Tumbling Trick: Must You Shift?

The Rogue power Tumbling Trick was recently the subject of heated discussion in Wizards' Community forums: Tumbling Trick Rules Lawyer Question.  Tumbling Trick is an At-Will, Move Action power.  Why did it cause so much controversy that the forum thread extended to 11 pages in a matter of just 2 or 3 days?  Its description seems pretty straight forward:

You shift up to 3 squares. The next time you hit an enemy with a melee basic attack this turn, you also deal damage equal to your Str modifier to a different enemy, which must be adjacent to you.

The controversy stemmed from the first sentence.  Must the rogue shift at least one square to get the benefit of the power?  Can she shift 0 and still deal her Str modifier in damage to an adjacent enemy?

Since most 4E players do not have the time to follow every single post in the Wizard's Community forums and since the question did pique my mind for some time, I decided to broach it here for the benefit of those who do not keep up to date with WotC forums.

The Case For The Shift

If you look at the Rules Compendium, it becomes fairly clear that a Move Action can include a movement of 0.  On page 202, the RC defines speed as representing "how far a creature can move using the walk action (although it can chose not to move any distance at all)."  The walk action  itself allows a player to use "a move action to move up to its speed."  RC at p. 203.  Therefore, a power that says "you move up to 3 squares" allows for a movement of 0.

However, shift is defined differently: 

A creature uses a move action to move 1 square (certain powers allow a creature to move more than one square).  Shifting doesn't provoke opportunity actions.

RC, p. 203.

Unlike speed or walk, shift's definition does not say that you can move "up to 1 square".  The base or minimum measurement for shift is 1 square, not 0 squares as it is for walk.  You can't say you shifted 0 squares.  In such a case, it is not that you shifted 0 squares, it is that you just did not shift.

Generally speaking, a Move Action does not require you to actually move one square.  A power that says you can "move up to your speed", by the definitions above, has a lower limit of 0.  You can move 0 squares and use that power.  Tumbling Trick allows you to "shift up to 3 squares" as your Move Action.  Therefore, since Tumbling Trick becomes your Move Action, under the general definitions above Tumbling Trick must allow for a shift of 0 squares, right?  Well, not really.

One of the first things the Players' Handbook tells you is "if a specific rule contradicts a general rule, the specific rule wins."  PH, p. 11.  Generally speaking, a player can use its Move Action to move up to its speed, which by definition includes 0 squares.  RC at p. 203.  Specifically speaking, a shift requires that you use "a move action to move 1 square".  If specific trumps general, it follows that, when it comes to Tumbling Trick, you must shift at least 1 square and, if you want, up to 3.

The Case Against The Shift

Shift does require that you move 1 square.  However, this is in the context of using shift as your Move Action.  Here, the rogue is not using shift as her Move Action.  Instead, she is using Tumbling Trick as her Move Action.   Therefore, the limitations that burden her when she uses shift as a Move Action do not apply here because she is using Tumbling Tricks - not shift.  To rule otherwise would be to confuse shift as a Move Action with Tumbling Trick as a Move Action.

This analysis is consistent with the "specific rule beats general rule" philosophy of 4E.  The general rule is that a shift requires you to "move 1 square".  However, Tumbling Trick has a specific rule that applies when you use that power, and that specific rule is that you "shift up to 3 squares".  Since "up to" traditionally allows for 0, the rogue should be allowed to shift 0 and still enjoy the benefits of the Tumbling Trick.

WotC_Trevor Hath Spoken

WotC piped in and quickly clarified what, according to WotC_Trevor, had already been clarified in the "early days of 4E".  Since I have never been early to anything in my life - people that know me expect me to arrive late to my own funeral - I appreciate that WotC_Trevor took the time to once again explain how Tumbling Trick works and, more specifically, how to read powers.  This is his response:

Thought I'd drop by and give an answer even though the conversation has moved on a bit. This was something that was asked and answered in the early days of 4E, though it may not have been this specific issue. The answer hasn't changed in all that time.

If a power states you can shift "up to" a number, you can choose to shift zero. If you choose to shift zero, you still follow through with the rest of the power. You do not actually need to shift in order to get the rest of the attack or effect. If you did need to, there would be a sentence or statement specifically calling out that need.

http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/28690045/Tumbling_Trick_Rules_Lawyer_Question?pg=6

So, basically, whether you shift 0, 1 or 3 squares is irrelevant to Tumbling Trick.  The shift is not a trigger for the other benefits of the Tumbling Trick.  No shift is, unless there is a sentence or statement that specifically states that you must shift.  In the cases where a power is triggered by a shift or move, shifting or moving 0 squares does not trigger the power (check WotC_Trevor's post to that effect).

In case it still isn't clear, the rogue can shift 0 squares when using Tumbling Trick.  In the words of WotC_Trevor: "If a power or ability allows you to move or shift up to a certain amount, the controller of that power/ability can choose for that move or shift to be zero."

Your Home Game

I must admit that WotC_Trevor's explanation makes perfect sense.  I must also admit that I was in the "must shift" camp.  Let me know in the comments below which of the two camps were you subscribed to before WotC_Trevor's response.