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What blocks the "pull" from Thorn Whip?

Thorn Whip: ...and if the creature is Large or smaller, you pull the creature up to 10 feet closer to you.

As a specific example, the druid pulls a creature that is 15 feet away, but right in front of the target (and between the target and the druid) is another creature. Can the target be pulled through the other creature?

Does it matter if the other creature is an enemy or ally? Does the other creature have any choice in the matter?

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Yes

In D&D, you have to bear in mind the definition of a creature's space:

A creature's space is the area in feet that it effectively controls in combat, not an expression of its physical dimensions. A typical Medium creature isn't 5 feet wide, for example, but it does control a space that wide.

Narratively, that means that just because you pull a creature through or into an occupied space doesn't mean that the creature which controls that space is literally in the way at that precise moment.

In fact, because Thorn Whip requires an attack roll (which may or may not be subject to the rules on cover because of the interceding creature's presence), it may be said that the whip goes around the interceding creature because, well, it had to in order to hit the far creature in the first place. In other words, the middle creature is not in the way.

But once the creature is pulled into or through the middle creature's space, the rules are simple:

Whether a creature is a friend or an enemy, you can't willingly end your move in its space.

The creatures are not willingly sharing a space so, for the time being, they do occupy the same space (through no fault of their own).

Once one of the two creatures has a turn, it gets movement and is subject to the requirement that it must move out of the shared space unless it has some ability/feature that allows it to willingly share a creature's space.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ How does this interact with the rules on Moving Around Other Creatures: "[...] you can move through a hostile creature's space only if the creature is at least two sizes larger or smaller than you. [...]" \$\endgroup\$ Jul 7, 2020 at 14:15
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    \$\begingroup\$ @med The whipped creature is not moving. It is being moved (unwillingly). I believe my answer already addresses this. \$\endgroup\$
    – Rykara
    Jul 7, 2020 at 15:25
  • \$\begingroup\$ Ah so you're saying "you can move through" refers to willing movement? \$\endgroup\$ Jul 7, 2020 at 15:32
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    \$\begingroup\$ @med Yes, that is correct :) \$\endgroup\$
    – Rykara
    Jul 7, 2020 at 16:58

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