Skydiving and HALO Drops: Reasons to jump out of perfectly good planes
Skydiving and airborne insertions are action movie staples. After all, what’s cooler than dropping 12,000 ft and landing guns blazing and ready for action? Of course, getting down alive isn’t quite as easy as it looks in the movies.
Skydiving is basically a highly specialized Jump (Base DC 10) check. The DC of the check is based on a combination of factors, the most important being the altitude the skydiver drops from and the circumstances of the jump. After all, it’s easier for a skydive to hit the target safely when jumping with plenty of time to prepare and check gear than it is when bailing out of a burning, wildly pitching jet. The skydiver’s Jump check result determines how close to the landing zone they impact, and how gently they land.
Circumstance
Jump Check DC
Basic Skydive Base DC 10
Jump of less than 1,500 ft Base DC +10 (DC 20)
Jump of 1,501 – 3,500 ft Base DC +7 (DC 17)
Jump of 3,501 – 7,500 ft Base DC +5 (DC 15)
Jump of 7,501 – 10,000 ft Base DC + 7 (DC 17)
Each additional 1,000 ft DC increases by +2 for past 10,000 ft
each 1000 ft beyond 10,000 ft
Jumping hurriedly (combat Base DC + 5 jumps, ejecting from an aircraft)
Jumping at night or when Base DC + 10 landing zone is obscured by smoke, foliage, etc.
Low Opening (activating the Base DC +5 chute 1,000 ft or less from the ground)
Change landing zone: Cumulative +2 modifier while airborne. Success on the Jump check indicates the sky diver lands safely somewhere within a designated 30 ft square ‘landing zone’ selected during the descent. Failure indicates the sky diver is off target, sometimes dramatically, and suffers impact damage from the landing. If an initial landing zone becomes risky, the skydiver can attempt a Strength check (DC 15) to attempt to modify her landing zone target while in flight. Doing so allows the sky diver to make a second Jump check, in hopes of designating a safer landing zone. The skydiver can also attempt to retry a failed jump check that would mean a potentially fatal landing, but each attempt to retry the check/reassign the landing zone increases the Jump check DC by +2.
You may attempt to retry a Jump once per 1000 ft fallen. Regardless of the success or failure of the landing, all sky divers are shaken for 1d4 rounds after impact, simply from the shock and disorientation of the landing.
For simplicity’s sake, assume that a falling object descends at 90 ft per round without a parachute. The skydiver’s parachute slows the descent dramatically; depending on the type of parachute, the rate of descent might be as little as 20 ft per round. This means that on long jumps, the sky diver could spend several minutes airborne. While airborne, a skydiver can attempt additional Jump checks to Table: Jump Failure
Jump Check Reflex save DC Failed By….
Result or half damage
1-5 points Off target by up to 100 ft in random direction, suffers 2d6 points of damage DC 156-8 points
Off target by up to 500 ft in random direction, suffers 4d6 points of damage DC 18 9-10 points
Off target by up to 1,000 ft in random direction, suffers 8d6 points of damage DC 21 11 + points
Off target by up to 1 mile in random direction, suffers 16d8 points of damage DC 25
maneuver, can engage in desperate air to air fist fights, or even cast spells on magically active worlds.
Each round during the descent, a skydiver can make a DC 15 Jump check in order to move horizontally a distance equal to their base land speed. You may not run or charge while skydiving. A skydiver can fight while airborne, but not well: all attacks suffer a –4 circumstance penalty, and the sky diver is considered flat footed, and is denied her Dex bonus to defense while in the sky. Spellcasters and psychics must succeed at a Concentration check (DC 15) to use supernatural abilities while descending. Skydivers should also be wary of the thin air and extreme cold of high altitude jumps. Above 10,000 ft, the air becomes too thin to breathe, and the piercing cold can lead to fatal hypothermia. Refer to chapter five of the D20 Modern SRD for details of cold danger and suffocation.
NEW FEATS
Airdance
You are an accomplished aerial showman, capable of incredible grace and beautiful acrobatic feats during your descent. Prerequisite: Athletic, Jump 4 ranks, Perform: dance 1 rank. Benefit: You may add your ranks in Perform: dance as an untyped bonus on all Jump checks made during a parachute jump. You may use the run action to move horizontally while descending.
Airborne Sniper
You can fight effectively while parachuting, often providing cover fire to the troops on the ground, as you drop into the fight. Prerequisite: Jump School. Benefit: You suffer no penalties on attack rolls while skydiving. You may move up to your base land speed horizontally while descending, without requiring an additional Jump check. Normal: You suffer a –4 circumstance penalty on all attack rolls while skydiving.
Basejumper
A die hard thrillseeker, you parachute from skyscrapers for the sheer fun of it. Prerequisite: Jump 4 ranks, Knowledge: physical sciences 1 rank. Benefit: You receive a +2 bonus on all Jump and Climb checks, and may re-roll a failed Jump check once per every 500 ft fallen. Normal: You may re-rolled a failed Jump check once every 1,000 ft fallen.
Jump School
You are a graduate of an elite military airborne school, and are fully qualified for combat jumps. Prerequisite: Jump 4 ranks, Knowledge: physical sciences 1 rank. Benefit: You are a skilled enough skydiver that you can land gently, and are not stunned during landing. You retain your Dexterity bonus to Defense while dropping, and are not considered flatfooted during a dive. Normal: You are shaken for 1d4 rounds after a parachute landing. You are considered flatfooted while skydiving.
HalO Expert
High Altitude, Low Opening parachute jumps are among the most dangerous dives to make but are a vital military tactic: they get troops on the ground quickly and stealthy. Prerequisite: Jump School. Benefit: When jumping, the DC of your Jump check does not increase for each 1,000 ft beyond 10,000 ft, nor does the DC increase if you open your chute below 1000 ft. You receive a +4 bonus on Fortitude saves made to resist the effects of cold weather or suffocation when making a jump. Normal: The DC of a skydiver’s Jump check increases by +2 for each 1,000 ft beyond 10,000 ft. The DC of the Jump check increases by +5 when opening the chute below 1,000 ft.
Speed Drop
You use your knowledge of aerodynamics and your parachute’s capabilities to make blindingly fast drops safely. Prerequisite: Jump 8 ranks, Knowledge: physical sciences 1 rank. Benefit: Each round you may choose to descend at double your parachute’s normal descent rate, to a maximum of 90 ft of descent per round. You must descend more slowly, at your parachute’s normal rate of descent, for the last 200 ft of your drop.
