I just started a Shadow of Nerekhall campaign, and we've come across three abilities that involve "remove from the map". We didn't agree 100% on the interpretation, and because they seem to use a phrasing that is new in this expansion (as far as I recall), we want to clarify what exactly these abilities mean. The text is below:

Tinashi the Wanderer's heroic feat: Use during your turn to choose any empty space within 3 spaces of your figure. Remove your figure from the map and place it in the chosen space.

Conjurer's "Sleight of Mind" ability: Choose 1 image token within 5 spaces of your figure and remove your figure from the map. Replace the chosen image token with your figure and discard the token. Then, each monster adjacent to your figure is Stunned.

Ynfernael Hulk's Knockback ability: Remove the target from the map, then place him on any empty space within 3 spaces of his original space . He counts as entering that space.

The question: does this ability allow an entity to effectively pass through a wall? What about passing through "non-spaces", that is, grid squares that have no map tile on them?

Thanks in advance!

The way that you determine whether or not a given space with "within X" is by counting spaces. The rules for counting space (in the core book) require that each space counted be adjacent to the last. In order to be adjacent, two spaces must share an edge or a corner.

So no, you cannot count spaces through a wall or a closed door (closed doors explicitly break adjacency.) You cannot count spaces across a gap in the map tiles, because the spaces on either side are not sharing an edge or a corner.

Therefore you cannot use these abilities to cross such things. The wording might be slightly different, but the mechanic has certainly been used before. I'm surprised this question never came up in your group before SoN.

Thanks. This is just our second campaign, I'm sure there are plenty of situations we haven't encountered. We also have a poor collective memory, so that doesn't help.

Monguin, in addition to what Steve-O said, remember that you can't count through blocked spaces for these abilities, either (that is to say, obstacles surrounded with a red line.)

You can use this ability to go through obstacles like the overgrowth or elevation from LoR (I think) and to cross a pit of lava, or water because such spaces only count as 1 when counting spaces, as opposed to 2 spaces when moving across them.

Also, the remove from map ability is used in the base game by the Ettin's throw ability if I recall corectly.

You can use this ability to go through obstacles like the overgrowth or elevation from LoR (I think) and to cross a pit of lava, or water because such spaces only count as 1 when counting spaces, as opposed to 2 spaces when moving across them.

Also, the remove from map ability is used in the base game by the Ettin's throw ability if I recall corectly.

We have to be careful with our wording, which is why I specified about the red line. Overgrowth and elevation lines are not "obstacles" in that definition, even though they're "things on the map that can be in your way." I'm referring to things that are treated as "obstacles" and/or "blocked spaces" meaning the terrain type, of which the rules state you can't count spaces through them (unless of course you happen to be flying, and ignoring terrain effects altogether.) Fun note, summoned stones are treated the same as those spaces.

And you're absolutely right about the other terrain with regard to "remove and place," and the Ettin throw- that's the text on the card.

Yes, full, red lines are blocked spaces. I was just pointing out instances where those abilities can be useful. Players, heroes and OL alike should be careful when looking at squares on the map to make sure they understand what each coloured line around a square represents.

In my group, our first time encountering overgrowth, we treated them like doors, which led us to waste actions "opening" them, when the heroes could have just ignored them, since they blocked line of sight, and would have forced the OL's monsters to expose themselves to the heroes, instead of wasting them chasing the monsters down.