Totally open to having my mind changed. I've always read the movement rules to mean that your model tries as hard as it can to execute the movement you declare intended. So in my mind, IJW's proposed scenario goes: 1) I declare that I want to vault to the other side of a 0.5 inch thick object. 2) When measuring, I discover that it take 3.75 inches of movement to reach the object. At this point I can: 3a) Vault up 0.125 inches, then back 0.125 inches. or 3b) Stop at the object because I can't end on top of it. If you are intending to go forward, I dont think it makes sense that you would perform 3a
Fine it declares to vualt over the bannister ending on the side it can end. It then follows the vault rules over the bannister ending where declared. Done Adding additional restriction on what over means is making up rules. And arguing it falls as storm has is just hillariously wrong. Ijw has said how it works for the handful of those convinced on a dofferemt interpretation and given he is the official interpreter that should be enough.
That's the problem with loosely defined mechanics, it's hard to refute any "creative" use of these mechanics within the rules. I think it'd be more like: You vault the 0,25 inches you can and then you are "teleported back" to the last legal position where your model could be placed.
I'm inclined to say you are correct, but it depends on how you play the game (we're heading into THAT debate). If the way you play is; declare movement first, measure next, find out where you end up - then yes, I don't see any other way of handling it since going up the railing and then back down is changing your path from your declared trajectory.
So I am on board with @ijw s interpretation of being able to climb up and back down using vault. Where I get hung up is continuing to vault up. Let's say I had a pile of crates, with small ones that I could vault on the outside ring and tall ones inside the middle of the pile (taller than my silhouette on the ground, but shorter than my silhouette once I am on top of the outer ring of crates). Can I vault up to the little crates, and continue vaulting up to the taller ones? Does it become like stairs? Is it only stairs if I can support my base throughout? Does support a base mean diameter is smaller than the outer crate I intend to hop onto?
My personal answer for this one is: Do you remember the first vault you did over the first small crate? Now that your model is touching the ground for the first time since that vault. At any point in your movement up to now; did your model get higher than 1 silhouette's height in vertical distance? Yes? Then you executed one or more illegal vaults during your order. Better go over piles of boxes with your opponent ahead of time to clear out whether they count as unstable rubble or if they are formally stairs.
@daboarder anyone can put "manpants" and accept their interpretation is wrong, you too can do it too, but this is neither here or there and not the subject of the discussion. When I read the rule back then, I read "vault over" for me the act of crossing of the obstacle was never in question, we discussed the merits of realism on vaulting models not shooting from their vaulted height and how that would make vaulting never be used, but never discussed how vaulting could be used in such fringe cases as the one discussed here tipping the toe on the obstacle and going back to the starting position without crossing the obstacle. I will concede that vaulting may mean something else but vault for me is what the old MK12 Wulver does and this makes crossing the obstacle a necessity, maybe the game is improved by using vaulting to gain height is such edge cases, maybe it is irrelevant, I have never until now witnessed somebody playing the vaulting mechanic in such a way and have never considered the wording vault over an obstacle to not necessitate the physical movement of a model to the other side of the obstacle. @Vanderbane depends if the pile of crates has base sized places, if it has then the rules for crossing obstacles lower that the models Silhouette are used in any case better do what @Mahtamori said and discuss beforehand how such terrain is treated.
