Can you charge diagonally?

[Lord Pendragon]

The Charge rules:

Huh. I missed that.

I stand corrected. An ally will indeed block a charge. They aren't an obstruction for the purposes of other movement, but the quoted bit of the charge rules clearly indicate that, for charging, they are.

 

[frankthedm]

Don't forget to randomly determine which square is closest BEFORE you check for obstacles.

Closest Creature
When it’s important to determine the closest square or creature to a location, if two squares or creatures are equally close, randomly determine which one counts as closest by rolling a die. >>>>>>>>>>>>>

Charge
Charging is a special full-round action that allows you to move up to twice your speed and attack during the action. However, it carries tight restrictions on how you can move.

Movement During a Charge
You must move before your attack, not after. You must move at least 10 feet (2 squares) and may move up to double your speed directly toward the designated opponent.

You must have a clear path toward the opponent, and nothing can hinder your movement (such as difficult terrain or obstacles). Here’s what it means to have a clear path. First, you must move to the closest* space from which you can attack the opponent. (If this space is occupied or otherwise blocked, you can’t charge.) Second, if any line from your starting space to the ending space passes through a square that blocks movement, slows movement, or contains a creature (even an ally), you can’t charge. (Helpless creatures don’t stop a charge.)

If you don’t have line of sight to the opponent at the start of your turn, you can’t charge that opponent.

You can’t take a 5-foot step in the same round as a charge.

If you are able to take only a standard action or a move action on your turn, you can still charge, but you are only allowed to move up to your speed (instead of up to double your speed). You can’t use this option unless you are restricted to taking only a standard action or move action on your turn.


Please note, I don't actually use this bit of RAW funkill, but it is helpfull to make arguments to move combat off grid and measure things.

 

[Legildur]

<snip>The easiest way to tell if you clip anything along the way is to trace a path from each of the corners, start to finish.<snip>

Actually, I would have thought that measuring centre to centre of the start and finish squares would be more appropriate. Then look at each square that the string passes through and determine whether the path is clear for a charge. Using the corners is for determining cover from ranged attacks (and reach weapons).

 

[Hypersmurf]

Actually, I would have thought that measuring centre to centre of the start and finish squares would be more appropriate. Then look at each square that the string passes through and determine whether the path is clear for a charge. Using the corners is for determining cover from ranged attacks (and reach weapons).

There's only one straight line from centre-of-square to centre-of-square.

But the rules for charging state that if any line from square to square is blocked, you can't charge. Since we know that centre to centre only provides one line, and the charge rules refer to the possibility of multiple lines ('any line' rather than 'the line'), the determination of charge-path-validity cannot be referring to a simple centre-to-centre check.

Take this situation:

-----
|...|   #[color=SlateGray]o[/color]##
|...|   [color=white]@[/color]
|...[color=brown]+[/color]####
-----

I want to shoot the goblin.

To determine whether your target has cover from your ranged attack, choose a corner of your square. If any line from this corner to any corner of the target’s square passes through a square or border that blocks line of effect or provides cover, or through a square occupied by a creature, the target has cover (+4 to AC).

If I pick the southwest or southeast corner of my square, some of my lines pass through the wall, and the goblin has cover. But if I pick the northwest or northeast corner, none of the lines pass through squares or borders that provide cover, or through a square occupied by a creature (that isn't the goblin, anyway), and so the goblin does not have cover. I can shoot him at no penalty.

The goblin has a mace, and wants to hit me.

When making a melee attack against an adjacent target, your target has cover if any line from your square to the target’s square goes through a wall (including a low wall).

Well, if I draw a line from somewhere in the southeast of the goblin's square to somewhere in the southeast of my square, it passes through a wall, so I have cover against the goblin. If I draw a line from northwest to northwest, there's no intervening wall, but that doesn't matter... I have cover if any line passes through a wall.

Since I have cover, the goblin doesn't get an AoO when I shoot.

Notice how the rule that prohibits charging uses the same wording - if any line between the squares is blocked, you can't charge.

-Hyp.

 

[Legildur]

<snip>Notice how the rule that prohibits charging uses the same wording - if any line between the squares is blocked, you can't charge.

LOL you could have saved yourself most of that post by just reminding me of the wording (and I apologise for posting without rereading the relevant section of the SRD) as I agree with you.

I know why I made that error. I was applying how to calculate the closest square for a charge and the movement rules required.

 

[Hypersmurf]

LOL you could have saved yourself most of that post by just reminding me of the wording.

Well... there were only twelve posts in the thread before yours, and three of them (including the first post and the last post) had already quoted the relevant sentence I assumed you knew what the words were

And besides... it was a chance to use a Nethack diagram for illustration

-Hyp.

 

[Legildur]

Well... there were only twelve posts in the thread before yours, and three of them (including the first post and the last post) had already quoted the relevant sentence I assumed you knew what the words were

The shame, the shame....

And besides... it was a chance to use a Nethack diagram for illustration

LOL, but how many people on the boards here are too young to know about Nethack??

 

[Hypersmurf]

LOL, but how many people on the boards here are too young to know about Nethack??

It's our job to educate them!

-Hyp.

 

[diaglo]

easiest way to see if you can charge:

rotate the battlemap. 45 degrees.

 

[dcollins]

Huh. I missed that. I stand corrected. An ally will indeed block a charge. They aren't an obstruction for the purposes of other movement, but the quoted bit of the charge rules clearly indicate that, for charging, they are.

That's a 3.5 change (along with the whole business of "check all lines from each corner of target to source" for missiles, spells, and charges). One of the several reasons I prefer 3.0.