The Switcheroo

[Legildur]

...B) Bull rush the wizard. He ends up in Blinky's square, but by the strange rules for ending up in an illegal square, the wizard is bumped to the nearest legal square. That happens to be the square that you started in.

Actually, the wizard would end up in the square beyond the Blink Dog as the fighter would oocupy the wizard's original square and the next nearest legal position would be on the other side. From the SRD:

Accidentally Ending Movement in an Illegal Space
Sometimes a character ends its movement while moving through a space where it’s not allowed to stop. When that happens, put your miniature in the last legal position you occupied, or the closest legal position, if there’s a legal position that’s closer.

So you woudl have the Blink Dog flanked.... for a short time..... and your wizard wouldn't necessarily be out of trouble.

Besides, what are you doing fighting a Blink Dog? They are usually Lawful Good in alignment....

 

[Ditch]

Your wizard retreats past the party, triggering your readied action. His movement stops in an occupied square (probably the clerics or something) and gets shunted to the nearest open square, which happens to be the one you just left. I'd rule this as legal.

See, this is why you take tumble as a wizard. Eventually you can even go through the badguy's squares.

 

[TheGogmagog]

I agree with Werk, I don't see how it can happen by RAW. I would guess most DM's would allow the readied action deal.
You might be able to combine specific wording to allow it to happen, once the wizard moves out of my square, I will attack the blink dog (this allows a 5' step). The wizard moves past you into player3's square behind you. He's not done with his movement but it triggers your readied action, step, whack. Then the wizard resumes his action continuing to move into your now vacant square. In this the wizard still draws an attack while he moves away if he decides to cast.

Your other options are Overrun or Bull rush. OR in the future you will learn to leave 5' gaps so people can move around.

I wonder, can the wizard chose to enter the helpless condition, would this be a non-action he would be able to enter on your turn? He would be denied dex and subject to coup de gras when initiative 6 rolls around, but the blink dog may be more concerned with the active fighter or at least his attack of opportunity. A bargest on the other hand would go for the kill. If he did chose to become helpless, could he chose to come out of helpless and move 5' back and still have a full round action available?

 

[Darkness]

Besides, what are you doing fighting a Blink Dog? They are usually Lawful Good in alignment....

Maybe it was a tragic misunderstanding but they'll figure it out soon and team up to fight the real villain.

 

[Infiniti2000]

I move into an occupied square, cannot attack, and am shunted back...

I guess I don't see why we are not shunted back, since there is never an open space to move to.

The wizard moved and has not yet ended his movement (this is why I did not say that the wizard could take a 5ft-step). Once he moves, he is not in his original square, but has not yet ended his movement. Your readied action occurs and now you can take a 5ft-step into a non-occupied square and take a standard action. The wizard continues his movement: he could then move one square further east (to player 3's square) and back or just stop his movement. Now that the movement has ended, the square is unoccupied and he is not shunted. The wizard gets a standard action (but would have provoked an AoO) or not (if he withdrew).

 

[Voldrath]

Another option might be to use the squeezing rules for tight spaces. Your character squeezes into half his square (-4 att & AC I believe), then ready an action to 5' and attack when the wizard squeezes in to the other half. I'm not shure if you can choose to squeeze but I can't see why not. The example in the PHB is of a similar situation but with a large creature moving past a medium in 10' coridoor.

 

[frankthedm]

Rules wise I don’t think it works.
1. Since the fighter's ready pre empts the wizards, the wizard is still in his original position when the fighter’s ready triggers.
2. The wizard cannot enter the fighters’ square with a 5 adjustment until the fighter is out of that space.

However…

I allow and expect lawful creatures that have practiced / drilled together to perform such exacting combat maneuvers such as these.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Rules wise I don’t think it works.
1. Since the fighter's ready pre empts the wizards, the wizard is still in his original position when the fighter’s ready triggers.

Reread two's post, #5.

2. The wizard cannot enter the fighters’ square with a 5 adjustment until the fighter is out of that space.

I agree. No 5ft-step allowed. The wizard can take a move action, however.