Jumping up and attacking

[frankthedm]

Action
None. A Jump check is included in your movement, so it is part of a move action. If you run out of movement mid-jump, your next action (either on this turn or, if necessary, on your next turn) must be a move action to complete the jump.

Hmm, then a charging jump? Movement ends next to the enemy

I've argued for something along those lines before, Not really sure it was entirely by the RAW, the charge path to the closest square thing really can throw a monkey wrench into things. I definitely feel the person should keep moving in the arc of their jump, eating an AoO.

 

[underfoot]

Considering how you understood him, where's the problem ruleswise to jump up next to a low flying foe in such a way that your movement for the round ends there, attack... and finish your movement next round ?

Because at the end of your turn if you are in the air and unable to hover or maintain flight (if you have a minimum flight speed), you immediately fall 60' at the end of the round, then 600' every round there after.

There is a section in the DMG about vertical reach (see Jump skill). We play it that you threaten any square you can reach above you.

For Example: A Medium creature has an 8' vertical reach so threatens the 5' to 10' squares above him. If the mob is 1 square up (5' - 10' high), then he would not need to make a jump check. If the mob is in the 10' to 15' square range then he would have to make a 5' DC High Jump check of 40 (20 with a 20' running start).

More Bigger Example: A Huge giant has a 32' vertical reach so threatens the 5' to 35' high squares above and around him. If a bird is only 30' in the air and no further out than his horizontal reach then the giant would not need to make a jump check. If, however, a dragon is flying 120' in the air. The giant would need to jump 85' (120' - 35') up to reach the dragon. Which would be a 680 Jump DC (340 with a 20' run).

 

[frankthedm]

There is a section in the DMG about vertical reach (see Jump skill).

I am going to ask for a page cite on that. What I remember from the DMG was a combatant occupied his Facing in height and width and threated his normal distance top and bottom. That diverged from the PHB jump skill's vertical reach.

I based this side-view of some huge bipeds on what I recalled from that. The red reach outlines were for the ones on the left{the one fully on screen] and right.

 

[underfoot]

I am going to ask for a page cite on that. What I remember from the DMG was a combatant occupied his Facing in height and width and threated his normal distance top and bottom.

I don't have the page number but according to http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/jump.htm:

Obviously, the difficulty of reaching a given height varies according to the size of the character or creature. The maximum vertical reach (height the creature can reach without jumping) for an average creature of a given size is shown on the table below. (As a Medium creature, a typical human can reach 8 feet without jumping.)

Quadrupedal creatures don’t have the same vertical reach as a bipedal creature; treat them as being one size category smaller.

I did miss this line:

Action
If you run out of movement mid-jump, your next action (either on this turn or, if necessary, on your next turn) must be a move action to complete the jump.

We rule --and this could be a house rule-- that you can elect to end your movement during the jump (like a flying creature can elect to no longer fly and free fall 60', and then attempt a recovery action next round) and thus are able to perform a standard action. But... at the end of the turn, you immediately fall 60' and fall prone (uncontrolled jump at that point).

We do the same with horizontal jumps.. they just have more dire consequences

 

[Nyarlathotep]

Getting up from prone is an ME action, so no 5ft step and attack.

Some nice DMs allow the old "partial charge" after getting up.

Why not?

The partial charge thing I agree with, but getting up is a move equivelent action, not an actual move, so you should be able to stand (drawing an AoO), move 5 feet and attack all in the same round.

 

[underfoot]

That diverged from the PHB jump skill's vertical reach.

Not really. According to your diagram a Medium biped could attack up to 10' off the ground and the Huge biped 30'. The PHB Jump skill say a Medium biped has a 8' vertical reach and a Huge biped 32'. They are pretty close, probably just rounded off

 

[mhensley]

Well most likel the OP refers to a situation where a ground based PC has no flight but wishes to attack a low flying foe. Usually 10-20 feet off the ground.

Rules do not cover this really. Unless the DM wants you to do this, he is completely justified denying you any attacks until after you land from the jump if you do not have spring attack.

Yes, this is what I was asking about. We've had several situations in the past couple of games where a monk wanted to jump up to attack a creature that was flying 10-15' above him. I see now that would be quite impossible. Even without requiring the spring attack feat, the DC for just jumping up 5' without a running start is 40. Not gonna happen. Thanks.

 

[Darklone]

Why not?

The partial charge thing I agree with, but getting up is a move equivelent action, not an actual move, so you should be able to stand (drawing an AoO), move 5 feet and attack all in the same round.

Wuhoo, you're right

 

[Arkhandus]

Remember you can choose not to move your full speed before taking a standard action, when doing a move + standard action. So it's allowable within the rules to jump as a move action, and then attack once as a standard action while in the air, and then either spend the rest of the round in mid-air or drop to the ground (depending on DM's interpretation of the rules and the situation).

And anyway, there's no logical reason why someone could not swing a weapon or something during a jump. It's not like we humans are incapable of walking and swinging a weapon at the same time, and being airborne doesn't really require any more focus than that, though you may unbalance yourself in the process and land awkwardly.

I've had a dinosaur jump up to bite a Levitating PC who wasn't wise enough to Levitate further above the dinosaurs he was Fireballing. He was only about 5 or 10 feet higher than the dinosaurs' normal reach, so the 20 or 30 foot tall allosaurus just had to move a bit close and make a short jump with its mighty leg muscles. Then chomp the mage out of the air.

 

[Darklone]

Remember you can choose not to move your full speed before taking a standard action, when doing a move + standard action. So it's allowable within the rules to jump as a move action, and then attack once as a standard action while in the air, and then either spend the rest of the round in mid-air or drop to the ground (depending on DM's interpretation of the rules and the situation).

I thought you were right, but the rules quoted above disagree, they say pretty clearly if your movement ends in mid-air, your next action (e.g. the standard action used for the attack in your example) has to be a move action.