Jumping over another character, rules please?

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

That depends on what you consider "normal movement."

The SRD says it's a DC 15 check to "Tumble at one-half speed as part of normal movement, provoking no attacks of opportunity while doing so. Failure means you provoke attacks of opportunity normally."

So ya gotta ask your DM what he considers to be "normal movement" because it's not really defined in the rules. The Main 3.5e FAQ has some hints.

Thinking back on it, I would allow tumbling, but only at full-speed. You can't really "jump slowly."

For a running jump, the rogue would need to determine which square he'd start his jump in then move WAY back so he can run 20 ft. to that square. Since the rogue wants to clear 5 ft. height in the middle of his jump, he'd need to jump a horizontal distance of 20 ft. "At the midpoint of the jump, you attain a vertical height equal to one-quarter of the horizontal distance."

I think he'd need to clear more than 5'. After all, if the orc and the fighter are both 6' tall, hitting 5' at the midpoint of his jump (between the fighter and the orc) would mean he'd be hitting both the orc and the fighter in the back of the head / face with his knees. Not an optimal solution.

On the subject of DCs, note the following:

High Jump: DC = 4 x Max Jump Height
Long Jump: DC = 1 x Max Jump Distance

So, how high do you go on a DC 4 High Jump? 1 foot.
How long do you go on a DC 4 Long Jump? 4 feet.

How high are you go in the middle of that DC 4 Long Jump? 1 foot.

In other words, if you want to jump up in a single square, use the High Jump DC. If you want to jump up over a range of squares, use the Long Jump DC.

 

[kjenks]

Thinking back on it, I would allow tumbling, but only at full-speed. You can't really "jump slowly."

I'd agree with that, so the Tumble DC would be at -10: "Accelerated Tumbling: You try to tumble past or through enemies more quickly than normal. By accepting a –10 penalty on your Tumble checks, you can move at your full speed instead of one-half your speed."

 

[werk]

I'd agree with that, so the Tumble DC would be at -10: "Accelerated Tumbling: You try to tumble past or through enemies more quickly than normal. By accepting a –10 penalty on your Tumble checks, you can move at your full speed instead of one-half your speed."

I didn't see anything in the first post saying how far away from the combat the rogue was, so I assumed it is hypothetical. I put the rogue in the square opposite the orc on the other side of the fighter. If he is farther away, it changes things, as per the rule above.

DC25 Tumble = at one-half speed through an area occupied by an enemy (over, under, or around the opponent) as part of normal movement, provoking no attacks of opportunity while doing so. Failure means you stop before entering the enemy-occupied area and provoke an attack of opportunity from that enemy. Check separately for each opponent. Each additional enemy after the first adds +2 to the Tumble DC.

 

[Turhan]

I looked at the problem from the point of view of having my players pop this one on me in game, no warning. Wow, I need a fast rule in 10 seconds. I like big, bold swashbuckling moves, by the way.

Here it is, based on what the PC rolls on the Jump:
Rolls 24 or less - runs into the fighter and bounces off on the ground adjacent to fighter (roll a d8 for the random adjacent square;
DC 25-29 - He barely clears the fighter and thumps into the orc as if he made an unarmed attack, he draws an AoO and falls prone next to the orc;
DC 30-34 - he barely clears the orc and lands in an adjacent square, drawing an AoO, he can make 1 attack;
DC 35-39 - he readily clears the fight and lands within range for one attack but has a 50% chance of drawing an AoO;
DC 40+ - He wins big, no AoO, lands right where he wants, can make an attack if he wants.

 

[Remathilis]

Wow. Thanks for all the analysis.

The idea was actually inspired from a viewing of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Obiwan Leaps over Darth Maul as Quigon charges Maul. Ignoring movie physics and jedi ability, I was wondering if a high level PC could perform the same trick.

I was curious if the rules covered the needed DC (30) the needed movement (all 60') and tumbling or dodging the AoO from the Orc.

All things considered, I'd hit the DC 25 tumble, but I was wondering if you COULD perform the same trick jumping.

 

[werk]

All things considered, I'd hit the DC 25 tumble, but I was wondering if you COULD perform the same trick jumping.

IMC I'd say the DC 25 tumble is what you are doing...the tumble description includes 'over'. It's up to the the player (or DM) to describe what his tumble looks like. I only really see the need to calculate it out when they are jumping for height or distance, like up to a ledge or over a pit. I don't think the standard jump rules account for jumping through combat...

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

I looked at the problem from the point of view of having my players pop this one on me in game, no warning. Wow, I need a fast rule in 10 seconds. I like big, bold swashbuckling moves, by the way.

I've got that:

Q: How high do you need to jump?

A: 8 feet.

Multiply by 4: 32 feet.

Round up to 5: 35 feet.

The DC to jump over something 8 feet tall is 35. If you want to jump straight up and down, it's DC 35 and you end in the same square you started (or one next to it). If you want to jump farther, you cover 35 feet, and hit 8 feet in the middle of your jump.