Minecraft wiki entry for Things_not_to_do, associated text: If the player's crosshair touches any part of the upper body of an enderman while within 64 blocks of it, it becomes aggressive toward the player. Endermen deal higher damage than most other Overworld mobs, and their teleportation abilities make them unpredictable. If the player provokes an enderman and is unprepared to continue to engage it, the player can use water to keep the enderman at bay. As of 1.14, the player can stand on a platform of scaffolding; endermen are rendered immobile (even while provoked) on scaffolding, a similar function to cobwebs.