Acrobatics
Description
Ability Score Used: Dexterity Armor Check Penalty Applies? Yes
You can keep your balance while traversing narrow or treacherous surfaces. You can also dive, flip, jump, and roll, avoiding attacks and confusing your opponents. At very high levels of skill, you can attempt such incredible feats as walking on a spiderweb, or fighting in the top of a windblown bamboo grove.
Acrobatics checks are sometimes affected by circumstance bonuses or penalties, depending on the terrain, weather, or other circumstances. Examples include:
- Lightly obstructed, sloped or slippery terrain can inflict a -2 penalty, while heavily obstructed, icy or steeply sloped terrain can inflict a -5 penalty. These penalties can also be cumulative, if multiple hazards are present (a steep icy slope would be -10).
- Unsteady surfaces, like a small boat, a moving cart, or fighting during an earthquake can also carry circumstance penalties, between -2 and -10. Leaping and fighting on the tips of posts set firmly in the ground (such as the remnants of a burned pier) would be -20 or more, while walking on the tips of precariously balanced logs or rubble (the aftermath of a logjam, avalanche, cave-in, or siege, for example) could be -20 to -30. Far more difficult checks, such as walking only on the tips of a forest of spears balanced on their butt ends, carry a circumstance bonus of -40 or more. Walking across a surface a quicksilver or similar frictionless circumstances, such as riding an Astral String or riding a wave of ether, would be a -50 to the check.
- At the uppermost limits, acrobatics can allow you to do such incredible things as dance on the surface of a dense layer of fog, walk down the surface of a waterfall without getting wet, dodge raindrops in a storm, run across falling stones in midair, and similarly invincible cinematic feats. At the upper end of Acrobatics, referees are encouraged to allow creative and fun interpretations of Acrobatics, as long as such things don't break your story line, of course.
- Note to GM's: These modifiers, both the ones above and below, can be used as examples for the inevitable craziness your players will get into. How do you judge the DC of a Long Jump made from one flying ship down to the deck of another flying ship a hundred feet below? What if the ship you are jumping from is on fire and spinning in a death dive to the ground at the time? In an Ether Storm? During an attack by Red Dragons? You can work up a set of modifiers based upon these suggestions, or, far more simply, you can simply set the Difficulty of such crazy things by GM fiat to be an appropriate check for the campaign DC. (Choose between Average, Challenging, or Hard, for most cases. Easy checks are pretty simple, and Impossible checks are..pretty hard.) Both methods work fine, and both will generally get you to a reasonable number. We recommend the simple way, because it's faster and you're going to get more cases of players pulling off crazy-cool stuff. And that's just fun!
Special: If you have at least 5 ranks in Acrobatics, you gain a +3 dodge bonus to AC when Fighting Defensively instead of the usual +2, and a +6 dodge bonus to AC when taking the Total Defense action instead of the usual +4.
This skill is often subject to Environmental Effects.
As with all skills, the uses below are merely suggestions, and by no means the full gamut of possible ways a skill can be used. Players and GM's are encouraged to find additional ways to use each skill.
