Athletics (Long Jump) (A Keep on the Shadowfell inspired question)

[fnwc]

I was running a game last night and the characters were fighting in the Keep where goblins had dug out most of the floor. Connecting several remaining 'islands' of the original floor were a few wooden planks that required a DC 20 Acrobatics to avoid falling while crossing them.

My players quickly figured out it would be much easier to jump across to each island. The long jump rules (PHB 182-183) say that you make an Athletics skill check, and divide result by 10 (or 5 if you move 2 squares before the jump). This is the number of squares you can leap across.

I ruled it as written, which means that a character can jump over a 2x2 square pit if they get a result of 2 squares from the above formula, since it explicitly says "squares you can leap across" rather than "squares you can leap" (the first which implies total jump distance = result + 1 square).

However, that means that a player with a result of 20, could move 2 squares, then jump 5 more (Result 20/5 = 4 "squares you can leap across" and 1 to land).

This seems like a lot, especially considering a result of 5 means you can jump 2 squares with a 2 square start.

Maybe I'm interpreting it wrong? I'm considering changing the ruling to "squares you can leap" rather than "squares you can leap across".

Thoughts?

 

[Otterscrubber]

Well they can move their movement, and the portion of their movement that can be from the jump is based on their athletics roll. So if they were able to jump two squares, as long as they still had some movement after the jump left then ya they would be in the square they landed in.

Incidentally, we had a similar situation in my game in this exact scenario. Our leader, a warlord, made an impressive leaping, charging, javelin throwing spectacle as he tore through the room inspiring us all to follow him doing the same thing. He critted twice and looked good doing it. "And THAT'S how you clear out a room of kobold archers!" was his quote

Awesome fight, I really enjoy the interesting decisions players make in the face of unusual terrain.

 

[Stalker0]

Maybe I'm interpreting it wrong? I'm considering changing the ruling to "squares you can leap" rather than "squares you can leap across".

Thoughts?

I've always done it like this. If the pit is 2 squares across, I need a DC 10 athletics to jump it (with a running start).

 

[Dalzig]

Fwiw, all the DCs in the published adventures have long jump as DC+1. So to jump 10ft requires a DC of 11. To jump 20ft requires a DC of 21.

I'm kinda thinking roll a d20, that's how many feet you jump when running. Divide by 2 if standing still. Just seems easier to remember than Result/5.

 

[fnwc]

I've always done it like this. If the pit is 2 squares across, I need a DC 10 athletics to jump it (with a running start).

Hmmm... this is how the PHB rules it, since you would need a result of 10 to jump "over" 2 squares, but you actually need to jump 3 (to land on the other side of the pit).

I was thinking about changing the jump rules to include the landing square. In the above example, a character would need a result of 15 to clear the 2 square pit with a running start.

 

[Dalzig]

Hmmm... this is how the PHB rules it, since you would need a result of 10 to jump "over" 2 squares, but you actually need to jump 3 (to land on the other side of the pit).

I was thinking about changing the jump rules to include the landing square. In the above example, a character would need a result of 15 to clear the 2 square pit with a running start.

You don't round when using long jump. So a result of 11 would let you clear 2.2 squares, which is more than 2 squares, letting you clear the pit.

 

[yu gnomi]

Jumping relatively short distances should not be challenging for most PCs, even low level ones. Plate mailed dwarf fighters with no acrobatics or athletics ability may have problems, but most won't.

Putting pits in a room full of wimpy opponents is probably just an attempt to make an encounter more interesting. People who are balancing grant combat advantage; PCs and/or goblins can be bullrushed or pushed into a pit; etc.

 

[Keenath]

Right, the balance-beams are not meant to be the only way to get around -- but for a character with high dex and trained acrobatics but low strength and no athletics training... that's the best chance to cross.