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Phasing:

While phasing, a creature ignores difficult terrain and can move through obstacles and other creatures, but it must end its movement in an unoccupied space.

However, given a sufficiently thick wall that the player doesn't know about beforehand, if a phasing player tries to run through said incredibly thick wall and reaches the end of her movement... what do the rules say happens?

(Yes, there's precedent in earlier editions, but I haven't been able to find anything in DDI about this edge case.)

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2 Answers

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Rules Compendium, page 204

Ending a Move A creature must have enough movement to enter its destination space. ... If it doesn't have enough movement to enter its destination space or runs out along the way, its move ends on the last square it could get to.

Page 208

Phasing The creature follows the normal rules for where it must end its movement (normally an unoccupied space).

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So as a phasing character I walk into a wall, go my move distance, and run out of movement points at an occupied location, and so my move ends on the last square I could have got to... my starting square, yes? But do I know what was around me at any point during my move? If I walk into the wall, out of the wall into a square with a creature, and end my move, do I get to see all in the room, and then escape back to where I started? – Simon Withers Sep 26 '11 at 17:57
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Yes. You see as much as you can see normally, I assume. It's weird, but that's the rule. – okeefe Sep 26 '11 at 18:11
I think I would interpret it slightly differently and say that if there is not a destination you can get to beyond the wall, then you never could have entered the wall in the first place. At least, I would rule that way as a DM. I would see phasing as a "tunnel" between two available spaces. If a destination space cannot be reached, the "tunnel" cannot be formed. – BBlake Sep 26 '11 at 22:55
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It would appear to me that there are only a few options here.

  1. Tell the player that they cannot make that movement.
    a. Allow them to move to another unoccupied space. I dislike this option since it could give them too much knowledge of the area as they keep selecting another place
    b. Tell them that move will not succeed and allow them to make an alternative move
    c. Tell them that their move action has failed do not allow them to make another move.

  2. Let the player move to that location, then forcibly eject them to the nearest open space, taking some damage along the way

  3. Allow the player to de-phase in that location and take full damage for appearing in a chucnk of stone (usually death)

I would say that 1c is the answer that most closely fits the rules. My house game tends to use rule 3, but I'm a firm believer in punishing bad ideas.

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I'd vote for #2. – dpatchery Sep 26 '11 at 12:21
#3 seems to make the most sense, but you've got to admit it's pretty awful. – Joe Sep 27 '11 at 1:07
I'm like a marine drill seargent. My players live in a constant state of anticipation of pain, but feel accomplished at the end of the day. And they all have a high survival rate when they go on to other games – briddums Sep 27 '11 at 3:06

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