W3bDragon
2010-08-13, 10:53 PM
I would've posted this in the simple Q&A, but I'm looking for RAI as well as RAW answers.
The Knight class gets the ability Bulwark of Defense. It says that an opponent that starts its turn in the Knight's threatened squares treats all squares the knight threatens as difficult terrain.
Now I can understand how that would mean that opponents can't take 5-ft steps around a Knight, say to try to flank him. However, since the blanket statement "difficult terrain" was mentioned, that means that opponents can't even 5-ft step AWAY from the knight, because although his destination square is not difficult terrain, his current one is.
This makes no sense to me. Why can't the opponent take a 5-ft step, trigger an AoO, then carry on taking a full-round action? I can understand not being able to take 5-ft steps in difficult terrain because it requires focus and careful movement. I also understand how you couldn't take a 5-ft step around the Knight, because he's always causing adjacent enemies to focus and move carefully lest they take a sword or shield to the face. But even when moving away?
This came up when I was ruling that if the next square you're entering isn't difficult terrain, then you can 5-ft step into it, even if your current square is difficult terrain. The PC knight in question has just clarified to me that I was doing it wrong.
It just seemed to me that when I was doing it wrong, allowing people to 5-ft step away, it made much more sense than it does now.
Did I misinterpret something? What would be your RAW/RAI ruling?
Note 1: For the time being, I'm ruling that people can't 5-ft step away from him.
Note 2: I'm not looking at this from the overall balance of the class, just at this single ability.
The Knight class gets the ability Bulwark of Defense. It says that an opponent that starts its turn in the Knight's threatened squares treats all squares the knight threatens as difficult terrain.
Now I can understand how that would mean that opponents can't take 5-ft steps around a Knight, say to try to flank him. However, since the blanket statement "difficult terrain" was mentioned, that means that opponents can't even 5-ft step AWAY from the knight, because although his destination square is not difficult terrain, his current one is.
This makes no sense to me. Why can't the opponent take a 5-ft step, trigger an AoO, then carry on taking a full-round action? I can understand not being able to take 5-ft steps in difficult terrain because it requires focus and careful movement. I also understand how you couldn't take a 5-ft step around the Knight, because he's always causing adjacent enemies to focus and move carefully lest they take a sword or shield to the face. But even when moving away?
This came up when I was ruling that if the next square you're entering isn't difficult terrain, then you can 5-ft step into it, even if your current square is difficult terrain. The PC knight in question has just clarified to me that I was doing it wrong.
It just seemed to me that when I was doing it wrong, allowing people to 5-ft step away, it made much more sense than it does now.
Did I misinterpret something? What would be your RAW/RAI ruling?
Note 1: For the time being, I'm ruling that people can't 5-ft step away from him.
Note 2: I'm not looking at this from the overall balance of the class, just at this single ability.