Yet another large monster movement thread

By d20familiar, in Descent: Journeys in the Dark

Hi there!

I’m going to play My House, My Rules rumour quest this week, thus cannot wait for the CRRG release. Would like to clear out several things about large monsters and movement. I know the following from the FAQ 1.6, uFAQ, forums, etc.:

  1. Move action can be interrupted to perform other actions (including another move action). This causes (and requires) large monster to expand. No space to expand — no interruption/action.
  2. Subsequent shrinking can be performed from a different square, thus covering an extra space once in a while.
  3. Actions declared to be interrupting move action have to be valid from the square the monster occupied before its expansion.
  4. Monster cannot interrupt its movement for the sake of expansion. Therefore no "stutter-stepping" with movement points from a move action.

Here are the questions I have (and presumed answers):

  1. Do the rules about interrupting movement also apply to movement points gained outside of move actions? (No / kind of?) Or is there nothing to interrupt? (Yes?)
  2. Can Skarn "stutter-step" by spending movement points from, say, Blinding speed one at a time and expanding after each one? (Yes?)
  3. General question: how much movement can a large (2x2) monster get from Blinding speed OL card. (4 or 12 spaces: depending on 2 or 6 MP it got?)
  4. Do "spend 1MP to get to the other side" in MHMR’s portal interaction rules constitutes as non-action that interrupts movement? (No?) Or is it only another way to spend MP? (Yes?)
  5. General question: does a monster have to interrupt its movement (and expand) to perform non-actions? (No?) Can he choose to do so? (No?)
  6. Can Skarn spend MP and go through a portal in MHMR without expanding both before the portal? (Yes?) After the portal? (No?)
  7. How many spaces are adjacent to a door from one side — up to 4 or only 2? (Up to 4?)
  8. What if some / all the spaces on other side are occupied? Does Skarn appear (shrinked?) in the closest empty space? (Yes, but the space is chosen in such way that he can expand from that space?) Or does he have to move (if able) through such figures using normal movement rules, effectively as if the portal was not there at all? (No?)

Interested in RAW first, RAI/homerules second.

Extra movement points are a little ill-defined when it comes to monsters.

I would rule it in the same way as a standard move action (ie movement points are gained, then used all at once, but may be interrupted).

So if you play blinding speed, the monster gains 6 movement points for free (no move action required). Monster may then move up to 6 spaces, but may interrupt that movement to perform additional actions. You may not move, stop, move, stop... if you stop (and expand) without interrupting the movement with an action, that is the end of the monsters activation.

So lets apply that to the numbered questions;

1. Yes
2. No.. Skarn can only expand to interrupt his movement or end his turn.
3. 5 spaces. Starting at a space on the front of the model.. 4 spaces with 4 MP, and 1 more when expanding.

4. No, there is no need to expand or perform an action when moving through 'spend one movement' quest rules (this one is really kinda grey).

5. No need to expand to perform non-actions (not sure what these would be), and No they can not choose to expand unless its to interrupt movement with an action.

6. Yes, see 4.
7. Up to 4 in a 4x4 corridor.

8. Closest empty space such that he can expand.

Edited by Silidus

1. Yes, agree with Silidus

2. No, agree with Silidus.

3. The top image in this link shows a 2x2 monster spending 5 MP (the last one is diagonal only to show that it's no different than horizontal). The solid line is the initial figure position, the dotted small circles are the initial andfinal shrunken spaces, and the dotted large circle is the final base position. Adjust distance accordingly for 2 or 6 spaces from a single or double fail blinding speed.

4. Any and all movement a large monster does requires shrinking and expanding. This is because there must always be a single space entered.

5. Some non-actions constitute an interruption, and thus force the monster to expand. There is not a hard and fast rule about what constitutes an interruption and what doesn't (additional actions are always interruptions).

6. No, see #4.

7. The lower image (same link as in #3) shows the distance each numbered space is from the locked door. See my range and LOS guide (link in signature) for more information.

8. Since he can be placed adjacent to the other side of the portal, he gets placed in the nearest empty space, and expands from there.

Edited by Zaltyre

Hmm I feel like 4 needs more clarification.

In the picture below. Is the large 2x2 monster able to go through the portal (assuming wording on portal is "A figure on the portal may spend one movement point to enter the portal. Place figure in the closest empty space adjacent to (exit) any other portal token)? I have always ruled yes, since spending the additional movement point does not constitute an action and so there is no need to expand.

Untitled.png

Your ruling is correct. FFG has answered a similar question on the Desecreated Tomb quest, confirming that using such a portal is not considered to be an interrupt. Thus, large monsters do not need to expand in this situation.

Edited by Sadgit

You are also right that I should have been more clear- what I meant was that a monster must always shrink when it moves, and subsequently expand when that movement is interrupted or ended (the large monster cannot move as a whole base at once).

Since, in the case of this portal, all the monser is doing is continuing to move, it need not expand (since its movement is not being interrupted). If the rules for the portal were different (say, "While adjacent to the portal, a monster may spend an action to place its figure adjacent to the other portal...") that would be an interrupt, and the monster would have to expand first, teleport, be placed in a single space near the other portal, and expand.