are toumble checks too easy?

[questionmark]

In our gaming group we have alot of Dex combatants(Monks, Rogues, and Rogue/Fighters) Who all have high ranks into the tumble skill. In combat these characters can tumble in an out of threatened spaces basically at will, since the dc is only 25. I feel the problem stems from the fact that a level 40 Fighter, with all of his combat bonuses, has no chance of getting an AoO on a lvl 15 monk tumbling thruogh his square. You can replace the example lvl 40 fighter with a rogue, monk, dragon, or whatever and the dc is still only 25.

I suppose the question is, should the DM just raise the DC's for tumbling based on the circumstances, or would an opposed role system better solve this problem?

Help!

 

[The Spectrum Rider]

IMC we give the opponent a Reflex save to oppose the Tumble check (as well as requiring that the Tumble check satisfy the PHB DC's). This worked pretty well in 3.0. We haven't had much tumbling since we switched to 3.5, so I'm not sure how the new circumstantial modifiers should be combined with that.

The Spectrum Rider

 

[haiiro]

I suppose the question is, should the DM just raise the DC's for tumbling based on the circumstances, or would an opposed role system better solve this problem?

Yep, tumble checks are too easy.

Monte solves this is AU: tumbling past and tumbling through have a fixed distance moved, and variable DCs (based on the opponent's attack roll). If the attack roll misses, you don't provoke an actual AoO -- if it succeeds, you do and the opponent rolls again.

The fixed distance is pretty short -- 20 or 30 feet, I believe -- so that helps limit its use as well. I've adopted this version of tumble, along with the terrain mods in the 3.5e PHB, for my campaign.