Stinking Cloud question?

[parcival42]

I have questions about the 5th level Wizard daily Stinking Cloud (pg.161). It says, as part of the Effect line" that "Creatures that enter the zone or start their turns there take 1d10 + Intelligence modifier poison damage. As a move action, you can move the zone up to 6 squares."

Does moving it over creatures count as them entering the effect for the purposes of dishing out damage, or must they themselves move or be moved into the effect for that damage to happen?
It seems powerful to be able to cast it as a standard action and attack each creature in the area, then use a move action to possibly move it onto an entirely new group of enemies and have them take automatic damage for "entering" the area. Then on their turns they automatically take damage again. If not overpowered, it certainly is mean.

Also, the 19 level Cloudkill is almost the exact same spell. It's much larger, does the same damage and can only be moved 3 squares. It seems weaker, if not for the huge area. Does it really make up for it?

 

[mach1.9pants]

Common sense (well, what it appears like when I envision it anyway- common sense and magic don't mix!)says 'yes it damages someone if you move it over them'

Balance and RAW says 'no'; it explicitly states they must move into it or start in it.

IMO the answer is no. For verisimilitude I would rule when the cloud moves it does so at such a speed as not to have time to damage those it moves across.

 

[Keenath]

My understanding is that they do not take damage if the zone moves, only if they actively enter it.* The idea here, I think, is that they take damage for spending any portion of their own turn inside the zone. If they start inside, they take the damage immediately; if they start outside, they take damage when they enter it -- always on their own turn. (Except those hit by the primary casting, that is.)

*My understanding is that they also don't take damage from entering the zone by push or slide unless it's happening on their own turn.