Likewise, when you cast misty step, you're not moving yourself, you're being moved by the spell.
Would that interpretation also then apply if you swim away using alter self, or fly away using Winged Boots?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Active characters:
Askatu, hyperfocused vedalken freedom fighter in Wildspace (Zealot barb/Swashbuckler rogue/Battle Master fighter) Green Hill Sunrise, jaded tabaxi mercenary trapped in the Dark Domains (Battle Master fighter) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Likewise, when you cast misty step, you're not moving yourself, you're being moved by the spell.
Would that interpretation also then apply if you swim away using alter self, or fly away using Winged Boots?
No, because those effects don’t move you, they give you options you can use to move. You are still in full control of your movement. With teleportation spell effects, the moment you finish casting, the movement cannot be stopped whether you change your mind in that instant or not. A clearer example of this is teleport where the teleportation can mishap. Surely you don’t will that you land off target, or land in a random spot and take damage right? But once you start, you have no say in the matter, the spell will do what it does, and you land where you land whether you wanted to or not. You can be willing up to the precise instant the teleport initiates (ie while casting or being targeted) but the creature loses their agency during the actual movement itself
No, because those effects don’t move you, they give you options you can use to move. You are still in full control of your movement.
You aren't in control of where you move with misty step? It takes you 30 feet in a random direction?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Active characters:
Askatu, hyperfocused vedalken freedom fighter in Wildspace (Zealot barb/Swashbuckler rogue/Battle Master fighter) Green Hill Sunrise, jaded tabaxi mercenary trapped in the Dark Domains (Battle Master fighter) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
No, because those effects don’t move you, they give you options you can use to move. You are still in full control of your movement.
You aren't in control of where you move with misty step? It takes you 30 feet in a random direction?
The bigger question is: Can you stop moving once you start? Willing implies consent. Consent is a constant, not a one off. If at anytime during a move you no longer have control over stopping movement then consent is broken and the move is no longer willing. So, the question with Misty step is not “can you control where you go?” But “can I stop at 15 feet when i originally said 30?”
No, because those effects don’t move you, they give you options you can use to move. You are still in full control of your movement.
You aren't in control of where you move with misty step? It takes you 30 feet in a random direction?
The bigger question is: Can you stop moving once you start? Willing implies consent. Consent is a constant, not a one off. If at anytime during a move you no longer have control over stopping movement then consent is broken and the move is no longer willing. So, the question with Misty step is not “can you control where you go?” But “can I stop at 15 feet when i originally said 30?”
But teleporting is a one-off. It takes an instant. If "consent" (which is a use of the word I'm not really comfortable with, frankly) is required all the way through for it to be considered "willing movement", it is present for the entirely of your trip. If you decide at the last second to go 15 feet instead of 30, you go only 15 feet.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Active characters:
Askatu, hyperfocused vedalken freedom fighter in Wildspace (Zealot barb/Swashbuckler rogue/Battle Master fighter) Green Hill Sunrise, jaded tabaxi mercenary trapped in the Dark Domains (Battle Master fighter) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
No, because those effects don’t move you, they give you options you can use to move. You are still in full control of your movement.
You aren't in control of where you move with misty step? It takes you 30 feet in a random direction?
The bigger question is: Can you stop moving once you start? Willing implies consent. Consent is a constant, not a one off. If at anytime during a move you no longer have control over stopping movement then consent is broken and the move is no longer willing. So, the question with Misty step is not “can you control where you go?” But “can I stop at 15 feet when i originally said 30?”
But teleporting is a one-off. It takes an instant. If "consent" (which is a use of the word I'm not really comfortable with, frankly) is required all the way through for it to be considered "willing movement", it is present for the entirely of your trip. If you decide at the last second to go 15 feet instead of 30, you go only 15 feet.
Consent has general meaning beyond the sexual, and my use was certainly not meant to conflate this with that. Though I’m sorry if the word choice was problematic.
regarding the rest of your comment, instant is a very short time, but it is not zero time. In that very short time, you could not change the distance of Misty Step, the magic is already working and cannot be changed, therefore the effect cannot be truly willing at that point.
im not saying the argument is a slam dunk, but it’s consistently enforceable and makes sense to me, so it’s how I would rule at my table
No, because those effects don’t move you, they give you options you can use to move. You are still in full control of your movement.
