D&D 5E Pushing into fire elemental

[Rya.Reisender]

The fire elemental has the following trait:

Fire Form. The elemental can move through a space as narrow
as 1 inch wide without squeezing. A creature that touches the
elemental or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet of
it takes 5 (1d10) fire damage. In addition, the elemental can
enter a hostile creature’s space and stop there. The first time it
enters a creature’s space on a turn, that creature takes 5 (1d10)
fire damage and catches fire; until someone takes an action to
douse the fire, the creature takes 5 (1d10) fire damage at the
start of each of its turns.

Now one of my players has the idea to push another enemy into the fire elemental or through the fire elemental. And I wonder how that would work out.

It seems the "burning" is only triggered when the fire elemental actively moves into a creature's space, not when a creature is pushed into it. Even worse, when the fire elemental moves, it doesn't enter such a creature's space because it already entered it. So actually, being pushed into the fire elemental's space seems to be an advantage.

But that seems weird and I'd rather would like to give the player a reward from having the idea to push the target into the elemental. But I really want to be consistent with the rules.

How would you rule this?

 

[Oofta]

I think the official ruling is that you cannot push someone into another creature's square, being able to enter someone else's area is a special ability of the fire elemental.

For my home campaign as a house rule? I don't get too caught up in technical interpretation of the rules and I'd allow it. A fire elemental has little or no mass, there's nothing stopping a creature from being pushed it's space. Of course this would work for the bad guys too. This goes for many other creatures, basically if the creature isn't solid I'd allow it. Unless of course it's a creature creature that phases in and out at will, sometimes solid, sometimes not.

To be consistent this also means you could run through the fire elemental, taking damage and provoking as appropriate.

 

[jgsugden]

Rules as Written: Oofta nailed it. You push someone towards a fire elemental and the stop with no damage.

However, I'd look to tell a good story, and I would reward that %@$# by making it an effective tactic. If the fighter pushed a bad guy into a fire elemental, I'd have that bad guy take 1d10 and 1d10 until the fire is extinguished.

 

[Rya.Reisender]

Where do you get those rules from? The only rule I can find on that (apart from not being allowed to move through a hostile creature's space) is:

Whether a creature is a friend or an enemy, you can’t willingly end your move in its space.

(BasicRules, p.71)

The word willingly to me means that pushing a non-willing creature into someone else's is not against the rules as written.

 

[TheSword]

Let’s be clear in 5e you would describe a course of action and the dm would assign difficulty. If I say I want to push or yank or trip x into y then a difficulty is assigned.

I would assign you a standard shove opposed strength and then if the fire elemental didn’t want to burn the victim of the shove I’d allow the fire elemental a DC 10 Dex save as a reaction to jump back or dodge out of the way.

 

[Oofta]

Where do you get those rules from? The only rule I can find on that (apart from not being allowed to move through a hostile creature's space) is:
(BasicRules, p.71)

The word willingly to me means that pushing a non-willing creature into someone else's is not against the rules as written.

In the combat section of the PHB

Moving Around Other Creatures
You can move through a nonhostile creature's space. In contrast, you can move through a hostile creature's space only if the creature is at least two sizes larger or smaller than you. Remember that another creature's space is difficult terrain for you.

Whether a creature is a friend or an enemy, you can't willingly end your move in its space.​

Technically though you are correct, the rules are talking about movement you willingly take. So it's a DM's call. Most people interpret this to included forced movement.