Tumble
Tumble is a combat maneuver, but it is an unusual one. You can normally never perform more than one combat maneuver per round, even if you have sufficient actions to do so. However, Tumble can be used in conjunction with any of the other combat maneuvers that include movement, namely: Bull Rush, Charge, Clamber, or Overrun. Tumble cannot be used in conjunction with Withdraw
You can leave a threatened square without provoking an attack of opportunity from an enemy by tumbling, using Acrobatics. When moving in this way, you move at half speed. This affects the whole move action, not just the squares in which you are avoiding attacks of opportunity. If you wish to combine Tumble with a combat maneuver that also includes movement (i.e., Bull Rush, Charge, Clamber, or Overrun), you may only move at half speed for the maneuver, and the combined maneuver now costs a move action, but you otherwise resolve the other maneuver as normal (instead of rolling for a Tumble maneuver). If the maneuver you are combining with Tumble also halves your speed (i.e. Clamber), your movement is only halved once for the combined maneuver (i.e. not quartered). The DC of the other maneuver is increased by +2 for every potential attack of opportunity you are attempting to avoid, not counting the first (which is 'paid for' by reducing your speed by half). You may also increase the DC of the other maneuver, as described in the "modifiers" section here in Tumble, to increase the distance you move. Any difficult terrain in your path still costs twice as much movement to move into, out of your already-halved speed. Tumble may not be used (by itself) to move through an enemy's space (see Overrun), nor may it be used to move into a larger enemy's internal spaces (see Clamber). | |
Action Required: |
Move Action at half speed |
DC of Check: |
The highest Maneuver Defense of any creature you might provoke from, along your path of movement. You roll your Tumble check only once (per move action). Note that, as this is a single move action, you can only provoke once from each creature that threatens a square you are leaving. |
Modifiers to Check |
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Take 10? / Take 20? |
No. |
Allows Assists? |
No |
Results of Success |
You complete your move action without provoking an attack of opportunity from one creature along your path whose threatened square (or squares) you are leaving. You may choose which creature this is. For each 2 additional points by which you exceed the target DC, you may select another creature along your path to not take attacks of opportunity from. Unlike other combat maneuvers, the Tumble maneuver does not inflict any damage. However, if it is combined with another maneuver, that maneuver may deal damage as described in its writeup. |
Consequences of Failure |
If you fail the check, all creatures along your chosen path may make an attack of opportunity against you. However, assuming you survive, you do complete your movement along your intended path. |
Retry Allowed? |
Requires another move action. Retrying does not negate checks which have failed. |
Provokes AOO? |
That's the whole point, isn't it? |
Cross Narrow Surfaces
You can use Acrobatics to move on narrow surfaces without falling. A 'narrow surface' is any surface less than half your normal space: Thus, for Small and Medium creatures, a space less than 2 and a half feet wide is considered 'narrow'. (For people who feel this is too strict, YOU go out on a two-foot wide ledge a thousand feet up the side of a building and report whether it feels 'narrow'.) An 'extremely narrow' space is less than one fifth the width of a narrow space, or for a small or medium creature, six inches wide. For further modifiers, see the table below. Walking a tightrope is considered a use of this skill, with the lowest entry on the table below.
Only one check is needed per round. While you are using Acrobatics in this way, you are considered flat-footed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Action Required: |
Move action at half speed (+10 to check DC to move at full speed) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
DC of Check: |
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Modifiers to Check |
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Take 10? / Take 20? |
No | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Allows Assists? |
No | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Results of Success |
You successfully move up to half your speed (or your full speed, if you increased the DC by 10 first) across the narrow surface. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Consequences of Failure |
Failure usually means falling or falling Prone. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Retry Allowed? |
If you are not prone, and have movement remaining, you may attempt to cross again in the same round. If not, it requires another move action. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Provokes AOO? |
Yes, as with any voluntary movement. |
Long Jump
A long jump is a horizontal jump, made across a gap like a chasm or stream. At the midpoint of the jump, you attain a vertical height equal to one-quarter of the horizontal distance. If your check succeeds, you land on your feet at the far end. You must declare the target square of your jump and indicate the distance required prior to making the check. Note that a long jump is only required if the space you wish to cross is larger than your own space: A size Huge creature can cross gaps up to fifteen feet wide simply by stepping across them, for example. Conversely, a size Diminutive creature must make a Jump check to cross a gap larger than twelve inches. Further note that the distance of a Jump is not affected by your Size in any way: A ten foot leap means a size Tiny creature is a prodigious leaper, while a size Colossal creature jumping ten feet seems relatively sluggish. | |||||||||||||
Action Required: |
Long jumps are part of a move action, and require as much movement as the distance of the jump. No jump can allow you to exceed your maximum movement for the round (but see Astounding Leap, below). | ||||||||||||
DC of Check: |
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Modifiers to Check |
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Take 10? / Take 20? |
Usually not, since falling short of your desired distance likely has undesirable consequences. | ||||||||||||
