Tumble, Jump, and Falling

[PaulSC]

A character with Tumble and Jump skill wants to jump from a 20 foot building. Which scenario is correct:

A) He can choose to attempt either the Tumble or Jump check (both DC15) to reduce the fall to 10 feet.

B) He can attempt both the Tumble and Jump check, and succeeding at either check reduces the fall to 10 feet.

C) As B) but additionally succeeding at both checks reduces the fall to 0 feet.

If the character is additionally a monk, I assume that the fall reduction from these skill checks would stack with the monk "slow fall" ability - correct?

- PSC

 

[DanMcS]

C) As B) but additionally succeeding at both checks reduces the fall to 0 feet.

If the character is additionally a monk, I assume that the fall reduction from these skill checks would stack with the monk "slow fall" ability - correct?

C for sure, I'd say, since both skills say that a successful check results in the fall being treated as 10 feet shorter.

I'd also allow the monk thing to count as well.

 

[Ferret]

d) Jump rank of +5 gives +2 bonus to tumble in this situation.

Replace +2 with something higher if you want, jump should only get you into the right postion mid fall (skilled jumpers can stop belly-floping to get in the right posistion to roll at the end)

 

[MarauderX]

Only one of the above checks could be made, and the check would be given a +2 synergy bonus if applicable.

Either way, it would still stack with a monk's Slow Fall ability.

 

[Darklone]

I'd allow both. There are not enough possibilities to do something against falling otherwise.

 

[PaulSC]

Synergies

So it looks like we have votes for A and C. Hooray for clarification!

I'm well aware of the mutual synergies that Tumble and Jump share. I'd state:

D) Treat one of the two skill checks as "aiding" the other - having a DC 10 check on one skill provide a +2 bonus on the other.

I don't particularly care for this interaction as there's already the 5 skill rank synergy between the two.

I suppose the most succinct way of expressing the question is does the 10' reduction from Jump and Tumble skill checks stack with respect to each other or not?

The Jump check seems to be predicated on controlling the start of the fall, and the Tumble check on the end of the fall -- thus they are different modifiers to the height of the fall and therefore stack. It's a fairly weak rationale, but it's what I've come up with.

- PSC

 

[Felix]

If you rule that Jump modifies the takeoff, thus making the jump more controlled, thus treating the fall as 10 feet shorter and also that Tumble modifies the landing, granting you a softer impact, thus treating the fall as 10 feet shorter...

Sure, in that case they would stack. Note though, that the faller would have to consciously make this jump, and not be pushed off, or have the ground evaporate from underneath him... he needs to consciously make the effort to Jump. If he fell into a pitfall trap, I would allow the Tumble at the end, but not the Jump at the beginning, since if he were able to concentrate on jumping, he wouldn't have fallen in the first place, neh?

 

[argo]

Making a tumble check to lessen a fall is an "instant reaction" (phb 84) that happens when you hit the ground regardless of weither you lept down voluntarily or not. Making a jump check is an "intentional jump from a height" (phb 77) that you make when you decide to jump. So in the case where the character chooses to jump I would let him make both checks and stack the benefit of both if he makes them (so that's option C) as they are derrived from different sources. Also note that landing on "soft ground" reduces the fall by another 10 feet, but that is the DM's call.

Oh, and yes, slow fall works with all of the above.