>>96249611

Yes, your rewording certainly makes plenty of sense. I can absolutely see that being the true intent of the rule, rather than the poorly worded mess we actually have. Thank you very much; I sincerely appreciate this new perspective.

As for straight lines, there is a rule covering this, no?

>Straight Lines
>Talking about a straight line area of effect on an encounter map doesn’t mean the line can only be a straight vertical or horizontal line of contiguous squares. It means each square in the line’s length must move in the same direction without bending back in an opposite direction. To make a line area quickly, pick your line’s origin square, then pick each subsquent square in the line one at a time in a single direction without bending back in an opposite direction.
>Likewise, abilities and effects that require a creature to move in a straight line, such as the Charge main action or forced movement that is a push or a pull, don’t have to take the form of a straight series of squares on the grid. Simply move the creature one square at a time in a single direction without ever bending back in a direction opposite to where they’ve already moved.

If a character jumps and falls, that is "bending back in a direction opposite to where they’ve already moved," right?