D&D 5E How broken is tunneling speed?

[jayoungr]

View attachment 143776
Does anyone really want this guy as their PC?

I'd rather play this guy, personally:

(Bonus points to anyone who recognizes him!!)

Spoiler

He's a minor character from Urusei Yatsura called the Prince of the Underground. His specialty is digging holes very fast.

In seriousness, I've been playing Princes of the Apocalypse alongside a currently-level-12 druid who has learned elemental forms. Being able to tunnel through rock has been CRAZY useful for that character and for the party.

 

[R_J_K75]

I'd rather play this guy, personally:

View attachment 143778

(Bonus points to anyone who recognizes him!!)

Spoiler

He's a minor character from Urusei Yatsura called the Prince of the Underground. His specialty is digging holes very fast.

In seriousness, I've been playing Princes of the Apocalypse alongside a currently-level-12 druid who has learned elemental forms. Being able to tunnel through rock has been CRAZY useful for that character and for the party.

No clue who he is

 

[Nefermandias]

Would you even need Disengage? If you dig straight down, then by the time you leave someone's reach you're already underground. Would they even get to make an attack?

Yes.

 

[jayoungr]

No clue who he is

It's in the spoiler.

 

[R_J_K75]

It's in the spoiler.

I got that; Im just not familiar with the character or Urusei Yatsura.

 

[Voadam]

Yes.

I would think no.

If they are next to you and go straight down five feet into the ground I don't think you can hit them with either a normal attack or an opportunity attack when they leave that space, the ground is in the way of the attack.

That is how I have ruled with incorporeal ghosts going into the ground.

 

[Nefermandias]

I would think no.

If they are next to you and go straight down five feet into the ground I don't think you can hit them with either a normal attack or an opportunity attack when they leave that space, the ground is in the way of the attack.

That is how I have ruled with incorporeal ghosts going into the ground.

You can. The attack goes off when the target is still on it's initial space. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to attack someone walking straight away from your reach.

 

[Voadam]

You can. The attack goes off when the target is still on it's initial space. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to attack someone walking straight away from your reach.

Not quite. The attack happens not where the creature starts, but right before it leaves your reach.

Page 195 of the PH:

"You can make an opportunity attack when a hostile creature that you can see moves out o f your reach. To make the opportunity attack, you use your reaction to make one melee attack against the provoking creature. The attack interrupts the provoking creature’s movement, occurring right before the creature leaves your reach."

So if it runs up to you then around you and straight away from your reach, you attack it from the space where it leaves your reach, not where it started.

 

[jayoungr]

I got that; Im just not familiar with the character or Urusei Yatsura.

Well, if you're curious, this blog post has a good summary.

The Urusei Yatsura Viewing Project, part 22: “The Great Space Matchmaking Operation”

Episode 22: “The Great Space Matchmaking Operation”

wogglebugblog.wordpress.com

Or for a shorter version, just click this (it's set to the proper time, but see also 20:42 in the same video):

 

[Nefermandias]

Not quite. The attack happens not where the creature starts, but right before it leaves your reach.

Page 195 of the PH:

"You can make an opportunity attack when a hostile creature that you can see moves out o f your reach. To make the opportunity attack, you use your reaction to make one melee attack against the provoking creature. The attack interrupts the provoking creature’s movement, occurring right before the creature leaves your reach."

So if it runs up to you then around you and straight away from your reach, you attack it from the space where it leaves your reach, not where it started.

Assuming we are talking about grid combat and not TotM, the attack must occur while the target is still in the initial square. That's why the Sentinel feat works. Sentinel doesn't "pull back" the target, it drops it's speed to 0 and prevents it from leaving it's square.

Opportunity attacks only make sense if you can attack before the opponent is completely out of reach. It doesn't make any difference if the movement is horizontal or straight down with burrowing.