Acrobatics (Dex; armor check penalty)

Check: 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.

     The following modifiers apply to all Acrobatics skill checks.  The modifiers stack with one another, but only the most severe modifier for any given condition applies.

Acrobatics Modifiers                                  DC Modifier

Lightly Obstructed (gravel, sand)              +2

Severely Obstructed (cavern, rubble)      +5

Slightly Slippery (wet)                                   +2

Severely Slippery (icy)                                   +5

Slightly Sloped (<45 degrees)                      +2

Slightly Unsteady (boat in rough water)  +2

Mildly Unsteady (boat in a storm)             +5

Severely Unsteady (earthquake)                +10

Move at full speed on narrow or

uneven surfaces                                            +5*

*: This does not apply to checks made to jump

Common Uses

The Acrobatics skill has four distinct uses:

1) Cross Narrow Surfaces/Uneven Ground

2) Move Through Threatened Squares

3) Falling/Diving

4) Jumping

CROSS NARROW SURFACES/UNEVEN GROUND

First, you can use Acrobatics to move on narrow surfaces and uneven ground without falling.  A successful check allows you to move at half speed across such surfaces -- only one check is needed per round.  Use the following table to determine the base DC, which is then modified by the Acrobatics skill modifiers noted below.  While you are using Acrobatcs in this way, you are considered flat-footed and lose your Dexterity bonus to AC (if any).  If you take damage while using Acrobatics, you must immediately make another Acrobatics check at the same DC to avoid falling or being knocked prone.

Surface Width                                   Base Acrobatics DC

Greater than 3 feet wide                                0*

1 - 3 feet wide                                                    5*

7 - 11 inches wide                                             10

2 - 6 inches wide                                               15

Less than 2 inches wide                                  20

*: No Acrobatics check is needed to move across these surfaces unless the modifiers increase the DC to 10 or higher.

Balancing Pole: Using a balancing pole while traversing a narrow surface grants a +1 equipment bonus to the Acrobatics check.

MOVE THROUGH THREATENED SQUARES

In addition, you can move through a threatened area without provoking an attack of opportunity from an enemy by using Acrobatics.  When moving this way, you move at half speed.  You can move at full speed by increasing the DC of the check by 10.  You cannot use Acrobatics to move past foes if your speed is reduced due to carrying a medium or heavy load or wearing medium or heavy armor.  If an ability allows you to move at full speed under such conditions, you can use Acrobatics to move past foes.  You can use Acrobatics in this way while prone, but doing so requires a full-round action to move 5 feet, and the DC is increased by 5.  If you attempt to move through an enemy's space and fail the check, you lose the move action and provoke an attack opportunity.

Situation                                                   Base Acrobatics DC*

Move through a threatened area        Opponent's CMD**

Move through an enemy's space         5+opponent's CMD**

*: This DC is used to avoid an attack of opportunity due to movement.  This DC increases by 2 for each additional opponent avoided in 1 round.

**: An opponent's CMD (combat maneuver defense) = BAB + Str bonus + Dex bonus

JUMPING AND FALLING

Finally you can use the Acrobatics skill to make jumps or to soften a fall.  The base DC to make a jump is equal to the distance to be crossed (if horizontal) or four times the height to be reached (if vertical).  These DCs double if you do not have at least 10 feet of space to get a running start.  The only Acrobatics modifiers that apply are those concerning the surface you are jumping from.  If you fail this check by 4 or less, you can attempt a Reflex save (DC 20) to grab hold of the other side after having missed the jump.  If you fail by 5 or more, you fail to make the jump and fall (or land prone, in the case of a vertical jump).  Creatures with a base land speed above 30 feet receive a +4 racial bonus on Acrobatics checks made to jump for every 10 feet of their speed above 30 feet.  Creatures with a base land speed below 30 feet receive a -4 racial penalty on Acrobatics checks made to jump for every 10 feet of their speed below 30 feet.  No jump can allow you to exceed your maximum movement for the round.  For a running jump, the result of your Acrobatics check indicates the distance traveled in the jump (and if the check fails, the distance at which you actually land and fall prone).  Halve this result for a standing long jump to determine where you land.

     When you deliberately fall any distance, even as a result of a missed jump, a DC 15 Acrobatics skill check allows you to ignore the first 10 feet fallen, although you still end up prone if you take damage from a fall.

Long Jump                               Acrobatics DC

5 feet                                          5

10 feet                                       10

15 feet                                       15

20 feet                                       20

Greater than 20 feet             +5 per 5 feet

High Jump                               Acrobatics DC

1 foot                                         4

2 feet                                          8

3 feet                                          12

4 feet                                          16

DIVING

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 20 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.

Dive           Minimum          Acrobatics          Damage for

Height     Safe Depth                 DC                  Failed Dive

10 feet         10 feet                       15                       None

20 feet         10 feet                       15                       None

30 feet         10 feet                       15                     1d3 sub

40 feet         20 feet                       15                     2d3 sub

50 feet         20 feet                       20                 2d3 sub + 1d6

60 feet         20 feet                       20                 2d3 sub + 2d6

70 feet         30 feet                       20                 2d3 sub + 3d6

80 feet         30 feet                       20                 2d3 sub + 4d6

90 feet         30 feet                       20                 2d3 sub + 5d6

100 feet       30 feet                       25                 2d3 sub + 6d6

150 feet       30 feet                       30                2d3 sub + 11d6

200 feet       30 feet                       35                2d3 sub + 16d6

250 feet       35 feet                       40                2d3 sub + 20d6*

*: Maximum falling damage.

Retry: Generally, no.  Once an attempt at an Acrobatics check fails, the character must deal with the results.

Special: You can take a 10 on Acrobatics checks, but not a 20.

     If you have 3 or more 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 a total defense action instead of the usual +4.

     If you have the Acrobatic feat, you gain a bonus on Acrobatics checks.

Time: None. An Acrobatics check is made as part of another action or as a reaction to a situation.

ACROBATICS UNCHAINED

     By taking the Signature Skill feat, you can unchain the following special bonuses:

• 5 Ranks: You can move at normal speed through a threatened square without provoking an attack of opportunity by increasing the DC of the check by 5 (instead of by 10).  You aren’t denied your Dexterity bonus when attempting Acrobatics checks with DCs of 20 or lower.
  
• 10 Ranks: You can attempt an Acrobatics check at a –10 penalty and use the result as your roll against trip maneuvers.  You can also attempt an Acrobatics check at a –10 penalty in place of a Reflex save to avoid falling. You must choose to use this ability before the trip attempt or Reflex save is rolled.  With a successful DC 20 Acrobatics check, you treat an unintentional fall as 10 feet shorter plus 10 feet for every 10 by which you exceed the DC, and treat an intentional fall as 10 feet shorter for every 10 by which you exceed the DC.
  
• 15 Ranks: You do not provoke attacks of opportunity when standing up from prone.
  
• 20 Ranks: You double the result of any Acrobatics check when jumping and never fall prone at the end of a fall as long as you remain conscious.