Pass through rock - furniture and monsters

[cynthialee]

That completely nulls one of my favorite 'mages dilemmas':
Sure you can just pass through walls but is a room on the other side, and just how many bad guys are going to be there that the mage will have to fight alone...?

Those worries tend to keep the card un-played in most games I have been part of. Even if the Mage is just phasing into a room he has already been in, how does he know if it has a wandering monster in it or not...he doesn't and I DO make a check.

[Daedalus]

That sure takes the fun out of Pass Through Rock!

It's funny though... In all the years I've played I don't really recall this ever being a problem.
I'd say Blackthorn got it right a while back. In case you end up in an illegal square that is NOT wall, simply move the caster to the nearest legal square.

If you set that as the criteria to solve illegal squares, movement could never end in a solid gray area--those squares are not walls. Walls are white lines enclosing rooms. A Hero could never get trapped forever. Why include the warning, then? If you want to count solid gray squares the same as walls--okay. I'd say the warning points to this interpretation. But that shifts the focus of the spell onto passing through a specific material--stone. Wood isn't stone, and now you gotta pay attention to the restriction. Move the caster to the nearest legal square, back the way he came.

[Jafazo]

Old subject but I'd hanle it like this...

The Hero casts Pass Through Rock, here we go...
He CANNOT pass through monsters or furniture. All standard movement rules still apply. in my opinion, the spell does precisely as it says and allows the hero to (in addition to standard movement rules) pass through solid rock. If he were surrounded by monsters on all sides, he can't move, otherwise you grant Pass Through Rock the performance of Swift Wind. The Hero also can't move through furniture as per standard moovement rules.

Now we get to actual movement. I handle it on a square by square basis. The hero moves his piece one square and each time he does, Zargon responds. If the Hero can see anything, objects are set up accordingly (monsters, furniture etc). If the hero steps onto a trapped square, the trap resolves, possibly ending his turn. If the hero moves into a square that Zargon knows is occupied by any object the hero normally can't share a square with (monster, furniture etc) Zargon simply tells the hero, "You cant move there" and the hero must return to his previous square and select a new path.

So the answer is simply... the hero shouldnt be moving into squares he ordinarilly cant occupy. Its Pass Through Rock, not Pass Through Whatever You Feel Like. Moving into legal squares and all that mumbo jumbo shouldn't be happening, at least not in my games.

[knightkrawler]

Old subject but I'd hanle it like this...

The Hero casts Pass Through Rock, here we go...
He CANNOT pass through monsters or furniture. All standard movement rules still apply. in my opinion, the spell does precisely as it says and allows the hero to (in addition to standard movement rules) pass through solid rock. If he were surrounded by monsters on all sides, he can't move, otherwise you grant Pass Through Rock the performance of Swift Wind. The Hero also can't move through furniture as per standard moovement rules.

Now we get to actual movement. I handle it on a square by square basis. The hero moves his piece one square and each time he does, Zargon responds. If the Hero can see anything, objects are set up accordingly (monsters, furniture etc). If the hero steps onto a trapped square, the trap resolves, possibly ending his turn. If the hero moves into a square that Zargon knows is occupied by any object the hero normally can't share a square with (monster, furniture etc) Zargon simply tells the hero, "You cant move there" and the hero must return to his previous square and select a new path.

So the answer is simply... the hero shouldnt be moving into squares he ordinarilly cant occupy. Its Pass Through Rock, not Pass Through Whatever You Feel Like. Moving into legal squares and all that mumbo jumbo shouldn't be happening, at least not in my games.

Exactly. Thank you.

[cynthialee]

I would rule however that the hero under the effects of this spell could pass through a gargoyle or living statue. Also pillars, stone hewn thrones. Anything stone.

[cynthialee]

What of a multiple level dungeon? Pass through the floor could work. Call it a 'fair escape' option?

[Jafazo]

Cynthialee...

I was reading your responses and was just shaking my head thinking to myself that you were overcomplicating the subject with mention that a gargoyle would be made of stone and thereby be passable with this spell, and I almost just laughed, but then I thought of a legitimate challenge.

I'd rule the gargoyle as an impassable monster The End but then, what if while the hero is under the effects of this spell, he triggers a falling rock trap? Does he get hurt? Lol. Stupid games and their complications!

I think I'd honestly let it go and allow the trap to trigger but rule that the hero suffers no damage as long as he can continue to move past that square. If his turn ends in the square, treat it as solid rock... death

[cynthialee]

{As a GM of over 30 years I tend to think in every direction I can as one never knows how a player may act.}
I could see an argument arising with a certain player I know over the gargoyle thing if it was not ruled 'stone', and thus passable with this spell. Getting behind a gargoyle in a hallway could be an important move if the caster is blocking line of sight for another hero.

[knightkrawler]

Getting behind a gargoyle in a hallway could be an important move if the caster is blocking line of sight for another hero.

One of the first changes I made for my revisited ruleset is that for spells, the target must only be in the same room or hallway section as the spellcaster, not in direct uninterrupted line of sight. Of course that addresses the vice-versa situation that another hero blocks the wizard's line of sight for spells, but that's a related problem. It buffs the wizard in general (a lot, I might add) for him to become a much more proactive player. I think I've posted this in your Wizard thread already. I can only recommend trying this.

[StratosVX]

One of the first changes I made for my revisited ruleset is that for spells, the target must only be in the same room or hallway section as the spellcaster, not in direct uninterrupted line of sight.

I think that's a great idea.