You aren't in control of where you move with misty step? It takes you 30 feet in a random direction?
The bigger question is: Can you stop moving once you start? Willing implies consent. Consent is a constant, not a one off. If at anytime during a move you no longer have control over stopping movement then consent is broken and the move is no longer willing. So, the question with Misty step is not “can you control where you go?” But “can I stop at 15 feet when i originally said 30?”
But teleporting is a one-off. It takes an instant. If "consent" (which is a use of the word I'm not really comfortable with, frankly) is required all the way through for it to be considered "willing movement", it is present for the entirely of your trip. If you decide at the last second to go 15 feet instead of 30, you go only 15 feet.
Consent has general meaning beyond the sexual, and my use was certainly not meant to conflate this with that. Though I’m sorry if the word choice was problematic.
regarding the rest of your comment, instant is a very short time, but it is not zero time. In that very short time, you could not change the distance of Misty Step, the magic is already working and cannot be changed, therefore the effect cannot be truly willing at that point.
im not saying the argument is a slam dunk, but it’s consistently enforceable and makes sense to me, so it’s how I would rule at my table
Thanks. It's the idea of giving "consent" to a spell that bothers me too. If we were talking a sentient magic item that could teleport you around, it would be different. At least in my mind, consent requires two parties.
I am struggling to come up with a plausible scenario in which a player says something like, "I cast Misty Step to move over to here... oh no wait, I didn't notice Thing, I'm teleporting to this space instead" and the DM says, "Nope, you already locked in your target location, you have to go to the first space you pointed to." I just don't see it happening.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Active characters:
Askatu, hyperfocused vedalken freedom fighter in Wildspace (Zealot barb/Swashbuckler rogue/Battle Master fighter) Green Hill Sunrise, jaded tabaxi mercenary trapped in the Dark Domains (Battle Master fighter) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
I think a better question is does teleporting out of melee provoke OA since you are moving out of a threatened space. I have never allowed that, but reading this thread has me thinking I should.
I think a better question is does teleporting out of melee provoke OA since you are moving out of a threatened space. I have never allowed that, but reading this thread has me thinking I should.
Opportunity attack rules specifically say that teleportation does not provoke them. (Which could be used as evidence that teleportation is "moving").
Teleportation isn't technically movement because it doesn't rely on the character's speed. Per the spell, teleport, you are instantly transported from one location to another.
To my mind, the idea of "willingly move" comes down to
Did you change locations of your own volition? Was your next location chosen by you deterministically, and did you take an action which was the proximal cause of that movement?
Walked 5 feet: Yes -- you chose a destination, and took an action (not "Action", mind you), to travel to the destination. Blink: No -- you took an action, (cast the spell), but didn't choose a destination (it's random). Rode a Ship as it travelled 20 feet: No -- you didn't take any actions, the Ship moved you. Misty Step: Yes -- you chose a destination, and took an action (cast the spell) to move there.
Things that deprive you of volition (Dominate Person for example) mean you aren't "willing", any more than if you were pushed by someone else.
The idea that you don't "move willingly" when you teleport, but that the magic moves you (as if you had nothing to do with it!), is just mind-pretzels, twisted all about to justify "Teleport is special!" in any way possible. It's not a cogent position, since there's no evidence anywhere in the rules that magic works this way. Spells do not have a will of their own. They are the expression of the caster's will. A spell that is instantaneous does not "exist" outside the moment it was cast. You cast it, and it takes effect immediately. There's no "moment" in which you can change your mind and the spell takes over, and you become "unwilling", but the spell works anyway. If you change your mind, then you didn't cast the spell. If you did cast the spell, you didn't change your mind, and so "willingly" moved.
Teleportation isn't technically movement because it doesn't rely on the character's speed. Per the spell, teleport, you are instantly transported from one location to another.
Heh. That's a fundamental point of contention of this argument. You might want to read the whole thread. But to sum up:
Teleport doesn't use a "movement speed", and isn't a "movement type" << No one disagrees with this
Teleporting does count as "moving" though, because the game treats moving as "changing location". << some people accept this.
Determining the distance moved is contended.
The simplest, most obvious way is the straight-line distance between the start and end points << This is my position
Alternatively, count the distance you passed through (which is 0 ft, since you pass through no space) << This is the position of many on the "No" side.
