D&D 5E Hang Time - What if you jump farther than your speed?

[Oofta]

If the characters have the right abilities, it comes up a lot. If not, rarely. Regardless, my calculations is that you were three messages from unanimous agreement, but that progress is now ruined. So sad. At least we can all agree that if you leap, rather than jump, the opposite answer is correct.

D'oh! You got the coveted post 100! On a thread that had been pretty thoroughly hashed out by page 3 or so. I have failed the internet.

 

[jgsugden]

Well, at least I didn't end up with post 102.

 

[Oofta]

True.

 

[MechaPilot]

The rules do technically allow you to end your turn in the air. XGtE, the section on falling long distances.

Whether one chooses to allow jumps beyond existing movement to do the same is certainly a judgement call. But, it's noteworthy that an in-print official source does allow for ending turns in mid-air.

 

[Ovinomancer]

The rules do technically allow you to end your turn in the air. XGtE, the section on falling long distances.

Whether one chooses to allow jumps beyond existing movement to do the same is certainly a judgement call. But, it's noteworthy that an in-print official source does allow for ending turns in mid-air.

I think the point was that you can't end your turn in the air without falling, so...

 

[MechaPilot]

I think the point was that you can't end your turn in the air without falling, so...

Well, the point (at least in XGtE) was that falling takes more time than is available in a single round (if done from a great enough height), and that a character who can fly might reasonably have a chance to resume flying or control their descent before they hit the ground from a great height.

But, at a fundamental level, those rules are talking about movement with a set direction and momentum that will leave the character in the air because the distance is too great to travel in a single round. Again, it's certainly a matter of DM's judgement and discretion of how to apply those concepts, if at all, to jumping.

 

[Ovinomancer]

Well, the point (at least in XGtE) was that falling takes more time than is available in a single round (if done from a great enough height), and that a character who can fly might reasonably have a chance to resume flying or control their descent before they hit the ground from a great height.

Yes...

But, at a fundamental level, those rules are talking about movement with a set direction and momentum that will leave the character in the air because the distance is too great to travel in a single round.

That's totally not how falling works. You can't get here from there.

Again, it's certainly a matter of DM's judgement and discretion of how to apply those concepts, if at all, to jumping.

Absolutely. I'm on record already that I'd allow cross-round leaping, and also grant advantage to any attacks on the mid-air leaper. Having a fixed trajectory and lack of mid-air control tends to make for an easier target. Probably an athletics check mechanic similar to concentration to not land prone at the far end. However, the rules are pretty clear that you have X walking movement, some of which can be used to jump, but that if you're not flying and not on the ground at the end of your turn, you fall. And, usually, the ground is a lot closer than the Xanthar's one round fall limit.

Honestly, from a story perspective, it makes almost no difference. A delay due to lack of remaining movement adds, at most, a few more seconds to the resolution. If your story becomes utterly broken over a few seconds... well, I guess that's okay to do but it seems weird to me that it would be so fragile.

 

[Oofta]

I think the point was that you can't end your turn in the air without falling, so...

Technically you are falling the moment you are no longer supported by something, typically a solid surface because gravity sucks and your upward momentum is temporarily giving you upward momentum greater than the downward pull. After you hit the arc of the jump you are just falling with forward momentum.

So by that logic, my completely arbitrary ruling that I made simply because it makes more sense to me and how I run my games is actually RAW. Awesome.

 

[jgsugden]

So we're finally all agreed that your jump can continue between rounds without falling? Great. I knew we'd get there if I just waited for denial to set in.

 

[Ovinomancer]

Technically you are falling the moment you are no longer supported by something, typically a solid surface because gravity sucks and your upward momentum is temporarily giving you upward momentum greater than the downward pull. After you hit the arc of the jump you are just falling with forward momentum.

So by that logic, my completely arbitrary ruling that I made simply because it makes more sense to me and how I run my games is actually RAW. Awesome.

Sadly, no, or else by RAW you'd immediately fall straight down, up to 500', as soon as you jumped, meaning you'd never effectively leave the ground or that chasms are especially dangerous.