Allows Assists? |
Yes (up to 1 ally). If your assisting ally achieves at least an Challenging DC on the assist, you gain a +4 circumstance bonus, instead of +2. | ||||||||||||
Results of Success |
You jump a distance based on the result of your check, dropping fractions to the nearest 5-foot increment. If the resulting distance is greater than your Walk speed, you may either reduce the distance jumped to your walk speed or less, or spend additional move actions to travel the extra distance. You must spend a number of move actions equal to the same number of move actions it would take you to Walk the same distance. If you cannot spend enough move actions in a single round to complete your jump, you continue your jump on your subsequent turns until enough move actions have been spent. While mid-leap, you are considered Flat-Footed, you cannot make any immediate actions or attacks of opportunity, nor can you perform any standard actions (other than converting them to a move action), unless you have an ability which allows you to perform an action in the middle of movement (such as Spring Attack (Feat)). | ||||||||||||
Consequences of Failure |
If you fail the check, you don't clear the distance. Instead, you leap a number of squares along your path equal to your Acrobatics check result divided by 5 (or 10 if you attempted the jump without a running start), round down, and land prone in that square. If you were attempting to leap across a chasm and failed your check by less than 5, you can make an average Might skill check for your character level to grab the far edge of the gap. You end your movement grasping the far edge. If that leaves you dangling over a chasm or gap, getting up requires an entire move action and an Easy Movement check to climb up for your character level. | ||||||||||||
Retry Allowed? |
If you are not prone, and have movement remaining, you may retry the jump in the same round. If not, it requires another move action. | ||||||||||||
Provokes AOO? |
Yes, as with any voluntary movement. |
High Jump
A high jump is a vertical leap made to reach a ledge high above or to grasp something overhead. You must declare the intended height of your jump and calculate the distance required prior to making the check. Note that 'high above' may vary wildly for creatures of different sizes. A size Tiny creature may need a three foot vertical jump simply to reach a bar stool, while a size Colossal creature may comfortably reach the fourth story of an inn without even standing on tiptoe (see chart below). In no cases does your size modify how well you can jump.
If you jumped up to grab something, a successful check indicates that you reached the desired height. If you wish to pull yourself up, you can do so with an additional move action and an Easy DC Movement or Might check for your level. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Action Required: |
High jumps are part of a move action, and require as much movement as the distance of the jump. No jump can allow you to exceed your maximum movement for the round (but see Astounding Leap, below). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
DC of Check: |
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Modifiers to Check |
The difficulty of reaching a given height varies according to the size of the character or creature. The maximum vertical reach (height the creature can reach without rolling to make a Jump check) for an average creature of a given size is shown on the table below. (As a Medium/Small creature, a typical player character can reach 10 feet without rolling. Does a halfling need to work to reach a ten foot window? yes, but it's not so difficult that it requires an actual skill roll, they are just assumed to be used to dealing with a world too big for them.) Quadrupedal creatures don't have the same vertical reach as a bipedal creature; treat them as being one size category smaller for purposes of vertical reach.
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Take 10? / Take 20? |
Usually not, since falling short of your desired height likely has undesirable consequences. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Allows Assists? |
Yes (up to 1 ally). If your assisting ally achieves at least an Challenging DC on the assist, you gain a +4 circumstance bonus, instead of +2. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Results of Success |
You jump a height based on the result of your check, dropping fractions to the nearest 5-foot increment. If the resulting height is greater than your Walk speed, you may either reduce the height jumped to your walk speed or less, or spend additional move actions to travel the extra distance. Note that coming back down is a free action and does not count against your Walk speed for height traveled. You must spend a number of move actions equal to the same number of move actions it would take you to Walk the same distance. If you cannot spend enough move actions in a single round to complete your jump, you continue your jump on your subsequent turns until enough move actions have been spent. While mid-leap, you are considered Flat-Footed, you cannot make any immediate actions or attacks of opportunity, nor can you perform any standard actions (other than converting them to a move action), unless you have an ability which allows you to perform an action in the middle of movement (such as Spring Attack (Feat)). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Consequences of Failure |
If you fail the Acrobatics check to jump by less than 5, you do not reach the height, and you land on your feet in the same spot from which you jumped. If you fail the check by 5 or more, you land prone in the square from which you jumped. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Retry Allowed? |
If you are not prone, and have movement remaining, you may retry the jump in the same round. If not, it requires another move action. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Provokes AOO? |
Yes, as with any voluntary movement. |
Mitigate Falling Damage
You can use acrobatics to soften a fall, but only during your turn and when you are aware of the potential of falling. This can be from a failed jump or balance check, or simply dropping down from a height intentionally. Traps and other effects which cause you to fall unexpectedly, or which occur outside of your turn, do not allow a check to mitigate the falling damage they cause.
