D&D 5E Vertical Jump Rules and a +5 STR modifier

[Kobold Stew]

From the PHB:
"High Jump. When you make a high jump, you leap into the air a number of feet equal to 3 + your Strength modifier if you move at least 10 feet on foot immediately before the jump. When you make a standing high jump, you can jump only half that distance. ... In some circumstances, your DM might allow you to make a Strength (Athletics) check to jump higher than you normally can."

So 20 Str can do a Standing high jump of (3+5)/2=4 vertical feet. What would it look like to do even more than that (in some circumstances)?

The Korean game Show Physical:100 has just showed me. Enjoy.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Humans can do way more than most of us think we can.

 

[GMMichael]

Physical 100 is a cool show.

Jumping rules are a generally a waste of time. Roll a strength check. Compare to difficulty table. Is there really a situation when a PC can't get a 10 foot start, can't use hands to just climb the obstacle, and can't just try again 5 seconds later?

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Think that's bad? Try calculating how much weight a D&D draft horse can drag and them check it against what a real draft horse can drag. It's not even in the same ballpark.

 

[AnotherGuy]

I'm loving the new profile pic @FitzTheRuke

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I know of at least two CRPGs that add athletics proficiency mod.

But remember, the jump height in the rules is how much you can raise your centre of mass. You can obviously cover a lot more than that by tucking in your legs. Even more with a Fosbury Flop.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

I'm really not fan of the jumping rules (or the lifting and dragging rules for that matter.)

From the PHB:
"High Jump. When you make a high jump, you leap into the air a number of feet equal to 3 + your Strength modifier if you move at least 10 feet on foot immediately before the jump. When you make a standing high jump, you can jump only half that distance. ...

So generally all distances in this game are given in increments of five feet, as that's how much the map square is. But now we are dealing with individual feet, and have to figure our if the distance is actually ten feet, or might it be eight or elven...

In some circumstances, your DM might allow you to make a Strength (Athletics) check to jump higher than you normally can."

At what DC? How much higher? Why is stuff like this not codified? Like I said in one of the perennial martial threads, it would be easier to have class features that boosted physical achievements if rules for such were defined in the first place.

So 20 Str can do a Standing high jump of (3+5)/2=4 vertical feet. What would it look like to do even more than that (in some circumstances)?

The Korean game Show Physical:100 has just showed me. Enjoy.

Which sure is impressive in real life, for action movie heroes it is nothing and I'd certainly expect mythic heroes that the high level characters are to easily do way more.

 

[aco175]

Wonder if the guy in the video can do the same wearing plate armor and carrying 100 pounds of other gear?

 

[ichabod]

Think that's bad? Try calculating how much weight a D&D draft horse can drag and them check it against what a real draft horse can drag. It's not even in the same ballpark.

A cat familiar can carry 22.5 pounds of gear. A bat familiar can fly off with 15 pounds.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

A cat familiar can carry 22.5 pounds of gear. A bat familiar can fly off with 15 pounds.

The whole lifting/carrying math is completely broken. I’ve thought about redoing it several times but I haven’t bothered because in practice it doesn’t really come up. But if it would I’d just ignore it.