SRD5:Space
A creature’s space is the area in feet that it effectively controls in combat, not an expression of its physical dimensions. A typical Medium creature isn’t 5 feet wide, for example, but it does control a space that wide. If a Medium hobgoblin stands in a 5-foot-wide doorway, other creatures can’t get through unless the hobgoblin lets them.
A creature’s space also reflects the area it needs to fight effectively. For that reason, there’s a limit to the number of creatures that can surround another creature in combat. Assuming Medium combatants, eight creatures can fit in a 5-foot radius around another one.
Because larger creatures take up more space, fewer of them can surround a creature. If five Large creatures crowd around a Medium or smaller one, there’s little room for anyone else. In contrast, as many as twenty Medium creatures can surround a Gargantuan one. [SRD5 OGL/CC-BY] [1]
Creature Size
Each creature takes up a different amount of space. The Size Categories table shows how much space a creature of a particular size controls in combat. Objects sometimes use the same size categories. [SRD5 OGL/CC-BY] [1]
| Size Categories[SRD5 OGL/CC-BY] [1] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Size | Space | Example |
| Tiny | 2½ by 2½ ft. | Imp, sprite |
| Small | 5 by 5 ft. | Giant rat, goblin |
| Medium | 5 by 5 ft. | Orc, werewolf |
| Large | 10 by 10 ft. | Hippogriff, ogre |
| Huge | 15 by 15 ft. | Fire Giant, treant |
| Gargantuan | 20 by 20 ft. or larger | Kraken, purple worm |
Unoccupied Space
An unoccupied space is an area that a creature (usually you) can fit into, that that is not already occupied by another creature. [2]
Sources and Notes
- SRD5:
- Wizards RPG Team. SRD-OGL v5.1 (5e 2014) (2015.05.06). Wizards of the Coast. Licensed: OGL.
- Wizards RPG Team. SRD-CC v5.1 (5e 2014) (2024-05-09). Wizards of the Coast. Licensed: CC-BY.
- inferred from the Movement section of the SRD-OGL v5.1 ↑