Even if it's moving, Is Teleport "Willingly" ? << Contended. (Recently).
Teleportation isn't technically movement because it doesn't rely on the character's speed. Per the spell, teleport, you are instantly transported from one location to another.
Heh. That's a fundamental point of contention of this argument. You might want to read the whole thread. But to sum up:
Teleport doesn't use a "movement speed", and isn't a "movement type" << No one disagrees with this
Teleporting does count as "moving" though, because the game treats moving as "changing location". << some people accept this.
Determining the distance moved is contended.
The simplest, most obvious way is the straight-line distance between the start and end points << This is my position
Alternatively, count the distance you passed through (which is 0 ft, since you pass through no space) << This is the position of many on the "No" side.
Even if it's moving, Is Teleport "Willingly" ? << Contended. (Recently).
In combat, characters and monsters are in constant motion, often using movement and position to gain the upper hand.
On your turn, you can move a distance up to your speed. You can use as much or as little of your speed as you like on your turn, following the rules here.
Your movement can include jumping, climbing, and swimming. These different modes of movement can be combined with walking, or they can constitute your entire move. However you're moving, you deduct the distance of each part of your move from your speed until it is used up or until you are done moving.
This general rule covers the game's definition of movement. There will be specific exceptions, but those will always refer to movement as such. Anything outside of this definition of movement, that doesn't rely on this rule, isn't technically movement.
Teleportation doesn't fit this definition, so any teleportation doesn't count as movement. Your character's relative position might change, but they themselves don't move. Something else moves them.
Jounichi, read the thread(s). With that argument, an Orc's Aggressive isn't movement, a Battlemaster giving someone a Maneuvering Strike isn't movement, etc. Clearly, "if it isn't "the 'your movement' stuff described in the Movement & Position section of Chapter 9," then it isn't movement" isn't a very strong position. There are a great many times in the PHB that the act of "moving" is referred to outside of "your movement" on your turn.
When joining a thread late, please try to treat the conversation participants with the basic respect to assume they aren't total boneheads, and yes, have noticed the giant obvious section in Chapter 9, the movement section in Chapter 8, etc.
Jounichi, read the thread(s). With that argument, an Orc's Aggressive isn't movement,
Why don't you think it's movement? it clearly references the same terms as in Movement and Positioning rules...
"the orc can move up to its speed toward a hostile creature" These are the same terms the section Jounichi is quoting explains in detail.
a Battlemaster giving someone a Maneuvering Strike isn't movement, etc.
Same as above.
Clearly, "if it isn't "the 'your movement' stuff described in the Movement & Position section of Chapter 9," then it isn't movement" isn't a very strong position.
It isn't unless it says it is. Those abilities both reference moving and your speed, so are adjudicated with the same Movement and Positioning rules they quoted above and are movement.
There are a great many times in the PHB that the act of "moving" is referred to outside of "your movement" on your turn.
Moving in ways other than your own movement is well established. Getting shoved, for example.
When joining a thread late, please try to treat the conversation participants with the basic respect to assume they aren't total boneheads, and yes, have noticed the giant obvious section in Chapter 9, the movement section in Chapter 8, etc.
People have noticed it, and then they for unexplainable reasons simply discount it entirely.
Rav, in an earlier post (in the other thread?) you already told me you understood this.
A character can [change positions, everyone's arguing if this is what's called "movement" etc] in one of three ways:
Using "your move"/"your movement" described in the section quoted by Jounichi above. This is where, without using any actions of any sort, during your turn, you may move once or several times a distance that adds up to your speed. The Dash action doesn't move you directly, but increases that total distance cap.
Using Actions (and bonus actions, and reactions) that move you some distance, like the Orc's Aggressive. These are not like normal movement, because they can't be broken up, taken at any time during your turn, etc... you take the action, you move the distance specified, then it's over.
Other types of moving that don't take actions, but also aren't using "your move" pool. This is stuff like falling, being pushed, riding a horse, forced movement from Infestation, etc.
You've told me already that you understand this. The stuff in #2, such as Battlemaster manouver Maneuvering Strike and the Orc's Aggressive, are not what the Movement & Position section talk about.They can't be broken up, they're sometimes for flat distances rather than amount derived from your speed value, they can't be freely taken in between other attacks and actions but rather only at the precise moment their own action is triggered/taken, the distance you cover with them does not count against the total distance you can move that turn derived from speed, etc.. They're something different.
You can disagree about what's called "movement" (and why that matters) all you want. But the bright line between #1 and #2 is not a matter of interpretation, actions which move your character just explicitly are not the same thing as the general "your move" stuff talked about in the Chapter 9 Movement & Position chapter.
Rav, in an earlier post (in the other thread?) you already told me you understood this.
A character can [change positions, everyone's arguing if this is what's called "movement" etc] in one of three ways:
Using "your move"/"your movement" described in the section quoted by Jounichi above. This is where, without using any actions of any sort, during your turn, you may move once or several times a distance that adds up to your speed. The Dash action doesn't move you directly, but increases that total distance cap.
Using Actions (and bonus actions, and reactions) that move you some distance, like the Orc's Aggressive. These are not like normal movement, because they can't be broken up, taken at any time during your turn, etc... you take the action, you move the distance specified, then it's over.
Other types of moving that don't take actions, but also aren't using "your move" pool. This is stuff like falling, being pushed, riding a horse, forced movement from Infestation, etc.
You've told me already that you understand this. The stuff in #2, such as Battlemaster manouver Maneuvering Strike and the Orc's Aggressive, are not what the Movement & Position section talk about.They can't be broken up, they're sometimes for flat distances rather than amount derived from your speed value, they can't be freely taken in between other attacks and actions but rather only at the precise moment their own action is triggered/taken, the distance you cover with them does not count against the total distance you can move that turn derived from speed, etc.. They're something different.
You can disagree about what's called "movement" (and why that matters) all you want. But the bright line between #1 and #2 is not a matter of interpretation, actions which move your character just explicitly are not the same thing as the general "your move" stuff talked about in the Chapter 9 Movement & Position chapter.
It's movement if it uses movement. Super simple. Yall overcomplicating it.
Your Move for sure uses your movement. But it isn't the only way to do so. Lots of other abilities allow (or force) you to move around using one of your movement speeds.
But, if it moves you without using any of your movement speeds, then that isn't "movement".
Super simple.
Edit/Additional Arguement:
Take you oft quoted Orc's Aggressive feature.
"As a bonus action, the orc can move up to its speed toward a hostile creature that it can see."
In what manner do they move when they use it? Can it go through water? Straight up into the air? Does it have these limitations?
Yes. yes it does have limitations. it is based on their Speed. What is this referencing? "Speed" what is that? Well, it is a Movement Speed. You see, characters (and monsters) have different Movement types, with listed Movement speeds. When they use this Movement, they follow the rules for those types of Movement. So the Orc using his Aggressive feature is limited in how he moves based on his MOVEMENT speed. If he has a fly speed, he can fly with this feature. If he has a swim speed he can swim using this feature. These different options are all Movement types, and each character (and monster) will have this listed in their stats. If they have a Movement Speed listed, that type of MOVEMENT is available for them.
The more I read that section on movement and position, the more it is obvious that it is permitting you something, not defining anything.
It does tell you what you, as a player, can do with your character(s). It also defines movement. When a character moves, you deduct that movement from its speed. A character can "move" without actually moving; without deducting from its speed. In game terms, this is not movement.
We have to remember that the rules only tell us what things do. If they're silent on something, then that something isn't part of the rule. A spell like misty step doesn't include the word "move" once in its description. Rather, it uses the word "teleport." And when we look at teleport, it omits the word "move" as well. In fact, it defines any transposition as instantaneously transporting the subject.
So, forgive me, but I'm not really seeing the confusion. It all looks pretty clear to me.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
True, my bad 😞
dndbeyond.com forum tags
I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
Would that interpretation also then apply if you swim away using alter self, or fly away using Winged Boots?
Active characters:
Askatu, hyperfocused vedalken freedom fighter in Wildspace (Zealot barb/Swashbuckler rogue/Battle Master fighter)
Green Hill Sunrise, jaded tabaxi mercenary trapped in the Dark Domains (Battle Master fighter)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
No, because those effects don’t move you, they give you options you can use to move. You are still in full control of your movement. With teleportation spell effects, the moment you finish casting, the movement cannot be stopped whether you change your mind in that instant or not. A clearer example of this is teleport where the teleportation can mishap. Surely you don’t will that you land off target, or land in a random spot and take damage right? But once you start, you have no say in the matter, the spell will do what it does, and you land where you land whether you wanted to or not. You can be willing up to the precise instant the teleport initiates (ie while casting or being targeted) but the creature loses their agency during the actual movement itself
You aren't in control of where you move with misty step? It takes you 30 feet in a random direction?
