BBBC
BOCB
B1BB
B2BB

B = Blocking Terrain
C = Clear terrain
O = Opposing figure
1 = Friendly figure
2 = Friendly grounded Figure

Using the diagram above I want to try and clarify a movement question. Can Friendly figure 2 (non flier, no Leap Climb or Phasing) move into the Clear terrain square next to the opposing figure?

I say no because if Figure 2 were to enter the square that figure 1 occupies, it would have to stop because it becomes adjacent to the opposing figure and cannot legally stop in that square therefore making the move illegal.

I have had players tell me that it can because if Figure 2 cannot be placed in the square that Figure 1 occupies it must be placed in the next available square.

You are correct for the reason you give.

Correct.

Sounds like they are misquoting this Golden Rule:

3) THE RULE OF OCCUPANCY
Any game effect resulting in two or more characters occupying the same square, or characters, terrain markers, or objects occupying a square of blocking terrain, is prohibited (except for Debris markers, see Terrain p. 11). If part of a game effect would cause this to happen, that part of the game effect is ignored. If moving or placing a character, terrain marker, or object would cause this, then the character, terrain markers, or object must instead move to or be placed in a different square. Characters using certain powers and abilities may freely travel through other characters and/ or blocking terrain, but if it will end its movement in the same square as another character or blocking terrain, the moving character must end its movement before entering the occupied square.

Thank you for clearing that up for me. I believe the confusion comes from a former judge that did not agree with the rule and housed ruled it so that the figures could "leap frog" one another or one would create a "bridge" for the other to move over. Since then it has been adopted by certain players as the actual rule.

I'll piggy back off Mike's question. Note the differences in the diagram.

BBBC
BHHB
B1BB
B2BB

B = Blocking Terrain
C = Clear terrain
H = Hindering terrain
1 = Friendly IN HINDERING figure
2 = Friendly grounded Figure w/ any special powers

Can 2 reach any of the hindering squares that are North of 1 by leap frogging his own fig?

As Quoted Before
They would stop in the square before so they could not move through square occupied by 1.

So leap frogging never existed, it was just a house rule... GOT IT!

That seems to be the case. It came up again last weekend and I wanted to be 100% sure that I was giving the correct ruling.

I know it wasn't a house rule. I remember another judge doing it who never played at the same venue. I think it is more an aberration of the rule as discussed. I remember a similar trend with moving between grounded and elevated via a ladder; a lot of judges counted the ladder itself (3 spaces) opposed to just moving from ground to elevated (2 spaces) b/c of the old soaring rule that modified the change in hover to soaring elevation by -1. Oh well, at least we're all straight now.

I vaguely remember there being a rule that going up a ladder required an additional movement as well, but that was awhile ago. I'm curious now what the official rule on that one was.

The ladder rule did exist... though not for a very long time (I think Danger Room it was dropped? Maybe LoSH.).

Leaping over your characters like described above was never part of the core rules, though, and is likely just house rules/misinformation.

Well there were older rules that treated ladders different then stairs and did have a rule when going up Ladders was an additional movement. And there may have been interpretations of those rules where people saw Leap Frogging as legal. Bit those would be very old rules.

It's funny which rules stick in people's minds and which one's don't. I am sure as I write this, somewhere there is a super perplexed Firelord attacking immediately after being taxied by Vulture.

Lol, not many people will get that reference.

I saw this not too long ago... but my judge (the guy im quoting) made a scenario that allowed this... it was quite annoying...