Hi there..
For the 3rd person you have to make it walk around the object..there is no way to make it walk in front of it..only behind..using the same pictures with GIFs. This is as far as i could see..Or use hotspots and coordinates..might work~
This is speaking of an object that's part of the background.
So if there is bench lets say, that's part of your background, the sprite would either walk through it..or on top of it..or u can make it go around it..from behind, using the same picture again in the hotspot over top of the bench-u place a picture of the bench[GIF] in the same spot~
Edit* I see u noticed this already..~:D
However if you want the sprite to walk over to a hotspot..[Like it's pressing a button or opening a door-hotspot that changes] You have to work with the coordinates..
So if it stops directly in front of it, you would make a hotspot and use the coordinates u want it to stop at.-in that hotspot..Using your mouse to see the exact coordinates you want..on the frame
This is indeed a bit of work..and you use alot of hotspots..
What I did instead, was making it First person for those frames..So if the sprite walks over to say a board game..have it land right at the board game, but have the user have to click it again and bring it to another frame-to play the board game.
If it's just a button, that the picture changes with the sprite still in the frame..make sure the coordinates u use land the sprite--[a different hotspot] out of the hotspots coordinates--the one that changes..
As for the rippling water effect, i don't believe this works for the 3rd person plugin..U can't have the sprite anywhere near it..
Here's an example on how to make it walk around it..but from the sounds of it, you know this already..
http://www.adventuremaker.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3247&highlight=3rd+person+walk
I hope this helped in some way..and I understood what u were asking..