Take 20!?

[DreamChaser]

Yeah...and if the rules break down at high levels, they are damn near useless at epic levels.

At that point the rule of thumb becomes "don't base any real challenge on any action for which the players role a d20 because if you do, it won't be a challenge.

DC

 

[avr]

If the PCs are broadening their characters by spending some points on other skills because they think they're good enough already at Tumble or whatever, is this really a problem? I'd have thought this would be something to be encouraged rather than discouraged.

 

[RangerWickett]

Really, high-level characters are like epic heroes of legend. Of course he doesn't need to roll to tumble, just like Hercules doesn't need to make a Strength check to break down a door (there really oughta be a Break Stuff skill) and Batman never needs a hide check to sneak up on normal guards. At a certain point you just assume that the character doesn't worry about such mundane challenges.

Maybe every once in a blue moon a situation should come up which is so beyond the skill of normal men that even a great hero such as the 15th level PCs only has a chance of success, but don't begrudge the Tumble monkey avoiding attacks of opportunity.

When he tries to tumble through the brigade of hydras in order to reach their spiked-chain wielding master, then he might wish he'd put a few more ranks in, but tumbling past one guy? Pshaw, don't fret about it.

 

[King-Panda]

What does everyone think of a tumble check replacing your AC for the AoO you are trying to ignore? So you roll past someone, make a tumble check, and that is your AC. How much of a difference will that make at low, med, and high level? At first I didn't think it would help at higher levels, but if you keep your tumble high I could see it still being effective. Any thoughts?

And trying to tumble through someones square would give them a bonus, of course. +5 or +10, 10 being the same as going from DC 15 to 25 for tumbling through rather than around.

 

[roguerouge]

If you think that's bad, epic level diplomacy and perform checks can create zealots. (Basically, it's a dominate person effect with no save.) All you have to do is move them to helpful with one and then move them to zealots with the other. It's one of the things that makes being an epic bard cool....