Rules Question: Prone creatures and sharing a combat space

[Caligstro Smith]

So I have a rules question: Is it legal for multiple creatures to be prone in the same space?

Follow-up scenario: Suppose multiple creatures are subjected to a forced movement effect which would push them into the same space, and that upon being pushed into that space, they are knocked prone by the same effect?

[snailgosh]

by RAW creatures small and larger within three size categories of each other can only share the same combat space if all but one of them is helpless (or all of them are, of course :P) , if I'm not mistaken.
Prone creatures are not helpless.

[Caligstro Smith]

Ah, okay my bad - I wasn't thinking clearly. I was thinking of that you could step into a creature's space that's dropped (and thus would be helpless), but confused it with prone.

The follow-up question though still stands: What if a forced movement effect tries pushing several creatures into one space, all at the same time (ignore whether they're prone or not since it doesn't matter)? Their movement doesn't end until the effect finishes moving them, right?, So they'd all go into the space initially and then some would "bounce" out of it at the end of the turn? How would one know which moved out and which one stays?

Here, actually I'll just paste in the effect I'm thinking about:

"When fired Funnel initiates a bull rush with every creature in its area; it is considered to be a creature of Medium size. You gain a bonus to this bull rush check equal to your caster level. If they are knocked back at least ten feet, they are knocked prone. Subjects affected take 4d6 non-lethal bludgeoning or lethal piercing damage (your option) every round that they remain in the funnel, and are considered checked (unable to move forward) against movement in that direction. If trapped against a wall or other solid surface by Funnel, they are considered to be checked against movement in all directions. If suspended in mid-air by Funnel, subjects do not take on-going damage. Every round, the subjects are granted a new Reflex save to escape to an adjacent space."

[snailgosh]

In general
Ending Your Movement
You can’t end your movement in the same square as another creature unless it is helpless.

But also

If you fail to beat the defender’s Strength check result, you move 5 feet straight back to where you were before you moved into his space. If that space is occupied, you fall prone in that space.
So apprently it is possible to share space by falling prone.

Another example for creatures sharing space is grappling, you might just enforce the grappling penalties on all creatures sharing the space (no AoO's, no Dex to AC)

[Troacctid]

In general, when the characters aren’t engaged in round-by-round combat, they should be able to move anywhere and in any manner that you can imagine real people could. A 5-foot square, for instance, can hold several characters; they just can’t all fight effectively in that small space. The rules for movement are important for combat, but outside combat they can impose unnecessary hindrances on character activities.

So they could share the space, but they couldn't really fight while doing so.

[KillianHawkeye]

Is it legal for multiple creatures to be prone in the same space?

That depends... how old are the creatures, and what is the age of consent in your setting? :smallwink::smallbiggrin::smallredface:



Sorry... I'll show myself out. :smallsigh: