5.7 Advanced Movement
5.7.1 Movement Modes
A movement mode is a method of moving from one location to another. The most common movement mode is walking, which allows creatures to move across the ground. In addition, some abilities grant creatures the ability to move in unusual ways. These forms of movement are described here. Each of your movement modes has an associated speed category (see Speed Categories).
Burrowing: A creature with a burrow speed can move through solid dirt and loose earth in any direction, even vertically. Unless otherwise noted, a burrow speed does not allow a creature to travel through rock or harder substances. It does not leave behind a usable tunnel for other creatures.
While burrowing, the earth and dirt around you usually blocks line of sight and line of effect, preventing you from using ranged attacks of any kind. You can partially emerge from a surface while burrowing. While partially emerged, you have cover against all attacks but can otherwise fight normally.
Climbing: A creature with a climb speed can move along vertical surfaces. It must still make a Climb check to move in challenging conditions, such as slippery walls (see Climb). A creature that is climbing without a climb speed takes a -2 penalty to its accuracy and Armor and Reflex defenses.
Flying: A creature with a fly speed can fly through the air both horizontally and vertically. Flying is more complicated than some other movement modes. For details, see Aerial Movement.
Gliding: A creature with a glide speed can glide through the air in a strictly descending path. Gliding is more complicated than some other movement modes. For details, see Aerial Movement.
Swimming: A creature with a swim speed can move through liquids like water. It must still make a Swim check to move in challenging conditions, such as stormy seas (see Swim). A creature that is in water without a swim speed takes a -2 penalty to its accuracy and Armor and Reflex defenses. For details, see Fighting In Water.
Walking: A creature with a walk speed can move across mostly flat surfaces, like the ground.
5.7.2 Speed Categories
A creature may move particularly slowly with one movement mode and more quickly with a different movement mode. There are three speed categories: fast, average, and slow. If an ability gives you an alternate movement mode and doesn’t specify a speed category, you move at average speed with that movement mode.
- Fast: Moving 10 feet with this movement mode costs 5 feet from your speed. The first square costs 5 feet of speed, and then it gets the second square for free. When moving on diagonals, the first two diagonals each cost 5 feet of speed and the third one is free.
- Average: Moving 5 feet with this movement mode costs 5 feet from your speed. When moving on diagonals, the first diagonal costs 5 feet of movement and the second costs 10.
- Slow: Moving 5 feet with this movement mode costs 10 feet from your speed. When moving on diagonals, each diagonal costs 15 feet of movement.
5.7.3 Combining Movement Modes
You can move using multiple different movement modes in the same turn in any order. Each distance moved subtracts from your available movement during that turn, using the appropriate modifiers for fast or slow movement modes.
For example, assume you have a 40 foot base speed, an average walk speed, and a slow swim speed. If you swim 10 feet, that would cost 20 feet of movement. You could then use your remaining speed to walk 20 feet, for a total of 30 feet travelled.
5.7.4 Jumping
Creatures with legs can jump as part of movement. When you jump, choose a destination square where your jump ends. You must be touching a solid surface to jump.
A jump’s maximum horizontal distance is normally equal to a quarter of your base speed plus 5 feet per 2 Strength. Modifiers to your available movement, such as the sprint ability, do not affect your jumping distance. If you are trained with the Jump skill, the distance you add from your Strength is instead equal to 5 feet per Strength, to a minimum of +5 feet. A jump’s maximum vertical height is equal to half your maximum horizontal distance. Note that if you jump 20 feet into the air or more, you may take falling damage when you land (see Falling Damage).
If your destination square is in midair, you do not start falling until the end of your turn. This allows you to jump using a move action and then take a standard action while midair. Unlike normal for being midair, you do not suffer penalties to your Armor and Reflex defense for being partway through a jump that you initiated.
Jumping Speed Limits
Movement while jumping subtracts from your available movement just like any other movement. This distance is measured only for the farthest extent that you travel from your starting location, not for a round trip or for the entire distance travelled along the arc of your jump. This limits both your maximum horizontal distance and your maximum vertical height. For example, if your speed is thirty feet and you start by walking ten feet, you can jump no more than twenty feet forward, or fifteen feet forward and five feet vertically, and so on. If your jump distance is extremely high and your speed is low, you may need to use the sprint ability to make use of your full jumping potential (see Sprint).
5.7.5 Squeezing
In some cases, you may have to squeeze into or through an area that isn’t as wide as the space you take up. You can squeeze through or into a space that is at least half as wide as your normal space. While squeezing (-2 Armor and Ref), you take a -2 penalty to your Armor and Reflex defenses. You can squeeze into tighter spaces with the Flexibility skill (see Flexibility).
Squeezing is only checked at the start of each turn. If you temporarily enter a creature’s space during a turn and leave it during that same turn, neither you nor that creature are ever squeezing.
Creatures that take up multiple squares take up half their normal number of squares while squeezing. For example, a Large creature who normally takes up four spaces takes up two spaces while squeezing.
Squeezing in Shared Space
Sometimes, one creature can end its movement inside the space occupied by another creature. If the creatures are within one size category of each other, this means that both of them are squeezing. Likewise, if you end your movement inside the space of a physical obstacle, you are squeezing with it.
5.7.6 Forced Movement
Some abilities can physically move you against your will. Effects that limit movement speed, such as difficult terrain, similarly limit the distance you can be moved by forced movement effects. There are two kinds of forced movement: push effects and fling effects. Unless otherwise noted, all forced movement effects move the target in a single straight horizontal line.
Push Effects
A creature affected by a push effect is being pushed by a constant force. It normally travels in a single straight line, unless the pushing effect says otherwise. If it encounters an obstacle, the push ends without causing harm to the creature or the obstacle. Similarly, if a creature being pushed stops being supported and would fall, it falls instead of being pushed further.
When a creature would fall while being pushed, it automatically makes a reactive check with the Climb skill to avoid falling. The Climb check is made against the closest available stable object, such as the edge of a cliff. Success means that the creature does not fall, but is now hanging on the edge, making it unsteady (-2 accuracy, Armor, Brawn, Ref) if it does not have a climb speed. This can allow creatures pushed off the edge of a cliff to grab the edge of the cliff.
Fling Effects
A creature affected by a fling effect is thrown backwards by a single point of impact. It always travels in a single straight line. If it encounters an obstacle, the fling ends. Both the creature and the obstacle take 1d8 damage per 10 feet of movement remaining.
Unless otherwise noted, a fling effect can move a creature in any direction, even vertically. A creature moving as a result of a fling effect does not have to be supported during the movement by solid ground. This can allow you to fling creatures off of cliffs without allowing them to save themselves. If you fling a creature vertically, it is typically unsteady (-2 accuracy, Armor, Brawn, Ref) until it lands at the end of its turn.