Questions tagged [battle-map]

For questions about maps used for visualising a battlefield during combat, often with grids and used in combination with miniatures or tiles. Not to be confused with the [maps] tag, which is for maps of larger areas, like city or world maps.

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4 votes
1 answer
84 views

Are there any published maps of Rhymanthiin and also 'The Path of Light' linking it to the Misty Forest?

I have found a fair amount of info and lore about Rhymanthiin, particularly its creation and even some descriptions of parts of it, including information about The Path of Light, but no maps or even ...
6 votes
2 answers
165 views

Are single swarms of Large size completely shapeable in Pathfinder?

This D&D 3.5 question touches on this subject. Recently in a Pathfinder 1e game, it came to my attention that Paizo removed the second line clarifying that swarms were shapeable 10' creatures. I ...
2 votes
2 answers
528 views

What is the shape of fireball in 5-foot squares?

The DMG provides this rule for areas of effect on a grid (p. 251): AREAS OF EFFECT The area of effect of a spell, monster ability, or other feature must be translated onto squares or hexes to ...
5 votes
2 answers
1k views

How far does Ice Knife Spread on a large creature

The spell ice knife states: You create a shard of ice and fling it at one creature within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 1d10 piercing damage. Hit or ...
2 votes
2 answers
367 views

Do spells that push away or pull towards slide along diagonals?

Thorn Whip, for example, states: you pull the creature up to 10 feet closer to you. What happens when this pull would run into something and in order to get 'closer' to you it would need to slide ...
13 votes
6 answers
2k views

When do you consider a scene important enough to warrant a battlemap? [closed]

I was thinking about the act of looking for battlemaps, and was wondering when, in pre-planning, did you ever decide that a scene was important enough for a battlemap? Example 1: A room where you ...
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6 votes
2 answers
324 views

How can I convert The Touch of Death 2E module to run in D&D 5e?

I am including the Ravenloft: Touch of Death module from AD&D 2e in my D&D 5e campaign as I have repurposed the Hexad. However, the maps from the quest are a mess, the NPCs are disposable, and ...
12 votes
3 answers
431 views

How to run tactical combat on the Plane of Air?

My party recently got themselves accidentally transported to the Plane of Air by way of a cursed throne that once belonged to a cloud giant. While there, I intend to run at least one combat where ...
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10 votes
2 answers
2k views

Will uneven speed be rounded up or down?

When using the sneak action you can move up to half your speed. If I play a goblin with 25 base speed what would be half the speed? Will 12.5 be rounded up to 15 or down to 10? Since 2.5 is difficult ...
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6 votes
2 answers
2k views

Is there a way to blend hex and square grid for battle maps?

I'm new to hexes and not too experienced with map-making in general, and I want to expand my understanding of them. While I was figuring out how radiuses would work for things like spells on a hex map,...
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6 votes
1 answer
464 views

Is a space with a hazard or area of effect 'occupied'?

The party warlock has a wand of web. He just leveled to 11th and is considering his choices for his 6th level arcanum. Scatter (XGtE) allows him to teleport creatures to unoccupied spaces against ...
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3 votes
3 answers
1k views

How does moving less than 5 feet interact with tactical grids?

Ok so I recently came across the spell plant growth, which says for every 1ft moved you require 4ft instead. This prompted me to look in the rules, and I found out that you can use any amount of your ...
8 votes
1 answer
468 views

Can an Air Elemental's Whirlwind ability hit multiple large targets?

The Air Elemental's Whirlwind ability reads: Each creature in the elemental's space must... Both the Air Elemental and the Minotaurs are large creatures. The Air Elemental's ability Air Form allows ...
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2 votes
1 answer
240 views

On a grid, where does the vision of a creature originate from?

Where does the vision of a creature originate from on a grid? For large or taller creatures, does vision originate from all of the space it occupies? What about height - can a creature see at all ...
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8 votes
2 answers
996 views

On a self-targeted spell like Spirit Guardians, can the caster change the intersection corner on a grid?

We're using a grid-based combat system for combat. The party cleric is learning the joys of Spirit Guardians, which has a range of Self (15-foot radius): You call forth spirits to protect you. They ...
8 votes
0 answers
159 views

When using the Template variant rule from Xanathar's Guide to Everything, do 5 foot wide Lines actually affect a 10 foot wide row of grid squares? [duplicate]

Xanathar's Guide to Everything has a few variant options for playing on a Grid. XGtE, Page 86: ... Choose an intersection of squares as the point of origin of an area of effect ... ... If any part of ...
4 votes
1 answer
252 views

Are there positioning rules when using battles maps in Dragon Age RPG?

