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The Battlemind power Lodestone Lure states: (emphasis added)

Hit: Constitution modifier damage, and you must pull the target 1 square. Until the end of your next turn, the target can move only to squares that are adjacent to you.

If you cannot pull the target, for example if the target is already adjacent to you, can you use the power? Likewise, can the augment 2 version ("must pull the target 4 squares") be used on a target fewer than 4 squares away?

The rule for forced movement seems to refer to cases where you can use "up to" the amount of forced movement in cases where the wording says, eg, "pull 4" or "pull up to 4." But I can't seem to find a rule about "must pull 4." Is there any ruling that can clarify this issue?

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You can try to pull a target that's already adjacent to you.

That pull will result in no movement and 'fail' in that sense, but that's different than not pulling - you don't get to choose if you'll pull or not, but pulls that don't result in any movement (say, the target is a dwarf with the related feature, or some magic item that prevents forced movement, or some physical barrier) still count as a valid pull-attempts, even if you deliberately choose a target that won't get pulled if you try.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Correct. If it meant you couldn't target adjacent foes the power would explicitly say so. \$\endgroup\$
    – Oblivious Sage ♦
    Commented Sep 20, 2014 at 22:21
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Just to note the power doesn't actually say you MUST pull the target, it says;

Hit: Constitution modifier damage, and you pull the target 1 square.

Or 4 squares if you augment by 1 or 2.

To answer the second part of your question. The RAW for forced movement states;

Distance in Squares: The power you’re using specifies how many squares you can move a target. You can choose to move the target fewer squares or not to move it at all. You can’t move the target vertically.

Even if the power says you pull the target X squares you can move them fewer if you choose.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ This is incorrect- it was errataed to say must. \$\endgroup\$
    – JLan
    Commented Sep 22, 2014 at 15:18
  • \$\begingroup\$ @JLan speaks the truth: errata added three musts to lodestone lure. My regular gaming group switched to 4e about three months ago, and I just swapped my swordsage for a battlemind so I needed an answer to the question. In other words, this answer can still distract new players. Could this answer be updated? (I suggest adding a mention of the errata since its not mentioned anywhere else on the page but in the aforementioned comment.) \$\endgroup\$
    – Hey I Can Chan
    Commented May 7, 2020 at 10:12
  • \$\begingroup\$ @HeyICanChan unfortunately I didn't have the errata when I wrote this answer and it's been so long since I've played 4e that I hardly remember how any of the rules interact. I'll dig out my books and read through them over the next few days, see if I can't jog my memory, but I doubt I'll be able to sufficiently update this answer. \$\endgroup\$
    – Purple Monkey
    Commented May 7, 2020 at 22:39
  • \$\begingroup\$ If you just add something like If you're using as lodestone lure as printed… then later mentioned that errata added the musts, that'd be cool. (It just seemed wrong to downvote this answer given its age and that it was obviously written in good faith.) \$\endgroup\$
    – Hey I Can Chan
    Commented May 7, 2020 at 23:15
  • \$\begingroup\$ Just to clarify- they added the "Must" because if they didn't, especially on the augmented version, you could refrain from pulling them at all and prevent them from moving (an enemy five squares away who could only move to squares adjacent to you- i.e. they couldn't move at all). This is unfortunate- a much better errata would've been to specify that the enemy had to end the pull adjacent to you- but that's not what they did. \$\endgroup\$
    – JLan
    Commented May 10, 2020 at 15:35

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