Note that the act of willingly dropping down from a height eliminates the first 10 feet of falling damage. This acrobatics check determines whether you can also mitigate the second 10 feet of falling damage. | |
Action Required: |
This is a free action that can only be made during your turn, and when you are aware of the potential for falling. |
DC of Check: |
15 |
Modifiers to Check |
- |
Take 10? / Take 20? |
No |
Allows Assists? |
No |
Results of Success |
A successful acrobatics check eliminates the second 10 feet of falling damage. If you take any falling (physical, uncommon) damage from the fall, you are still knocked prone. However, if you are able to eliminate all falling damage from the fall (by any means, including DR), you then land on your feet. See Falling for details. |
Consequences of Failure |
The second 10 feet of falling damage is still applied as normal. |
Retry Allowed? |
No |
Provokes AOO? |
Making the check does not provoke. However, any falling movement which qualifies for this skill use is considered intentional movement and therefore provokes attacks of opportunity. |
Hop Up
You can jump up onto an object as tall as your waist, such as a table or small boulder. Doing so counts as 10 feet of movement, so if your speed is 30 feet, you could move 20 feet, then hop up onto a counter. Note that "as tall as your waist" means one half the size of your space. Thus, a size Gargantuan creature, being 20-feet on a side, can 'hop up' to a surface 10-feet high, such as the roof of a modest house. Conversely, a size tiny faery could 'hop up' to a single step of a stairway. (There's a good reason most faeries have fly speeds: They really need it!)
Creatures with a Lesser Climb or Greater Climb movement speed do not need to make this check, and they do not spend additional movement to hop up to a surface half their height or less. | |
Action Required: |
10 feet of movement during a move action |
DC of Check: |
10 |
Modifiers to Check |
You do not need to get a running start to hop up, so the DC is not doubled if you do not get a running start. |
Take 10? / Take 20? |
No |
Allows Assists? |
Yes (up to 2 allies). Assisting ally/allies must be adjacent to both you and the surface you are hopping up upon. |
Results of Success |
You successfully hop up onto the object. You may continue your move action if you have movement remaining. |
Consequences of Failure |
You lose 10 feet of your remaining move, and remain in the space just prior to the object you attempted to hop up on to. |
Retry Allowed? |
Yes, if you have at least 10 feet of movement remaining. |
Provokes AOO? |
Yes, as with any voluntary movement. |
Dive Into Water
Characters who jump or dive into water take no damage on a successful DC 15 Acrobatics skill check, so long as the water is at least 10 feet deep for every 30 feet fallen. Water 30 feet deep is sufficient for a dive from any height. However, the DC of the check increases by 5 for every 50 feet of the dive.
If the water is not deep enough for a safe dive, add 5 to the DC and treat your dive or fall as 30 feet higher than its actual height on the table below. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Action Required: |
Diving or jumping into water requires a move action, regardless of the distance of the dive or jump. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
DC of Check: |
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Modifiers to Check |
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Take 10? / Take 20? |
No | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Allows Assists? |
No | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Results of Success |
You dive into the water without taking any damage. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Consequences of Failure |
Failure results in taking damage from the jump or dive. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Retry Allowed? |
No (unless you go back to the top and jump again). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Provokes AOO? |
Yes, as with any voluntary movement. |
Astounding Leap (Epic)
You can make an acrobatics check to perform a long jump with a distance greater than your movement speed, completing the leap in a single move action.
