What does "Adjacent" really mean?

[Stomphoof]

Ok, in current 3.5 rules, a player can only attack a monster adjacent to him as follows. The "O" is the player, and the numbers are Monsters

X1X
3O2
X4X

At least, thats what I know currently. In 3.5 you cannot attack at a diagnol. But what about 4th Ed? I know in 4th Ed you can now move Diagnoly as easily as forward or back or side to side...

So would monster 2, in the following diagram, be "adjacent" and thus be subject to powers and abilities which count or effect adjacent mobs?

X12
XOX
XXX

If so, could you now attack number 2 directly, at a diagnol? And if not...why? Also, in 4th Ed do you threaten those diagnol squares?

 

[fnwc]

In 3.5 you cannot attack at a diagnol.

You can't?

 

[Lord Xtheth]

I'll use an old WH40K saying

"Base to Base contact"
anything in a square directly beside the square you're in.
Seeing as how diagonal doesn't matter any more, its not that big of a thing that you can now freely attack diagonally.

 

[Bolongo]

You can't?

You can.

And in 4e too.

There is no problem here, move right along...

 

[Stomphoof]

Huh, I always played that you could not attack diagnol 0_o

And so has everyone else I ever gamed with...

MY GAMING LIFE HAS BEEN A LIE?! :O

Anyway, thanks for clearing it up. So basically the 8 squares surrounding a person are considered adjacent and can be attacked freely and threatened freely.

Got it.

 

[Arrghyle]

Take a look at the Flanking rules -- page 152 of the 3.5 PHB. There's a great picture that demonstrates attacking at an angle.