Jump

Jump (Str; Armor Check Penalty)

Use this skill to jump on or over obstacles.

Check: The DC and the distance the character can cover vary according to the type of jump the character is attempting (see below).

A Jump check is modified by the PC's speed. If his speed is 30 feet, there is no modifier. For every 10 feet greater than 30, he gains a +2 bonus to the check; for every 10 feet less than 30, he suffers a -3 penalty.

All Jump DCs given here assume that the character get a running start, which requires that he move a distance equal to at least half the distance he wishes to jump in a straight line before attempting the jump (for example, a 10-foot jump requires a 5-foot head start). He can move a shorter distance (minimum of 5 feet), but each 5 feet less than the minimum increases the DC by 4. Distance moved by jumping is counted against the normal maximum movement in a round.

If the character has ranks in Jump and he succeeds on a Jump check, he lands on his feet (when appropriate). If he attempts a Jump check untrained, he lands prone unless he beats the DC by 5 or more.

Long Jump: A long jump is a horizontal jump, made across a gap like a chasm or stream. At the midpoint of the jump, the character attains a vertical height equal to one-quarter of the horizontal distance. The DC for the jump is equal to the distance jumped (in feet).

If the check succeeds, the character lands on his feet at the far end. If he fails the check by less than 5, he doesn’t clear the distance, but he can make a DC 15 Reflex save to grab the far edge of the gap. He ends his movement grasping the far edge. If that leaves him dangling over a chasm or gap, getting up requires a move action and a DC 15 Climb check.

High Jump: A high jump is a vertical leap made to reach a ledge high above or to grasp something overhead. The DC is equal to 4 times the distance to be cleared.

If the character jumps up to grab something, a successful check indicates that he reaches the desired height. If he wishes to pull himself up, he can do so with a move action and a DC 15 Climb check. If he fails the Jump check, he does not reach the desired height and lands on his feet in the same spot.

Obviously, 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 jumping) for an average creature of a given size is shown on the table below. (As a Medium creature, a typical human can reach 8 feet without jumping.)

Quadrupedal creatures don’t have the same vertical reach as a bipedal creature; treat them as being one size category smaller.


Creature Size Vertical Reach
Colossal 128 ft.
Gargantuan 64 ft.
Huge 32 ft.
Large 16 ft.
Medium 8 ft.
Small 4 ft.
Tiny 2 ft.
Diminutive 1 ft.
Fine ½ ft.

Hop Up: The character can jump up onto an object as tall as his waist, such as a table or small boulder, with a DC 10 Jump check. Doing so counts as 10 feet of movement, so if his speed is 30 feet, he could move 20 feet, then hop up onto a counter. The character does not need to get a running start to hop up, so the DC is not doubled if he does not get a running start.

Jumping Down: If the PC intentionally jumps from a height, he take less damage than normal. The DC to jump down from a height is 15. If the check succeeds, the PC takes falling damage as if he had dropped 10 fewer feet than he actually did.

Action: None. A Jump check is included in movement, so it is part of a move action. If the PC runs out of movement mid-jump, his next action (either on this turn or, if necessary, on the next turn) must be a move action to complete the jump.

Special: The Run feat grants a +4 bonus on Jump checks for any jumps made after a running start.

A halfling has a +2 racial bonus on Jump checks because halflings are agile and athletic.

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