Diagonals

[doktorstick]

Diagonals are counted a 5', 10', 5', 10', 5'... This means that someone diagonally (say northeast) from you with one square in between is 15' away (+5' for the adjacent diagonal and +10' for the next diagonal). Yes?

It may seem a bit of a stupid question, but two other groups I have seen do not count it as 15' away, but only 10' even though they use the diagonal distance rule. I've started over-rationalizing and have confused myself.

/ds

 

[kreynolds]

Diagonals are counted a 5', 10', 5', 10', 5'... This means that someone diagonally (say northeast) from you with one square in between is 15' away (+5' for the adjacent diagonal and +10' for the next diagonal). Yes?

Yes. It's wierd, I know.

 

[Cullain]

If you're using it as written in the PHB, than yes, it's considered 15 ft. away.

Technically, of course, it'd be ~11 feet away, and I could see calling it 10. I call it 15 myself, to the great infuriation of the engineers in my group.

Cullain

 

[doktorstick]

Technically, of course, it'd be ~11 feet away, and I could see calling it 10. I call it 15 myself, to the great infuriation of the engineers in my group.

They should go back to school! sqrt (5^2 + 5^2) = 7.071. So each diagonal is 7 ft. Two diagonals are 14 ft. (Or more precisely, the center of your square to the center of the square two diagonals away is 14 ft.)

I can see how they could come to that if they were calculating to the closest edge of the 2nd diagonal square.

Cheers,
/ds

 

[0-hr]

Does it actually say that in the PHB somewhere (I couldn't find it). It's the way I'd like to play it, but I thought it was just a "suggestion" made on-line somewhere and not a core rule.

 

[Shimrod]

This is a very difficult ´bug´ in these oversimplified combat rules. I would argue in favor of using 10 feet as distance for that square because of reach weapons:
Reach weapons get AoO in the square 10 feet away. If you count the 2nd diagonal as 15 feet, you would be able to approach a dude with a polearm without getting a AoO if you did it diagonally. Best solution would be hexes of course

 

[Vaxalon]

Well, hexes wouldn't be the "best" solution, because they introduce problems of their own...

Personally, I allow reach attacks at that diagonal to make things easier, but otherwise call that diagonal fifteen feet.

 

[0-hr]

I would argue in favor of using 10 feet as distance for that square because of reach weapons:

Though I really hate to say it (because I find it so annoying when other people make an unfounded appeal to authority), I do very clearly recall reading about this exact issue in some official place or other just recently. The answer was simply that moving in on the diagonal from 15ft to 5ft does indeed draw an attack of opportunity from reach weapons because somewhere along that line the person is 10ft away.

 

[Magic Rub]

Our group uses tape measures. The little sewing kit type.

 

[Sigma]

Though I really hate to say it (because I find it so annoying when other people make an unfounded appeal to authority), I do very clearly recall reading about this exact issue in some official place or other just recently. The answer was simply that moving in on the diagonal from 15ft to 5ft does indeed draw an attack of opportunity from reach weapons because somewhere along that line the person is 10ft away.

That's funny, I remember seeing the same thing, but can't think of where I saw it either. Maybe sage advice.