Charge question

[DarkLord Of DForce]

Okay, we're running a WOTBS campaign at home. We're in the 2nd module, and our group of 5-6 is at lev8. (background).

Here's the question - I've got a bugbear barbarian, who does amazing damage with a vorpal exec. axe on a charge. He's optimised his character for charging. I've got no problems at all with players doing the best they can do with their characters, I just want to make sure I'm DM'ing some things right.

When he charges, an item lets him ignore OAs. He also has something that lets him go through enemy's. So here is my question; if he is adjacent to a large creature that occupies 4 squares, and since he has to move 2 squares for the charge, in last nights session he was charging through the creature to wind up on its other side and attacking. I let this go, but after thinking about it today and re-reading charge I'm not sure he can do that. Charge states that every square must take him closer to his target. It seems to me that the very last move, out of the creature, onto the adjacent square on the other side of the creature, actually is a move *away* from the creature, so he couldn't do a charge. He could just pass through to the other side if he wanted to do so, but not a charge.

Can someone clarify this? Thanks much.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Yeah, your ruling would be correct. Moving from 1 to 0 I guess is getting closer, but the 2nd square of movement, from 0 to 0 or 0 to 1 doesn't work. Really the rule reflects common sense pretty effectively, the guy has to run up to something and whack it, using his momentum to make his attack more effective. Running past/under the monster doesn't really match that at all.

 

[Shadus]

What you said is right. A charge must take the shortest route to the target, so if they are already at the target, they would have to move away, then charge.

 

[delericho]

Yep, another voice for the consensus. He can charge through that creature and attack another, but he can't charge through and then attack the same creature.

 

[Pentius]

It's also worth noting that going from one adjacent square to another adjacent square isn't getting any closer to the target either.

 

[wlmartin]

Charging as well as some other powers (such as Avenger powers) ask you to move the most direct route or moving towards the target.

This basically means that each square you move must move towards the target.

It isnt that complicated but means that if the player moves 1 square at a time they only need to think "Would another square I move out of the other 8 I pick put me any closer to my target?" - if the answer is NO, then the move is valid.

The easiest way however to do it is plan a route that takes you the least time to get to the target whilst constantly moving towards it, remember that when you are adjacent to an opponent, either on a corner or on a flat side they are treated the same.

Using the phone keypad as an example, starting at 0 and needing to move to 1, your first choice can be 7 or 8.

If 7, you can then only pick 4
If 8, you can then pick 4 or 5

Some people get confused because they believe that in the above instance, the only choice would be 7 because 4 is closer to 1 than 5, but in reality they are the same distance because being at 4 or 5 is considered the same.


It is a complex thing however and I would encourage you to do whatever feels the most natural.

 

[Wednesday Boy]

Using the phone keypad as an example, starting at 0 and needing to move to 1, your first choice can be 7 or 8.

If 7, you can then only pick 4
If 8, you can then pick 4 or 5

Some people get confused because they believe that in the above instance, the only choice would be 7 because 4 is closer to 1 than 5, but in reality they are the same distance because being at 4 or 5 is considered the same.

This is getting into minutae but if you move into 7, you should be able to pick 4 or 5 because they're equidistant to 1 (one square away).

 

[Kzach]

This is getting into minutae but if you move into 7, you should be able to pick 4 or 5 because they're equidistant to 1 (one square away).

This is where a lot of contention crops up at tables. People immediately assume that you draw a straight line from the starting square to the destination square and that you can't deviate from that line in order to charge. But the thing is that you CAN deviate from that line because this exact thing quoted above.

 

[Mengu]

Couldn't help but raise my eyebrows when I read vorpal at level 8, but I assume you mean vanguard.

Wednesday Boy is correct on the charge square issue. You can go from 0 to 1, via 7-4, 7-5, 8-4, 8-5, or even 9-5. They are all legal.

 

[Ferghis]

Using the phone keypad as an example, starting at 0 and needing to move to 1, your first choice can be 7 or 8.

If 7, you can then only pick 4
If 8, you can then pick 4 or 5

Some people get confused because they believe that in the above instance, the only choice would be 7 because 4 is closer to 1 than 5, but in reality they are the same distance because being at 4 or 5 is considered the same.


It is a complex thing however and I would encourage you to do whatever feels the most natural.

This is getting into minutae but if you move into 7, you should be able to pick 4 or 5 because they're equidistant to 1 (one square away).

Actually, your first move could also be to the 9, but then you'd have to move to 5.

It's really only when you're on a diagonal towards the target that you're constrained as to where to step next. Once you hit the diagonal, you can't stray, and you can't cross the diagonal. Otherwise, any square in the target's direction is a valid move.