Count using the rule your table selected
Under the D&D 2024 square-grid rule, entering two diagonally adjacent, empty, normal squares costs two squares: ten feet when each represents five. You do not need to convert that route into a geometric length to apply this rule. Before moving a piece in DMGrid, agree which measurement your table uses.
DMGrid provides a tactical board, distance ruler and circular movement ranges. These tools represent the scene. This guide does not claim that its ruler automatically applies your chosen diagonal rule.
A checkable example without starting combat
Prepare a fictional open-corridor scene. A piece wants to reach a square two columns and two rows away. The proposed route enters one diagonal square and then another. Both are empty, with no Difficult Terrain or obstacles.
Using the cited rule, count two entries: five plus five equals ten feet. Do not count the starting square as another step. If your table uses a different diagonal convention, agree its result before comparing it with a drawn line. This example does not impose that convention on every system or campaign.
A wall corner changes whether passage is possible
The 2024 basic rule also prevents diagonal movement across the corner of a wall or another feature filling its space. Review the route rather than only marking the destination.
In a second version of our scene, a wall fills a position beside the passage. Before assigning the same cost, check with the DM whether the diagonal crosses that corner and which route remains open. Do not drag a piece through a wall merely because its destination lies inside a circle.
Read the grid section of the official 2024 Basic Rules, checked on 27 October 2026, for complete conditions. Terrain, creatures and effects can require further checks.
Keep the agreement beside the scene
A useful manual preparation in DMGrid would be:
- Confirm what each map square represents.
- Record the selected edition and diagonal rule in session notes.
- Review one open route and another beside a wall with a piece.
- Compare ruler readings with the agreed criterion before using them to spend movement.
If they differ, retain the discrepancy for clarification. Do not change Speed or Hit Points to make the numbers agree. We did not run that comparison in a real application and promise no specific automatic adjustment.
DMGrid is a paid Windows beta for in-person campaigns with local storage. Read its tools and limits and product presentation. Your next step is a shared decision about counting this diagonal at this table, before moving the piece.