Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kaisoku" data-source="post: 5496786" data-attributes="member: 58447">Not putting any ranks and having no Dex bonus = Not good at tumbling at all.Putting ranks into Acrobatics and having a decent Dex bonus = Good at acrobatics in general.Full ranks, high Dex, Skill Focus (Acrobatics) = Focused on Acrobatics.Full ranks, pumped Dex, Skill Focus (Acrobatics), Acrobatic, Boots of Elvenkind, and Elixir of Tumbling (different circumstance, so it would likely stack) = Ridiculously (unnecessarily) focused on Acrobatics.A person has a lot of options when it comes to how "level appropriate" they are.Boots of Elvenkind are fairly common around 5th level (current Kingmaker game, the rogue just picked these up). Skill focus is nothing to laugh at, due to the doubled bonus at 10 ranks.Currently, our party Rogue (at 5th level) has 20 Dex (16 pb, +2 racial, +2 magic item), 5 ranks in the skill, and Boots of Elvenkind.If he were not bow focused, and more concerned about moving through dangerous spaces, he'd have Skill Focus as well.That's a +21 modifier. Looking a the "monsters by CR", the average CMD at CR 5 is 23 (if we round up). That's a 90% success chance for fairly minor focus in "not getting hit while moving" (one feat and one magic item). If you want to do that at full speed, it's about 40% chance (against level appropriate).The guy with an elixir of tumbling and the extra +2 feat would have no chance of failure, even at full speed.. which makes sense for focusing so much, and using a limited resource (potion).Now, I have a fundamental thematic objection to using CMD, as you aren't really "attacking" but "avoiding" with a tumble. So if we need to have an opposed check at all (I still think tumbling difficulty should be about leaving yourself open, not opponent's skill), then I'd rather it was based on CMB, or maybe BAB + Dex alone, emulating the Bluff-as-feint concept.--Regarding the OP.There are a number of limitations in place regarding combat maneuvers already. So if someone wants to pump resources (feats, etc) into being good at one of them, it's a good idea that it'll come into play fairly often.Note that most combat maneuvers aren't death sentences. A grapple takes a while to get into a position where you can permanently remove someone from combat (it takes rounds to get to pinning with a rope situation), and while he's doing it, the grappler is kind of out of combat too (and more vulnerable).Tripping isn't the be-all end-all, as there's a number of methods of removing the problems of being prone (no trip locking! you can't trip someone as they stand up, the AoO will have to be for something other than tripping).As for actually bringing up the CMD number:There's the Defensive Combat Training feat for those who aren't full BAB classes, and the Dodge feat grants a +1 Dodge bonus to AC, so also CMD. The mobility feat grants a +4 dodge bonus to AC when provoking an AoO for moving, so if you move out of threatened space and that giant wants to grapple or trip you, you have an additional +4 to you CMD against that.The APG has Boneless Leather, a special magical armor that (among a laundry list of bonuses), grants +5 to your CMD.There's also the teamwork feat Coordinated Defense, which gives a +2 bonus to CMD if next to your ally who has this feat (cavaliers and inquisitors having greater advantage of this). Oh, and it's +4 if the enemy is larger.Rangers can get a feat for a bonus to CMD against favored enemies (and have a spell to treat a target as a favored enemy, so nice combo there).There's also an innumerable amount of racial and class features (especially with archetypes and racial traits swapping) that give bonuses to specific CMD checks.I haven't even checked spells, but off the top of my head, Protection from Evil grants a +2 deflection bonus that would count.It's not as straight forward as AC, but there's a lot of support for the Combat Maneuver mechanics. I think this is why, when all things are considered and stacked up, it's not such a problem in game.And even with all these ways of boosting CMD, the guy who focused on Tripping can still get his chance to shine. As it should be.</blockquote>

Verification