Started new campaign - Couple of quick rules questions.

[Melkor]

Hi folks,

Started playing in a new 4E campaign last night with my old AD&D/2E Dungeon Master from the mid-80s through most of the 90s (Jr. high and high school years).

It's his first time DMing 4E, the other players haven't played 4E at all, and other than a brief stint for 2 - 3 months when the system first came out, it's pretty much my first time playing more than combat encounters.

Anyway, we're ambitiously starting the Scales of War adventure path, and during the first encounter, several questions came up:

• When you can "slide" an enemy more than one square, does it have to be in a straight line, or can you make them zig zag?

• Can you choose to push/pull/slide less squares than the maximum?

• The PHB is clear that you can't slide an opponent into an obstacle, but could you slide them through a pane of glass, or something similar (that would break, and thus not really create an obstacle)?

Thanks!

 

[Infiniti2000]

When you can "slide" an enemy more than one square, does it have to be in a straight line, or can you make them zig zag?

You can make them zigzag. Move them into any square you want except for invalid squares.

Can you choose to push/pull/slide less squares than the maximum?

Yes, including not at all. This is explicitly called out in the rules.

The PHB is clear that you can't slide an opponent into an obstacle, but could you slide them through a pane of glass, or something similar (that would break, and thus not really create an obstacle)?

If they can move there with a break check, then yes. If it's hazardous, then they get a save or go prone. In this case, I would say they get a save because I can't imagine it wouldn't be hazardous.

 

[Larrin]

1. when you slide, you can slide in any direction you want, and every square is a new choice. You can zig-zag, make a box, move them away from you, then back to you. Sliding is feedom.

2. You can always choose not to move the full extent of forced movement, you can also choose not to move them.

3. If its not an obstacle, then you can move them through it. There are no rules for 'pane of glass like objects' but if a character could move through it without harm, so can a pushed/etc charater. If it causes harm, its hazardous terrain, and allows a saving throw to fall prone and stop the movement.

 

[Black Knight Irios]

Hi folks,

Started playing in a new 4E campaign last night with my old AD&D/2E Dungeon Master from the mid-80s through most of the 90s (Jr. high and high school years).

It's his first time DMing 4E, the other players haven't played 4E at all, and other than a brief stint for 2 - 3 months when the system first came out, it's pretty much my first time playing more than combat encounters.

Anyway, we're ambitiously starting the Scales of War adventure path, and during the first encounter, several questions came up:

I hope you will enjoy playing 4E.

• When you can "slide" an enemy more than one square, does it have to be in a straight line, or can you make them zig zag?

A slide can be in any direction, you can slide him one square forth and back again if you like.

• Can you choose to push/pull/slide less squares than the maximum?

You can reduce the distance as you see fit even to zero if that would benefit you the most. The same is true for shifting, walking and teleporting around.

• The PHB is clear that you can't slide an opponent into an obstacle, but could you slide them through a pane of glass, or something similar (that would break, and thus not really create an obstacle)?

Thanks!

The PHB says that you can use forced movement to move a creature into a square it could enter by walking - now if you can normally walk through a glass pane I guess you can use forced movement as well. But that is probably a DM call depending on the glass pane.

 

[eamon]

One particular corner case to be aware of:

You may slide, push or pull someone into any square they can move into. That includes vertical movement now in the latest update - so a flying creature can be pushed up or down, and a normal human up or down a staircase.

Less intuitively, you may only slide a creature (say, Alice) through another creature (say, Bob) if Alice could enter Bob's square. That's generally true if Bob is helpless, or if Bob & Alice are allies. So by the plain rules you can push a goblin through his goblin friends but not through your friends (assuming your friends are enemies of the goblins here . I'm not a fan of that rule and I don't play by it - but that is the rule.

 

[Melkor]

Thanks for the responses folks. Another quick question:

• Is there any restriction in 4E regarding making a ranged attack at an opponent fighting in melee combat with someone else?

 

[Melkor]

Thanks for the responses folks. Another quick question:

• Is there any restriction in 4E regarding making a ranged attack at an opponent fighting in melee combat with someone else?

 

[Black Knight Irios]

Thanks for the responses folks. Another quick question:

• Is there any restriction in 4E regarding making a ranged attack at an opponent fighting in melee combat with someone else?

There is no restriction, the "worst" thing is that your target (an enemy) gets cover from another enemy of yours or from an object also possible is concealment. Read the cover/concealment rules in the PHB1 (P280-281). Be aware that, IIRC, "invisible" and "Targeting what you can't see" got an errata so check that as well.

 

[Mentat55]

No, you can freely fire into melee without penalty. Allies never provide cover for enemies, but enemies provide cover for another enemies.

 

[eamon]

No, you can freely fire into melee without penalty. Allies never provide cover for enemies, but enemies provide cover for another enemies.

For completeness in the 3.5 comparison: You also never accidentally hit the cover, even if the cover is a creature.