwork Lure, the hit text is:

Hit: 1[W] + Strength modifier damage. You can shift 1 square and slide the target into the space you left.
Increase damage to 2[W] + Strength modifier at 21st level.

 

[the Jester]

I rule that as soon as one square of the creature's space is in the space the pc vacated, the slide ends.

 

[Pasus Nauran]

I rule that as soon as one square of the creature's space is in the space the pc vacated, the slide ends.

Do you also rule that the movement must be more or less directly into the square?

If not, the player could state that the creatures moves around in such a way that any of it's outside squares could be first to enter the target square.

 

[Obryn]

As far as I could tell, the whole point of the Slide terminology was to make Polearm Gamble an amazing feat, and not so you could slide your target all around the battlefield in a circle before moving them into a space next to you.

-O

 

[CovertOps]

On this I'm almost willing to rule that the DM controls the slide once the PC has determined the target square.

I think you're right that it should be by the most direct/shortest route to the target square. You might also rule that the monster is allowed to move through the square of the PC using footwork lure for purposes of this slide if the target is larger than the PC, but that it must end in unoccupied squares.

 

[Caliber]

I think a pretty fair ruling would be to say the square that ends up in the spot vacated by the player has to be the square that was attacked. If they can attack a back square somehow (enhanced reach boosts or something) then they can slide their large for all over the place. Otherwise it doesn't seem likely to happen.