Moving Stinking Cloud over an enemy: Did the enemy enter the cloud?

[Bayuer]

OMG not again. Search the forum. This was talked so many times now. NO! You don't take damage when the cloud moves over you. You take dmg any time you enter cloud (yes!) and again when you start your turn and the cloud (and others) give total concealment (heavy obscured terrain).

 

[MarkB]

If a player moves a stinking cloud onto an enemy, does that immediate occur damage as if the enemy entered the cloud, or only on the enemies turn if he consciously enters the cloud?

There is a currently-active thread on Stinking Cloud's capabilities here. It addresses this question in detail.

 

[evilbob]

No. It becomes really broken otherwise.

This is the most important response in this thread.

Personally, I still think that as-written it can be interpreted differently - but that really doesn't matter, because if you allow it to cause damage when it is being moved, it is seriously overpowered.

Also, this seems to be the line that customer service is toeing.

 

[Harr]

Also, this seems to be the line that customer service is toeing.

Actually, customer service has confirmed several times that the interpretation where every single entrance into the zone causes damage, even when they're being yanked one square in and and one square out several times in a single turn, is the correct 'by-the-book' one.

Further to that, as far as I've seen (and I've seen a whole lot on this topic by now) there is no official way to look at it, by the way the rules are written every interpretation here and elsewhere is just that, a personal interpretation. There is nothing in the entire ruleset that clears up the various questions on stinking cloud and similar powers aside from personal logic and what each person feels is overpowered or not.

 

[evilbob]

Actually, customer service has confirmed several times that the interpretation where every single entrance into the zone causes damage, even when they're being yanked one square in and and one square out several times in a single turn, is the correct 'by-the-book' one.

Yes - but that's not what this thread was questioning. I was referencing the "move a cloud onto something" question.

 

[Lucas Blackstone]

Customer Service isn't reliable enough even though I would love them to be. The way you word a question can totally alter the way CS answers your question and you can end up with totally opposite rulings. The rules are VERY clear on it anyway and only people who think they are exploiting somehow think that the cloud moving is a creature moving. The cloud is not a creature. It doesn't matter where the cloud moves except to determine if a creature is starting it's turn adjacent to or inside it. These powers do not read " If the creature is inside the zone...", they read " If the creature enters the zone or starts adjacent..". THE CREATURE ENTERS. Not the zone moves. Plain and simple.

 

[On Puget Sound]

Nope, never heard of it. I don't play at any of the game stores in the area though. I'm too old for that sort of thing. (36!)

Later!
Gruns

Ah, well. I guess my wife and I (in our 50s) will have to hope they don't check our ID and kick us out.

 

[Caliban]

Nope, never heard of it. I don't play at any of the game stores in the area though. I'm too old for that sort of thing. (36!)

Later!
Gruns

Does that mean I have to stop playing at the local stores next year?

 

[guybrush]

Strictly by RAW, if you have a power that can slide the target multiple squares, you can ping-pong enemies in and out of the cloud for multiple "hits."

While I agree that's strictly RAW, I don't see this as a problem because I don't allow slides to move a creature back and forth. You move the creature once, from one square to another square, and that's it. While the Slide rules don't specifically disallow this, it seems reasonable to me and solves this problem with Stinking Cloud and similar powers.

 

[evilbob]

The rules are VERY clear on it anyway...

Please be careful about bandying about this phrase, especially in this forum.

To me, the rules are VERY clear that you cannot get inside a cloud without entering it, regardless of who/what moved; that's how the word "enter" works. It also makes sense in some ways, as every time you are put in a position to be affected by the cloud, why wouldn't it affect you? However, the game can't work that way, as stated above. So the real truth here is: the rules are not completely clear - especially not to all of us.