Active characters:
Askatu, hyperfocused vedalken freedom fighter in Wildspace (Zealot barb/Swashbuckler rogue/Battle Master fighter)
Green Hill Sunrise, jaded tabaxi mercenary trapped in the Dark Domains (Battle Master fighter)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
The bigger question is: Can you stop moving once you start? Willing implies consent. Consent is a constant, not a one off. If at anytime during a move you no longer have control over stopping movement then consent is broken and the move is no longer willing. So, the question with Misty step is not “can you control where you go?” But “can I stop at 15 feet when i originally said 30?”
But teleporting is a one-off. It takes an instant. If "consent" (which is a use of the word I'm not really comfortable with, frankly) is required all the way through for it to be considered "willing movement", it is present for the entirely of your trip. If you decide at the last second to go 15 feet instead of 30, you go only 15 feet.
Active characters:
Askatu, hyperfocused vedalken freedom fighter in Wildspace (Zealot barb/Swashbuckler rogue/Battle Master fighter)
Green Hill Sunrise, jaded tabaxi mercenary trapped in the Dark Domains (Battle Master fighter)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Consent has general meaning beyond the sexual, and my use was certainly not meant to conflate this with that. Though I’m sorry if the word choice was problematic.
regarding the rest of your comment, instant is a very short time, but it is not zero time. In that very short time, you could not change the distance of Misty Step, the magic is already working and cannot be changed, therefore the effect cannot be truly willing at that point.
im not saying the argument is a slam dunk, but it’s consistently enforceable and makes sense to me, so it’s how I would rule at my table
Thanks. It's the idea of giving "consent" to a spell that bothers me too. If we were talking a sentient magic item that could teleport you around, it would be different. At least in my mind, consent requires two parties.
I am struggling to come up with a plausible scenario in which a player says something like, "I cast Misty Step to move over to here... oh no wait, I didn't notice Thing, I'm teleporting to this space instead" and the DM says, "Nope, you already locked in your target location, you have to go to the first space you pointed to." I just don't see it happening.
Active characters:
Askatu, hyperfocused vedalken freedom fighter in Wildspace (Zealot barb/Swashbuckler rogue/Battle Master fighter)
Green Hill Sunrise, jaded tabaxi mercenary trapped in the Dark Domains (Battle Master fighter)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
I think a better question is does teleporting out of melee provoke OA since you are moving out of a threatened space. I have never allowed that, but reading this thread has me thinking I should.
Opportunity attack rules specifically say that teleportation does not provoke them. (Which could be used as evidence that teleportation is "moving").
Teleportation isn't technically movement because it doesn't rely on the character's speed. Per the spell, teleport, you are instantly transported from one location to another.
To my mind, the idea of "willingly move" comes down to
Did you change locations of your own volition? Was your next location chosen by you deterministically, and did you take an action which was the proximal cause of that movement?
Walked 5 feet: Yes -- you chose a destination, and took an action (not "Action", mind you), to travel to the destination.
Blink: No -- you took an action, (cast the spell), but didn't choose a destination (it's random).
Rode a Ship as it travelled 20 feet: No -- you didn't take any actions, the Ship moved you.
Misty Step: Yes -- you chose a destination, and took an action (cast the spell) to move there.
Things that deprive you of volition (Dominate Person for example) mean you aren't "willing", any more than if you were pushed by someone else.
The idea that you don't "move willingly" when you teleport, but that the magic moves you (as if you had nothing to do with it!), is just mind-pretzels, twisted all about to justify "Teleport is special!" in any way possible. It's not a cogent position, since there's no evidence anywhere in the rules that magic works this way. Spells do not have a will of their own. They are the expression of the caster's will. A spell that is instantaneous does not "exist" outside the moment it was cast. You cast it, and it takes effect immediately. There's no "moment" in which you can change your mind and the spell takes over, and you become "unwilling", but the spell works anyway. If you change your mind, then you didn't cast the spell. If you did cast the spell, you didn't change your mind, and so "willingly" moved.
