D&D 5E How is Acrobatics used in your game?

[iserith]

Parkour to climb up something is just climbing, which isn't doesn't call for an ability check anyway (except in certain circumstances).

 

[GlassJaw]

Yeah, the Athletics/Acrobatics conundrum is similar to Perception/Investigation except that it doesn't have nearly the impact that Perception and Investigation do.

As far as parkour goes specifically, it's probably a combination. Climbing, pulling yourself up, and jumping would fall under Athletics but landing from high falls properly and running across narrows ledges and beams is Acrobatics.

Most likely a DM is going to call for one or the other because you don't need that level of simulation in D&D (rightfully so). It does get a bit weird though when the heavily armored warrior has a high Athletics check but nothing for Acrobatics and wants to pull of something like this. The encumbrance rules also also don't affect "physical" skill checks.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

I think a lot of these skills would get more use if you had to make a skill check to use the Help action.

I can describe how I leap across a table-top, then somersault down and slide between a person's legs and confound them as my ally smacks them in the face with advantage. That's the Help action. It requires no roll. I kind of miss having to do a roll for that kind of thing. 3e, the default rule to aid another person was 10. Or 5 lower than the task, depending on what was happening.

I use acrobatics for crossing slippery surfaces like ice or wet stone. I let people reduce falling damage with an acrobatics roll, as long as they are jumping down(not getting pushed or falling). They can lower the height by 10 feet(1d6) with a successful roll.

I let people juggle with acrobatics, although that's probably more Performance(Dex) check.

Acrobatics can be used to move through a crowd without being slowed down.

Many of the things you see in Cirque du Soleil is probably acrobatics.

Like, climbing a rope or leaping from one ledge to another is athletics but doing a flip and being able to catch a moving swing is acrobatics(trapeze).

 

[Immortal Sun]

Anything balance related. Slippery surfaces, tight walking space, dodging things, things that require quick reflexes that aren't a save. I tend towards using Athletics for more strong-man stuff, throwing things (that aren't attacks, like Shotput or Discus) or moving heavy things.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Because I use the Variant Ability Score variant rule, I dropped Acrobatics from my game and just have players make either STR (Athletics) or DEX (Athletics) checks as applicable.

 

[iserith]

I think a lot of these skills would get more use if you had to make a skill check to use the Help action.

I can describe how I leap across a table-top, then somersault down and slide between a person's legs and confound them as my ally smacks them in the face with advantage. That's the Help action. It requires no roll. I kind of miss having to do a roll for that kind of thing. 3e, the default rule to aid another person was 10. Or 5 lower than the task, depending on what was happening.

I would almost never use the Help action if there was an ability check attached to it. As a player, I'm trying to roll fewer d20's, not more of them!

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

I would almost never use the Help action if there was an ability check attached to it. As a player, I'm trying to roll fewer d20's, not more of them!

Really. When I play, I love making rolls. You’d use a help action when your attack is ineffective, usually. That’s when I use the help action. So, if it’s between doing nothing effective or having to make an easier role (or do a role using a skill you are better at) to help an ally do something effective, I’d still choose to roll.

 

[iserith]

Really. When I play, I love making rolls. You’d use a help action when your attack is ineffective, usually. That’s when I use the help action. So, if it’s between doing nothing effective or having to make an easier role (or do a role using a skill you are better at) to help an ally do something effective, I’d still choose to roll.

If success on the task is the goal, automatic success is more desirable than rolling a fickle d20. A Help action as it currently is written is an automatic success. Tacking a roll onto it makes it less desirable in my view from that standpoint.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

[MENTION=97077]iserith[/MENTION] Yeah, I know that rule and if the dc is 10 and your skill is +8, then that applies. It might be that your skill is lower or the dc is higher though. I like the idea of chaotic battles having unintended failures. And once again, most players like rolling dice and when it comes down to it, rolling to hit or rolling a skill check is still one roll. I still make my players attack oozes even when the ooze has an ac of 8 and the pc has an attack bonus of +6 or 7. Do you usually just assume they always hit? I Never really considered doing that before but it would speed up combat.

 

[iserith]

@isereth Yeah, I know that rule and if the dc is 10 and your skill is +8, then that applies. It might be that your skill is lower or the dc is higher though. I like the idea of chaotic battles having unintended failures. And once again, most players like rolling dice and when it comes down to it, rolling to hit or rolling a skill check is still one roll. I still make my players attack oozes even when they have an ac of 8 and the pc has an attack bonus of +6. Do you usually just assume they always hit? I Never really considered doing that before but it would speed up combat.

I'm not sure what rule you're referring to. I'm not aware of anything like that in D&D 5e.

As for attacking low-AC monsters, I ask for an attack roll if the monster is defending, which makes the outcome uncertain plus there's a meaningful consequence of failure (the monster goes on living).