This is an epic skill use, and requires at least 21 ranks in the skill before it may be attempted. | |
Action Required: |
Part of a move action |
DC of Check: |
Normal long jump DC, +10 per 5 feet of additional movement beyond your Walk speed. |
Modifiers to Check |
|
Take 10? / Take 20? |
No |
Allows Assists? |
Yes (up to 1 ally). The assisting ally must also have at least 21 ranks in acrobatics to assist. If your assisting ally achieves at least an Challenging DC on the assist, you gain a +4 circumstance bonus, instead of +2. |
Results of Success |
You complete your leap in a single move action, despite it being further than your normal Walk speed. |
Consequences of Failure |
If you fail the check, you don't clear the distance. Instead, you leap a number of squares along your path equal to your Acrobatics check result divided by 5 (or 10 if you attempted the jump without a running start), round down, and land prone in that square. |
Retry Allowed? |
If you are not prone, and have movement remaining, you may retry the jump in the same round. If not, it requires another move action. |
Provokes AOO? |
Yes, as with any voluntary movement. |
Light Step (Epic)
You can balance on a solid surface that could not normally take your body weight. You are able to tightrope walk on surfaces as narrow as a hair, such as walking upon a spider's web, tightrope walking across a single thread, or using an unraveled hem to stair-step your way up a giant. As long as you have some physical substance to traverse, you can use light step to balance upon it, or move across it at up to half your Walk speed.
This is an epic skill use, and requires at least 21 ranks in the skill before it may be attempted. | |||||||||
Action Required: |
Part of a move action | ||||||||
DC of Check: |
40 | ||||||||
Modifiers to Check |
| ||||||||
Take 10? / Take 20? |
No | ||||||||
Allows Assists? |
No | ||||||||
Results of Success |
You are able to balance on, or move up to half your speed (or your full speed, if you increased the DC by 10 first) across the surface in question, without breaking that surface or falling to your doom. | ||||||||
Consequences of Failure |
You fall to whatever solid surface is beneath you, taking falling damage, and your move action is lost. After falling damage is resolved, you may take the remainder of your turn, if you have actions remaining. | ||||||||
Retry Allowed? |
You can attempt to move back onto the flimsy surface (assuming you can reach it from the ground) with additional move actions. | ||||||||
Provokes AOO? |
Yes, as with any voluntary movement. |
Walk On Water (Epic)
You can attempt to walk across water or another liquid at least as heavy as water at half your normal speed. You must move at least 20 feet each round you attempt this, or you will fall into the water. More dense liquids may or may not be easier or harder. Walking on lava would be easier (assuming you can resist the incredible heat) because lava is often viscous and sticky, but walking on quicksilver would be very, very hard (+50) despite its extreme density. The GM adjudicates all unusual circumstances.
This is an epic skill use, and requires at least 21 ranks in the skill before it may be attempted. | |
Action Required: |
Move action, or part of a move action |
DC of Check: |
50 |
Modifiers to Check |
|
Take 10? / Take 20? |
No |
Allows Assists? |
No |
Results of Success |
You move across the surface of the liquid at half your speed (or your full speed, if you increased the DC by 10 first). |
Consequences of Failure |
If you fail the check, you sink into the water and must make a Movement skill check to swim, in order to continue any movement. For other fluids, the GM will adjudicate. Falling into lava is its own punishment. |
Retry Allowed? |
Yes! If you have fallen into water (or other fluids at the GM's discretion) and wish to climb back onto the surface, you must make a Movement skill check against the DC you would require to walk on the fluid, +10, to delicately rise up onto the surface and start walking again. |
Provokes AOO? |
Yes, as with any voluntary movement. |
Walk on Gaseous Surface (Epic)
You can walk at half your speed on the surface of a fog, or mist, or even the boundary between hot and cold air. You can use the heat shimmers above a hot surface as a sort of ladder, for example. Note that this is not flight, as any perturbation of the gaseous surface acts as waves or stormy seas and can force you to move quickly to find another place to stand.
This is an epic skill use, and requires at least 21 ranks in the skill before it may be attempted. | |
Action Required: |
Move action, or part of a move action. |
DC of Check: |
60 |
Modifiers to Check |
|
Take 10? / Take 20? |
No |
Allows Assists? |
No |
Results of Success |
You walk along the gaseous surface at half your Walk speed (or your full speed, if you increased the DC by 10 first). |
Consequences of Failure |
You fall to whatever solid surface is beneath you, taking falling damage, and your move action is lost. After falling damage is resolved, you may take the remainder of your turn, if you have actions remaining. |
Retry Allowed? |
You can attempt to move back onto a gaseous surface (assuming you can reach it from the ground) with additional move actions. |
Provokes AOO? |
Yes, as with any voluntary movement. |