Jumping Limits

[Wyvernhand]

Welcome to the abstraction of rules. Some things don't make absolute sense, erring on the side of simplicity rather than emulating real life exactly. There are dozens of factors that result in olympic world record setting jumps in real life. In D&D, there are 3. Speed, Str, and Skill. Size actually doesn't play an absolute role in it (except where speed is adjusted by size). A goblin is small sized with a speed of 30, and can jump just as well as a human, assuming equal skill and strength, despite being 2-3 feet shorter.

So no, the jump rules don't perfectly model real life. Yes, some things do get left off. I don't know WHY the 3.5 rules left off the 3.0 rule that limited jumps. Maybe it was a simple copy/pasta editing error, maybe it was intentional. We'll never know. If you want to house rule it in, go for it. In my experience with 3.5, however, it almost never comes up for 2 reasons. 1st, most characters don't have the ability to jump further than the old 3.0 rules limited you to, and 2nd, the characters who ARE able to jump that far are generally powerful enough to have access to some form of flight, either from an item, a friend, or a class ability.

 

[PureGoldx58]

This is D&D, not real life. This is a Fantasy game, where we fight dragons and slay demons! When was the last time you saw an elf, gnome, or orc in your home town? Don't think that "realism" is even half necessary in a game like this.

 

[Samloyal23]

This is D&D, not real life. This is a Fantasy game, where we fight dragons and slay demons! When was the last time you saw an elf, gnome, or orc in your home town? Don't think that "realism" is even half necessary in a game like this.

Yes but there seemed to have been a reasonable, not too unrealistic rule, and seems to have been taken away for no particular reason...

 

[DrunkonDuty]

Jimlock is right: run up + jump distance cannot take you further than your overall movement allowance. Although there is a feat that allows you to ignore this rule. (Of course there is, there's feats to allow everything if you get enough splat books. <sigh>)

I guess it depends on whether you want a low fantasy, gritty sort of game or a wuxia high fantasy sort of thing. I think that standard DnD is more wuxia so big jumps fit in. My last DnD character was a human monk with a jump score of about +60.

And what the hell is a Windicator?

 

[Wyvernhand]

Chuck

And no...if you start a jump, but don't have enough movement left to complete the jump, you complete the jump with movement speed from your next turn. Example, a Barbarian with a speed of 40 makes a double move. He moves 70' and leaps a mighty leap. He rolls well enough on his check that he can jump a whole 20'. 10' of that movement takes him 1/2 way through the jump, and on his next turn, he finishes the jump, landing 10' away from where he ended his turn and consuming 10' of his movement for the round (effectively forcing him to take a move action on this next turn). It doesn't come up much, but thats how it resolves. A jump isn't just cut short because you run out of movement. If you get your jump check high enough, you could have a hangtime of multiple rounds, but thats getting pretty silly.

 

[Samloyal23]

Hmmm... So a high level monk could jump nearly a hundred feet with no special assistance.

 

[Dr. NRG]

Hmmm... So a high level monk could jump nearly a hundred feet with no special assistance.

My first-ever 3.0 character surprised the DM with this fact, pre-errata. "I jump on top of the 100-foot tower" was not something he was anticipating.

NRG

 

[kitcik]

My first-ever 3.0 character surprised the DM with this fact, pre-errata. "I jump on top of the 100-foot tower" was not something he was anticipating.

NRG

Wow. I have a thri-kreen monk (+30 Jump and monk speed increases) and I can't imagine getting the +400 modifier you would need for a 100' vertical jump. I have +75 or so at 11th level. +100 will be easy. +200 possible. But +400? How did you do it?

 

[Samloyal23]

Wow. I have a thri-kreen monk (+30 Jump and monk speed increases) and I can't imagine getting the +400 modifier you would need for a 100' vertical jump. I have +75 or so at 11th level. +100 will be easy. +200 possible. But +400? How did you do it?

Ugh, I hate math...

 

[Dr. NRG]

Wow. I have a thri-kreen monk (+30 Jump and monk speed increases) and I can't imagine getting the +400 modifier you would need for a 100' vertical jump. I have +75 or so at 11th level. +100 will be easy. +200 possible. But +400? How did you do it?

I honestly don't recall the details, but it involved an earlier version of boots of striding and springing that doubled movement rather than adding a set amount to it.

NRG