We have been running a Dragon Age RPG using battle maps (online) as it is more convenient for playing remotely. The core rulebook gives hints about how such a game could run in the section Using ...
0 votes
1 answer
181 views

Are the squares in my graph paper too small? [closed]

I'm starting my first campaign with so friends of mine, and I think my graph paper is too small. I mean, 4 squares equals 1 inch so... Also the paper has 35 tiles in width. I'm using regular office-...
6 votes
1 answer
2k views

Is a character considered within 5 feet of another character if it is diagonal to it? In dnd 5e

I couldn’t find something about this in the players handbook (it is entirely possible I might have missed something), but is a character considered (within 5 feet) of another character if it is ...
24 votes
3 answers
3k views

Playing on a grid, does this creature have half cover or three-quarters cover?

We have four medium creatures, blue (1), green (2), yellow (3), and red (4), positioned like so: We want to asses the relative cover between blue and red. The rules for determining cover on a grid ...
16 votes
2 answers
2k views

How to rescale a grid in Foundry VTT and keep the doors/walls?

I've discovered an issue when importing maps from D&D Beyond into Foundry VTT via the VTTAssets: D&D Beyond extension. The map imports 100% correctly in that it brings in walls and doors, as ...
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12 votes
1 answer
2k views

The Gust of Wind spell creates a 10-foot-wide line of wind originating from the caster; how do I center it on a 5-foot grid?

Characters are on a grid where every square is 5 feet on each side. The description of the gust of wind spell says: A line of strong wind 60 feet long and 10 feet wide blasts from you in a direction ...
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11 votes
4 answers
2k views

Can a Medium-sized creature effectively block a 10-foot-wide hallway by standing in the middle of it?

Playing on a grid, imagine a 10-foot-wide hallway. Can a Medium creature stand between the grid squares, effectively leaving 2.5 feet on each side? Or does the creature have to "hug the wall"...
10 votes
4 answers
820 views

Can players choose specific points in space, down to the inch, to cast a spell so as to avoid hitting a prone character?

Say there is a character that is prone, such as if they were unconscious, and they are surrounded on all 8 square grids (assuming that a grid is being used) by other creatures. Can a player cast a ...
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11 votes
1 answer
418 views

When playing on a grid, can I pour a flask of oil on any adjacent square or just on the one I am standing on?

The description of a flask of oil says: You can also pour a flask of oil on the ground to cover a 5-foot-square area, provided that the surface is level. When playing on a grid, can I pour a flask ...
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4 votes
1 answer
1k views

How do I adjudicate the impact radius of the Melf's Minute Meteors spell? [duplicate]

The description of the Melf's Minute Meteors spell states, in part: [...] you can expend one or two of the meteors, sending them streaking toward a point or points you choose within 120 feet of you. ...
10 votes
2 answers
2k views

Is it mathematically possible to only have 3/4th cover?

In Is the DMG 3/4 cover diagram incorrect? the question asker points out the diagram shown in the DMG implies 3/4th cover, but it's possible to get a better angle on the defender meaning they only ...
4 votes
1 answer
608 views

How to resolve multiple sources of cover when using a grid?

The cover rules in the PHB say: There are three degrees of cover. If a target is behind multiple sources of cover, only the most protective degree of cover applies; the degrees aren't added together. ...
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9 votes
1 answer
1k views

Is the DMG 3/4 cover diagram incorrect?

From page 250 and 251 of the DMG: To determine whether a target has cover against an attack or other effect on a grid, choose a corner of the attacker's space... trace imaginary lines from that ...
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6 votes
1 answer
306 views

Is there a canon map/layout for the House of Inspired Hands?

The Gondar temple The House of Inspired Hands is in Waterdeep and appears in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. This only contains a brief description of its exterior and interior, is there any more detailed ...
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2 votes
2 answers
742 views

What happens when I redirect an attack with mounted combatant but I am outside the reach of their weapon on a grid? [duplicate]

The mounted combatant feat (PHB 168) allows someone to "force an attack targeted at your mount to target you instead." Suppose I am playing on a grid. Let E be enemies without reach/ranged ...
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20 votes
1 answer
2k views

Can you flank from above?

If a character is on top of a creature, does this count for flanking? Context: a group I play in was killing a dragon, and one of my fellow players (a fighter) grappled it and hung on to its neck. One ...
11 votes
2 answers
2k views

How to map out and run an encounter set in a predominantly vertical area online?

