3e SRD:Balance Skill
Balance (Dex; Armor Check Penalty)
Check
The character can walk on a precarious surface as a move-equivalent action. A successful check lets the character move at half the character's speed along the surface for 1 round. A failure means that the character can't move for 1 round. A failure by 5 or more means that the character falls.
The difficulty varies with the surface:
Surface | DC |
---|---|
7–12 inches wide | 10 |
2–6 inches wide | 15 |
Less than 2 inches wide | 20 |
Uneven Floor | 10 |
Surface Angled | +5* |
Surface Slippery | +5* |
*Cumulative; if both apply, use both. |
Being Attacked while Balancing
Attacks against the character are made as if the character were off balance: They gain a +2 attack bonus, and the character loses any Dexterity bonus to AC. If the character has 5 or more ranks in Balance, then the character can retain the Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) in the face of attacks. If the character takes damage, the character must make a check again to stay balanced.
Accelerated Movement
The character can try to walk a precarious surface more quickly than normal. If the character accepts a –5 penalty, the character can move at normal speed as a move-equivalent action. (Moving twice the character's speed in a round requires two checks.)
Special
If the character has 5 or more ranks in Tumble, the character gets a +2 synergy bonus on Balance checks.
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