Heh. That's a fundamental point of contention of this argument. You might want to read the whole thread.
But to sum up:
And nobody thought to quote the basic rules?
This general rule covers the game's definition of movement. There will be specific exceptions, but those will always refer to movement as such. Anything outside of this definition of movement, that doesn't rely on this rule, isn't technically movement.
Teleportation doesn't fit this definition, so any teleportation doesn't count as movement. Your character's relative position might change, but they themselves don't move. Something else moves them.
Jounichi, read the thread(s). With that argument, an Orc's Aggressive isn't movement, a Battlemaster giving someone a Maneuvering Strike isn't movement, etc. Clearly, "if it isn't "the 'your movement' stuff described in the Movement & Position section of Chapter 9," then it isn't movement" isn't a very strong position. There are a great many times in the PHB that the act of "moving" is referred to outside of "your movement" on your turn.
When joining a thread late, please try to treat the conversation participants with the basic respect to assume they aren't total boneheads, and yes, have noticed the giant obvious section in Chapter 9, the movement section in Chapter 8, etc.
dndbeyond.com forum tags
I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
The more I read that section on movement and position, the more it is obvious that it is permitting you something, not defining anything.
Why don't you think it's movement? it clearly references the same terms as in Movement and Positioning rules...
"the orc can move up to its speed toward a hostile creature" These are the same terms the section Jounichi is quoting explains in detail.
Same as above.
It isn't unless it says it is. Those abilities both reference moving and your speed, so are adjudicated with the same Movement and Positioning rules they quoted above and are movement.
Moving in ways other than your own movement is well established. Getting shoved, for example.
People have noticed it, and then they for unexplainable reasons simply discount it entirely.
I got quotes!
Rav, in an earlier post (in the other thread?) you already told me you understood this.
A character can [change positions, everyone's arguing if this is what's called "movement" etc] in one of three ways:
You've told me already that you understand this. The stuff in #2, such as Battlemaster manouver Maneuvering Strike and the Orc's Aggressive, are not what the Movement & Position section talk about.They can't be broken up, they're sometimes for flat distances rather than amount derived from your speed value, they can't be freely taken in between other attacks and actions but rather only at the precise moment their own action is triggered/taken, the distance you cover with them does not count against the total distance you can move that turn derived from speed, etc.. They're something different.
You can disagree about what's called "movement" (and why that matters) all you want. But the bright line between #1 and #2 is not a matter of interpretation, actions which move your character just explicitly are not the same thing as the general "your move" stuff talked about in the Chapter 9 Movement & Position chapter.
dndbeyond.com forum tags
I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
It's movement if it uses movement. Super simple. Yall overcomplicating it.
Your Move for sure uses your movement. But it isn't the only way to do so. Lots of other abilities allow (or force) you to move around using one of your movement speeds.
But, if it moves you without using any of your movement speeds, then that isn't "movement".
Super simple.
Edit/Additional Arguement:
Take you oft quoted Orc's Aggressive feature.
In what manner do they move when they use it? Can it go through water? Straight up into the air? Does it have these limitations?
Yes. yes it does have limitations. it is based on their Speed. What is this referencing? "Speed" what is that? Well, it is a Movement Speed. You see, characters (and monsters) have different Movement types, with listed Movement speeds. When they use this Movement, they follow the rules for those types of Movement. So the Orc using his Aggressive feature is limited in how he moves based on his MOVEMENT speed. If he has a fly speed, he can fly with this feature. If he has a swim speed he can swim using this feature. These different options are all Movement types, and each character (and monster) will have this listed in their stats. If they have a Movement Speed listed, that type of MOVEMENT is available for them.
Really guys. Stop overcomplicating this.
I got quotes!
It does tell you what you, as a player, can do with your character(s). It also defines movement. When a character moves, you deduct that movement from its speed. A character can "move" without actually moving; without deducting from its speed. In game terms, this is not movement.
We have to remember that the rules only tell us what things do. If they're silent on something, then that something isn't part of the rule. A spell like misty step doesn't include the word "move" once in its description. Rather, it uses the word "teleport." And when we look at teleport, it omits the word "move" as well. In fact, it defines any transposition as instantaneously transporting the subject.
So, forgive me, but I'm not really seeing the confusion. It all looks pretty clear to me.