Upcoming in one of my D&D 5E games, the player characters are going to have to venture down a dwarven mineshaft while being attacked by dwarf zombies. The shaft itself is an entirely vertical pit, ...
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0 votes
3 answers
479 views

Is circular movement treated as moving diagonally or difficult terrain? [closed]

This came up in a discussion in my group about circular movement. Is circular movement treated as moving diagonally or difficult terrain? For a situation such as circling a target on a horse ...
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13 votes
2 answers
2k views

Does an aura affect all creatures including ones only partially in the aura?

In the image below, I have a paladin with a 10 foot aura of protection. I have three characters labelled 1, 2 and 3. We have been playing that character 2 and 3 would be in the aura, but character 1 ...
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4 votes
1 answer
3k views

How many squares can a creature larger than Medium with a speed of 30 feet move on a 5-foot square grid map?

A Large creature on a 5-foot square grid map occupies a 2-by-2 square space. If the creature can move up to 30 feet, and each square on the grid is 5 feet by 5 feet, does the creature move up to 6 ...
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13 votes
3 answers
973 views

How can I show the effects of illusions in Roll20?

My players are approaching a battle with Fraz-Urb'luu, who will have prepared the battlefield in some manner using an effect like Mirage Arcane and several other illusions and deceptions. Given that ...
13 votes
2 answers
2k views

Are there any problems using a mix of hex and square grids on a map?

I'm creating some maps with a 5ft hex grid and hoping to keep them system agnostic. There are some rooms that have a shape that doesn't fit the hex grid well and would fit a square grid much better. ...
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35 votes
3 answers
7k views

How do I help players frustrated by darkness in Roll20's dynamic lighting?

I recently moved my pathfinder 1e campaign online. After some experimenting I decided that the Roll20 dynamic lighting system was worth the investment. However during our first session using the ...
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3 votes
1 answer
104 views

Can players move tokens in Mipui without being an admin of the map that those tokens are placed on?

Hello I was wondering if there is a way for players to interact with a map, without being considered a creator/admin of a map, so that they can move their tokens without being able to see through the ...
4 votes
1 answer
439 views

How do I scale maps appropriately for the grid for published adventures?

I recently purchased my first add-on with Roll20 and noticed that while Roll20's grid is a 5-foot square, the provided maps are 10-foot squares. How do I "scale" the map appropriately for the grid, ...
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5 votes
1 answer
4k views

How do we determine circular AoE areas on grid? [closed]

I don't know how to explain it, but I have a question about spells areas, imagine a spell has a 10´radius circle area, which one work better? I'm confused because the lower option its not 10´foot ...
8 votes
3 answers
2k views

When using the Wall of Fire spell, what shape is a ringed wall on a grid?

I was looking at wall of fire and realized I wasn't sure how to represent the ringed version when on a grid. The spell states (emphasis mine): You create a wall of fire on a solid surface within ...
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7 votes
1 answer
2k views

On a grid, what is the area of effect of the Spirit Guardians spell?

I'm unclear on what the area of effect of Spirit Guardians is on a grid. The spell has a range of "Self (15-foot radius)". Additionally, the description of the Spirit Guardians spell says: ...
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9 votes
4 answers
1k views

Line of sight, parallel 5ft obstacle between player and enemy

One of my players got frightened by a Boss after being hit by a wrathful smite, and he's trying to put himself between a 5ft diameter and 10ft tall pillar and the Boss enemy. E being the Boss enemy, ...
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3 votes
0 answers
1k views

Scale of Paizo's Pathfinder/Starfinder pawns and paper minis

I've been a fan of Paizo's paper minis. Ever since I printed out the first batch, I noticed that they follow the 28mm scale for miniatures - i.e. in most paper minis representing adult humanoids, the ...
17 votes
3 answers
3k views

Are unusually long jumps possible by RAW?

I am slightly confused about how far a PC can jump in combat. On page 182, the PHB defines the mechanics of the long jump: When you make a long jump, you cover a number of feet up to your Strength ...
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8 votes
4 answers
5k views

How to Fog of War an official adventures map

So I will be DMing a new campaign, and we are going to be starting with the module for The Sunless Citadel. I have a very large .jpeg file for all of the dungeon maps, and plan on using my little ...
17 votes
1 answer
2k views

Is the Kolat Towers map properly drawn?

In Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, players can access a zone known as Kolat Towers. The map (on p. 151) is drawn strangely though. It seems like the 2nd floor is not aligned with the 1st floor. Not very ...
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29 votes
6 answers
6k views

When did 5 foot squares become standard in D&D?

Perhaps showing my age here, but in "The Good Old Days", 10-foot squares were a standard map size. Each square on the map was 10 feet, and a 10-foot wide corridor was normal. Now, having started ...
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