Unarmored Movement

[RSP]

Level 9 Monk ability for Unarmored Movement states:

"At 9th level, you gain the ability to move along vertical surfaces and across liquids on your turn without falling during the move."

How are you all interpreting this?

By stating "on your turn" it seems to insinuate that this ability only works during combat, but that seems not RAI, as they seem to be going for the Crouching Tiger type of movement which, as I'm familiar with it, doesn't always involve combat but more just the mystic abilities of the monk.

Likewise, are people limiting this ability either in or out of combat? The part where it says "without falling during the move" could be taken a few ways but seems to indicate that as long as you continue to move, you won't fall.

Anyway, couldn't find any Sage Advice on this so figured I'd see what the boards take on this is. Thanks.

[Ghost Nappa]

https://media.giphy.com/media/3o6gbb10W62dEI4ko0/giphy.gif

How else am I supposed to interpret it? :smallcool:

[RavensLand]

Out of combat I would have them treat it like a round in initiative.
They have the number of feet they can move, an action, bonus action, and use object.
If by using those resources they can get from one end to the other and not finish their "turn" on the surface in question then they make it no problem.

That's how I would interprete it at least

[ClintACK]

I assume the "on your turn" verbiage means that you have to finish your turn on ordinary solid ground, or else you fall.

[Mellack]

I take it as working for short distances only (compared to overland travel distances). You cannot just relax and rest while standing on a vertical wall. You need to be on a solid, horizontal surface in the time your would finish a turn, whether in or out of combat. Now with the speed of a monk, that might be quite a fair distance.

[RSP]

So the consensus seems to be you can move on vertical surfaces or on liquids for 6 seconds without falling.

Guess it's now just an interesting situation where you can run across a large body of water in 6 second spurts, where you run your Dash+Move, fall in, then amazingly pop back up and run another Dash+Move, fall in, pop back up and...you see where this is going.

Thanks for the input.

[ClintACK]

Yeah... I'd let the character do it over significantly longer distances out-of-combat. I'd expect con checks to do it for longer than sprinting distances.

I'd "fluff" this in-world by saying that even if he's just taking Move-Dash turns, the assumed actions of evading dangerous enemies changes his movement during combat. Perhaps I'd let him stay up in the water (or on a wall) between his turns if he gave up his Dex and Wis bonuses to AC, for example.

But all that would be a ruling, not RAW.

[Sigreid]

Put me in the camp of being able to tell physics, specifically gravity, to get bent for 6 seconds. For a monk, that can actually be quite a bit of distance though.

[Plaguescarred]

I'd say you can indeed use Unarmored Movement outside combat initiative but you must end your move on a solid or non-vertical surface otherwise you will fall.

[Kryx]

So the consensus seems to be you can move on vertical surfaces or on liquids for 6 seconds without falling.

Guess it's now just an interesting situation where you can run across a large body of water in 6 second spurts, where you run your Dash+Move, fall in, then amazingly pop back up and run another Dash+Move, fall in, pop back up and...you see where this is going.
In water = swimming. I wouldn't let them magically be on top of the water again, that's not how it should work imo. They get 6 seconds and then fall in and are swimming.

[DivisibleByZero]

I'd say you can indeed use Unarmored Movement outside combat initiative but you must end your move on a solid or non-vertical surface otherwise you will fall.

I finally found something we agree on!
:biggrin:

[Arial Black]

I understand the point that 'Combat Rounds' don't exist outside of combat. They also do not exist in-world; they are a meta-game construct.

However, even though the wording of the ability only mentions combat rounds, this is because abilities are written with combat in mind.

I do not believe for one moment that the monk cannot run on water unless he is in combat!

I must believe that the monk can run on water (etc.) for short periods of time only. Outside of combat rounds, I would allow him to move that way for a distance equal to the distance he could move if he were in combat rounds.

Then, if not on solid ground, he would fall.

If on water, he would sink. At that point he would be swimming, not walking, and the ability would not let him begin walking when he starts his turn swimming. He could only use this ability from a point where he is actually walking on a solid surface.

Essentially, he must both begin and end this special movement on solid ground, and it stops working after he's moved the distance he could move if he were in combat.

[Plaguescarred]

I finally found something we agree on!
:biggrin:Hehe finally :smallsmile:

I must say the use of ''on your turn'' and ''during the move'' are rather gamey and mechanical as in the game characters, both in and out of combat, don't really stop moving necessarily when they keep moving during exploration travel or combat turn when they move all their speed (and Dash) for exemple.

So i like the 6 seconds duration as a time cap for outside combat. But there is still no frequency usage so when can it be used again? The ability is not clear on this for out of combat usage its more clear in combat where it can be used during any move on your turn every 6 seconds' round

[Sigreid]

Hehe finally :smallsmile:

I must say the use of ''on your turn'' and ''during the move'' are rather gamey and mechanical as in the game characters, both in and out of combat, don't really stop moving necessarily when they keep moving during exploration travel or combat turn when they move all their speed (and Dash) for exemple.

So i like the 6 seconds duration as a time cap for outside combat. But there is still no frequency usage so when can it be used again? The ability is not clear on this for out of combat usage its more clear in combat where it can be used during any move on your turn every 6 seconds' round

My ruling is that you can use it every 6 second block, but you have to have firm footing to kick off from to start. I think if it as you can focus your Ki to the bottom of your feet for 6 seconds, and then your focus will falter long enough for you to fall. You can re-focus almost instantly after you catch yourself lapsing, but you can't prevent yourself from having that momentary laps.

[Plaguescarred]

My ruling is that you can use it every 6 second block, but you have to have firm footing to kick off from to start. I think if it as you can focus your Ki to the bottom of your feet for 6 seconds, and then your focus will falter long enough for you to fall. You can re-focus almost instantly after you catch yourself lapsing, but you can't prevent yourself from having that momentary laps.I like that take. You could use it once every 6 seconds for a short time (1-6 seconds) and must start and finish on a non-vertical or liquid surface to not fall or sink. I think i will use that ruling for one of my player's monk since he'll get it soon.

[Herobizkit]

As a "wing-it" kind of DM, I might institute a house-rule that a Monk can maintain continuous vertical/liquid surface movement each round at the cost of one (or two?) Ki for "upkeep" at the end of his movement. It might break the action economy a touch, but hey, he's a monk. ^_^

one Precedent: Up The Walls, a Psionic feat from 3e's XPH:
Up The Walls [Psionic]
You can run on walls for brief distances.

Prerequisite
Wis 13.

Benefit
While you are psionically focused, you can take part of one of your move actions to traverse a wall or other relatively smooth vertical surface if you begin and end your move on a horizontal surface. The height you can achieve on the wall is limited only by this movement restriction. If you do not end your move on a horizontal surface, you fall prone, taking falling damage as appropriate for your distance above the ground. Treat the wall as a normal floor for the purpose of measuring your movement. Passing from floor to wall or wall to floor costs no movement; you can change surfaces freely. Opponents on the ground can make attacks of opportunity as you move up the wall.

[Kryx]

As a "wing-it" kind of DM, I might institute a house-rule that a Monk can maintain continuous vertical/liquid surface movement each round at the cost of one (or two?) Ki for "upkeep" at the end of his movement. It might break the action economy a touch, but hey, he's a monk. ^_^
I did something similar for my gravity/time focused archetype for a psionic class of mine:


Starting at 3rd level, you can alter gravity around you. On your turn you can spend 1 psi point to gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed for 1 minute (no action required). While climbing in this way you can move up, down, and across vertical surfaces and upside down along ceilings, while leaving your hands free.