As a DM, how do you handle movement on a square grid?

[shilsen]

3.5 to the rescue!

The revision spotlight on the WotC website (on AoOs, this week) has the following text:

"For instance, a longspear-wielding human threatens all squares 10 feet (2 squares) away, even diagonally. (This is an exception to the rule that 2 squares of diagonal distance is measured as 15 feet.)"

So it looks like that's going to be in the core books now. I like it, especially since that's what my group uses

 

[Dax Doomslayer]

Hi Folks,
Thanks for the answers on the reach question. One additional question on the diagonal movement. Do people allow a diagonal move for the 5' step and no AoO? Technically it is more than 5'. Once again, I'm just curious as to what others are doing. Thanks.

 

[Pielorinho]

Seriously, I just treat movement in any direction as 5 feet.

I'd say 99% of the time, that works fine -- it extends movement rates, sure, but it extends it for everyone equally.

But the fact that it sometimes means that two sides of a triangle add up to equal the third side -- that it means the shortest distance between two points is not necessarily a straight line -- really bugs me. And 5-10-5 isn't difficult to keep track of.

I'll stick with 5-10-5: slightly more complex, but it leaves the first week of geometry class intact .

Daniel

 

[Joseph Elric Smith]

For the most part i just treat a square as a square.
ken

 

[Eben]

1 square=5feet of movement. I agree with those who say that diagonal movement measures longer. But using grid movement is a representation, not the actual movement. If you want your movement to be spot on, don't use grids, measure distances. Placing a miniature in a square is not the exact point in the space-time continuüm it occupies, it's just a way to represent it.

As to the 3.5 quote: this is absurd: for movement a diagonal square is measured as 15 feet, but not for reach. Either it is or it isn't. What about ranged weapons?

As to the point of area effect spells: just count squares form the point of origing to the possible targets. Either your within the range or you aren't. Who gives a *bleep* about where the spell has an effect if noting is in that square?

When we use mini's (and we use them a lot as we're all lead-addicts ), they're used to visualise certain situations. And mostly those situations are short range. The warping effect of 1square=5feet is hardly a factor and you don't have this absurd discrepancy between movement an reach.

What about the five foot step? Doesn't this cause problems in a 5-10-5 approach?

This discussion has seriously made me think about using a hex-map in stead, because maybe you are right.

Damned, I'll be seeing squares for the rest of the day!

Cheers all!

 

[MerricB]

As to the 3.5 quote: this is absurd: for movement a diagonal square is measured as 15 feet, but not for reach. Either it is or it isn't. What about ranged weapons?

The rules problems it fixes are significant. It makes the entire business rather simple, actually.

The 5/10/5/10/5/10 step system is easy, the one place where it falls down is being able to make approach from the diagonal and not provoke an AoO; this is what the 10' reaching that far fixes and in very clear language.

Cheers!

 

[Eben]

Okay, I'll bring it up next friday. I still have some reservations, but at least I think we should give it a spin.

Interesting thread by the way. I had no idea this even was an issue.

Thanks.

 

[Fast Learner]

My only problem is when you have that odd final move (for example, if diagonal ended on one round as 5 ft. do you start the next round as 5 ft. or 10 ft.?) In order to handle such situations, I have been allowing players to carry over no more than 1 movement point (2.5 feet) from one round to the next.

I don't consider this a problem -- just don't carry the points over and start every move at 5.

This gives everyone the benefit of the doubt (that is, the first diagonal is "cheap"), but it makes up for the fact that the 5-10-5-10 method is actually slightly unfair (see the previous post -- the creatures lose a little bit of movement this way, even more if they travel far), so the benefit of a doubt on the first move works out well.

 

[Marimmar]

Do people allow a diagonal move for the 5' step and no AoO? Technically it is more than 5'.

Well since the 5-10-5 movement says that the first square is just a 5' movement there are no AoOs for stepping away diagonally.

I've to keep the rules simple, some of my players have problems computing the skill points for their characters because the rules are to confusing for them. Not everyone is a math crack.

~Marimmar

 

[The Sigil]

FWIW:

If you take a 5' step as your action, you may move into any adjacent square, including diagonals.

If you take any move action other than a 5' step, the first diagonal move counts as 10', the second 5', the third 10', the fourth 5', etc.

REACH: Your 5' reach extends into the diagonals. A 10' reach reaches 2 diagonals away. A 15' reach only reaches 2 diagonals away, not 3. Haven't had to deal with 20' or greater reach.

--The Sigil