Building a Better Tumble

Okay ladies and gents:

I really like how Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed opposes the Tumble skill to your opponent's martial prowess: to tumble through a threatened area, your tumble check opposes their attack roll. If they win, they may roll again to resolve their attack of opportunity as normal. If you want to go through an opponent's space, you oppose their attack roll +5. If they win, they can make an attack of opportunity but you still move through their space (I may have an issue with that, but that's how it's written).

Now, the AU Tumble skill is based very much on the 3.0 Tumble - you can tumble for up to 20ft of your movement. In 3.5, you tumble at half your speed, or at your full speed if you take a -10 to your tumble check (it's probably easier to add +10 to the DC, but that's how it's written).

Has anyone combined Tumble variants, for a 3.5-based AU game, or other such niftyness? Does anybody have any other Tumble houserules or variants they'd like to mention? I'm just getting over a fever and I'm having trouble thinking my way out of a paper bag, so any and all help is greatly appreciated.

Here's to a glorious, unified Tumble mechanic!
-George

We play with Tumble as per 3.5e but with BAB added to the DC. Don't have many tumblers, though, so I can't say we really playtested it, and we never got to high levels.

I run tumble by the (3.5) book with the addition of the Countertumble variant in Sword & Fist- if you have ranks in Tumble too, and you beat the guy trying to tumble past you in an opposed check, then you can still get an AoO.

Seems like there should be a way to stop someone from tumbling through your square, though...

Yair said:

We play with Tumble as per 3.5e but with BAB added to the DC. Don't have many tumblers, though, so I can't say we really playtested it, and we never got to high levels.

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I can see why you wouln't have many people take ranks in tumble...

I once played in a campaigns like that, where the GM doesn't like one skill or another and massively penalizes it. Strangely enough, people don't take those skills in that campaign.

ARandomGod said:

I can see why you wouln't have many people take ranks in tumble...

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My group used Monte's version for a while - tumbling was pretty much guaranteed to get a character killed unless the opponent was so wimpy, it didn't matter. The very opponents you most want to tumble past (those that can regularly hit you with an AoO) are the hardest to get past - so why bother?

I much prefer the 3.5 version, which keeps the base DC low enough to be make-able, while having useful features add to the DC.

That actually sounds pretty reasonable, Andre.

Anyways, thanks to all of you for participating.

Any more thoughts out there?

One idea that's been floating around in our group is to get of the Tumble skill, but then modify Mobility so that it allows Balance to be used to tumble (with easy tumbling rules). Currently, Tumble (a skill) is generally more effective Mobility at defeating AoO. This situation seems somewhat off. The very characters who thematically would have Mobility don't need it because Tumble replaces it.

Are you missing the word "rid" in your first sentance? If that's the case, I think I understand you.

I actually rather like the idea of removing Tumble and then re-instituting it via Balance. Balance often takes the place of the red-headed step child in our campaigns in favor of Tumble. Likewise Mobility is seen as another penalty in the chain to Spring Attack.

Maybe tumble and balance can be combined into an "acrobatics" skill or some such. Stick move silently and hide into a "sneak" or "stealth" and we're well on your way to a system that can accommodate characters built for more play time outside the dungeon...