{"id":3366,"date":"2024-01-10T21:10:35","date_gmt":"2024-01-11T04:10:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/?p=3366"},"modified":"2025-05-29T23:07:30","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T06:07:30","slug":"dd-5e-rules-moving-through-a-hostile-creatures-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/2024\/01\/dd-5e-rules-moving-through-a-hostile-creatures-space.html","title":{"rendered":"D&D 5e\/5.5e Rules – Moving Through a Hostile Creature’s Space!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"KnowPart of an ongoing series of 5e (2014)<\/strong> Rules notes.<\/a>\u00a0 See the end of the post for notes on 5.5e (2024)<\/strong> rules.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

There are a number of rules that deal with the basic question of “How do I get past that guy?” Note that all the below observations are caveated by class or racial powers that may say otherwise. Monks and rogues and some smaller creatures get special abilities to do some of this stuff.<\/p>\n

Note also that if you use any of these, you still run the risk of an\u00a0Attack of Opportunity<\/i>\u00a0<\/strong>if, once past, you continue running beyond someone’s reach.<\/p>\n

Also, if the either of the opponents here is one of those that does damage to a melee attacker “within five feet,” I would as DM incur that penalty to these maneuvers as well (even if they are not, strictly speaking, melee attacks). In other words, if you are shoving, shoving past, or even tumbling around that flaming guy, you’re going to get burned (and if it’s the flaming guy trying to move through an occupied hex, the target’s going to get burned, regardless of whether the attempt was successful).<\/p>\n

The Magic of the Five Foot Square<\/h1>\n
\"Guys<\/a>
Guys in a couple of five foot squares<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Okay, if you are doing Theater of the Mind, more power to you. I run on a 5-foot square grid.<\/p>\n

Obviously a Medium creature (as most players and many opponents are) does not fill the entire square, like some sort of gelatinous cube. Instead, the square represents what war-gamers would call a “zone of control.” A player in a 5-foot square can be anywhere (and, in a sort of quantum fashion,\u00a0everywhere)<\/em> within it. Even if you are leaning waaaaaaaay over to one side to shoot arrows at that goblin behind partial cover, you are still blocking that orc from traipsing through the other side of your 5-foot square.<\/p>\n

The basic rules of 5e (and D&D in general) is that, with some identified exceptions and weird edge cases, opposed beings cannot occupy the same 5-foot square<\/strong>. So, other than slaying that enemy in your way, how can you get past them?<\/p>\n

Here is a summary of the ideas spelled out below …<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
If you are _____ than your opponent …<\/th>\n… then consider _____.<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Bigger<\/td>\nOverrunning<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bigger (a lot) or Smaller (a lot)<\/td>\nMoving Through<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Stronger<\/td>\nShoving, Shoving Aside, or Overrunning<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
More Agile<\/td>\nTumbling Past<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Moving Through<\/h1>\n

You can move through a hostile creature\u2019s space only if the creature is\u00a0at least\u00a0<\/a>two<\/a><\/u><\/strong> Sizes larger<\/em> or smaller <\/em><\/strong>than you<\/a>. Remember that, even in those cases, another creature\u2019s space is Difficult Terrain for you.<\/p>\n

Cost<\/span>: Difficult Terrain movement.<\/p>\n

Shoving<\/h1>\n

There are a couple of possibilities here — a bog-normal Shove<\/em> attack, or an optional Shove Aside<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Note that in neither case do you need to worry about “Difficult Terrain” as you are never deemed to be in the same square as the enemy (don’t think about it too hard).<\/p>\n

If we think of You (Y) doing one of these attacks against the Enemy (E), here is where they would end up with a Shove (S) or an (optional) Shove Aside (A)<\/p>\n

S  S  S \r\nA  E  A\r\n   Y<\/pre>\n
Shove<\/h3>\n
You can use a Shove<\/a><\/em> as an attack in the round, pushing the target away<\/em> from you 5 feet (think of the offensive line in a football game). Once you push them away, you can step into their space and then beyond.<\/p>\n
“Away” on a square grid would be straight back or diagonally back. (The DM might want to opine on that one, but Jeremy Crawford says diagonal counts as “away”<\/a>. More discussion here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n
For a Shove, the target can’t be more than one Size<\/a> larger. You as the shover make a Strength (Athletics)<\/em> roll vs. the target’s (choice of) Strength (Athletics)\u00a0<\/em>or Dexterity (Acrobatics).<\/em><\/p>\n
You could also knock them Prone with a Shove<\/em> attack but that doesn’t clear out the space for you to move through.<\/p>\n
Cost<\/span>: One Attack.<\/p>\n
Shove Aside<\/h3>\n
This is an Optional Rule on DMG 272<\/a>: Rather than using a Shove<\/em> to move someone back<\/em> (or Prone), you use Shove<\/em> to move them to the side<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Essentially, this is a more difficult Shove<\/em> attack (shifting someone at a 90 degree angle), with the same skill comparison, so you as the shover roll at Disadvantage. If successful, the opponent is shoved 5 feet to the side, meaning you can move through their square at no additional movement penalty.<\/p>\n
As a DM, the added difficulty seems quite fair and I wouldn’t hesitate to allow this Optional Rule.<\/p>\n
Cost<\/span>:\u00a0 One Attack.<\/p>\n
Tumbling Past<\/h1>\n
This is another Optional Rule, so check with your DM first. DMs, this can provide color, but it can also make your sneaky rogue types (who probably have a high DEX) a lot more dangerous.<\/p>\n
This can be found in the DMG, page 272<\/a>: As an Action or Bonus Action, you roll Dexterity (Acrobatics)<\/i> vs the\u00a0 Dexterity (Acrobatics)<\/i> of the one you’re trying to Tumble past; if you win, you can move through (but not stop in) the hostile creature’s space (as difficult terrain).<\/p>\n
There’s no specific penalty for failure here — except that you’ve burned an Action or Bonus Action, successful or not.<\/p>\n
Costs<\/span>: Action or Bonus Action; Difficult Terrain movement.<\/p>\n
Overrunning<\/h1>\n
Yet another Optional Rule, on DMG page 272<\/a>, this is basically just shoving your way past<\/em> the opponent (or using your Strength to do a Move Through).<\/p>\n
As an Action or Bonus Action, you roll a Strength (Athletics)<\/i>\u00a0check vs the defender’s\u00a0Strength (Athletics)<\/i>. You are at Advantage if of a larger Size, or Disadvantage if of a smaller Size. If successful, you can move through the square (as Difficult terrain).<\/p>\n
Cost<\/span>: Action or Bonus Action; Difficult Terrain movement<\/p>\n
But what about Jumping Over them?<\/h1>\n
The\u00a0Jumping rules<\/a> really don’t allow this. Or don’t work well with it.<\/p>\n
First, High Jumps<\/b> don’t help, since they are only up-and-down, according to the rules. (Yes, Olympic High Jumps involve some horizontal distance<\/a>, though often not much,\u00a0 I don’t think anyone is envisioning jumping backwards over an orc and then landing on their own back on a huge fluffy pad.)<\/p>\n
Second — this is not an easy thing to do. Even under highly controlled non-combat situations.<\/p>\n