Tumble - Isn't it broken?

[Nish]

I guess DM intervention is the only solution. You just have to make a "doorway blocking" rule to prevent Tumbling silliness.

All you have proved by that statement is that you are not a high level rogue. The rule is an abstraction like any other rule and like an attack role there is a lot more going on than what is described by a simple d20 role. The bouncer does not perfectly or completely fill the threshold, nor is he a rigid and immovabale object. So the rogue comes barreling at the bouncer and drops into a roll like she's going to try for between the legs. As the bouncer leans down to smack her, she pops up out of the roll and does a back-flip over the much larger and slower man's head.

If it bothers you that much, put the bouncer in front of a closed door. That way its impossible to tumble past him.

 

[Cloudgatherer]

I don't consider tumble to be broken. It merely denies an AoO from movement. In addition, if you house rule tumble, then concentration should be changed as well. The two have the same principle, static DC to avoid an AoO.

 

[hong]

I don't consider tumble to be broken. It merely denies an AoO from movement. In addition, if you house rule tumble, then concentration should be changed as well. The two have the same principle, static DC to avoid an AoO.

And indeed, Monte provides a house rule for Concentration on the same page as his Tumble rule.

http://www.montecook.com/arch_dmonly5.html

 

[Albereth]

I don't consider tumble to be broken. It merely denies an AoO from movement. In addition, if you house rule tumble, then concentration should be changed as well. The two have the same principle, static DC to avoid an AoO.

And then you have spring attack which allows you to move into and through and opponents reach/threatened area attack and move back out again with no AoO. I agree with the others that say that Tumble is not broken. Usually the folks that think tumble, as well as most rogue skills, is broken just don't like the rogue class as written in the rules. They want their 1st edition thieves who are only along for the ride to find and remove traps or stay behind with the mage.

 

[Xahn'Tyr]

I don't consider tumble to be broken. It merely denies an AoO from movement.

And it allows you to move right through an opponent as if they weren't even there REGARDLESS of how badly you fail the roll. I think if you mess up your tumble check, you should have to stop your movement as soon as someone takes an AoO at you.

Either that, or give everyone the ability to move through bad guys with nothing worse than a possible AoO.


I can just see the stink my players would raise if I sent a band of goblin rogues at them. The paladin valiantly tries to block the doorway while the cleric heals the incapacitated mage inside. The goblins rush forward, the paladin get's an AoO on the first, and the other 8 run through him like he's nothing more than vapour. Why? Because they have one level of rogue and put a point in Tumbling. Sure, every one of them failed their checks horribly but so what; they still get the full movement right through the guy. End result? Dead mage, dead cleric, and a horribly upset paladin. (You know how upset they get when they can't martyr themselves).