SRD Header Graphic Bar
 

SYSTEM REFERENCE DOCUMENT 3.5

 

BALANCE (DEX; ARMOR CHECK PENALTY)

Check: You can walk on a precarious surface. A successful check lets you move at half your speed along the surface for 1 round. A failure by 4 or less means you can’t move for 1 round. A failure by 5 or more means you fall. The difficulty varies with the surface, as follows:

Narrow Surface

Balance DC1

Difficult Surface

Balance DC1

7–12 inches wide

10

Uneven flagstone

102

2–6 inches wide

15

Hewn stone floor

102

Less than 2 inches wide

20

Sloped or angled floor

102

1 Add modifiers from Narrow Surface Modifiers, below, as appropriate.

2 Only if running or charging. Failure by 4 or less means the character can’t run or charge, but may otherwise act normally.

Narrow Surface Modifiers

 

Surface

DC Modifier1

Lightly obstructed

+2

Severely obstructed

+5

Lightly slippery

+2

Severely slippery

+5

Sloped or angled

+2

1 Add the appropriate modifier to the Balance DC of a narrow surface.

These modifiers stack.

Being Attacked while Balancing: You are considered flat-footed while balancing, since you can’t move to avoid a blow, and thus you lose your Dexterity bonus to AC (if any). If you have 5 or more ranks in Balance, you aren’t considered flat-footed while balancing. If you take damage while balancing, you must make another Balance check against the same DC to remain standing.

Accelerated Movement: You can try to walk across a precarious surface more quickly than normal. If you accept a –5 penalty, you can move your full speed as a move action. (Moving twice your speed in a round requires two Balance checks, one for each move action used.) You may also accept this penalty in order to charge across a precarious surface; charging requires one Balance check for each multiple of your speed (or fraction thereof ) that you charge.

Action: None. A Balance check doesn’t require an action; it is made as part of another action or as a reaction to a situation.

Special: If you have the Agile feat, you get a +2 bonus on Balance checks.

Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Tumble, you get a +2 bonus on Balance checks.

Double Ended Spear Terminator Bar
  Return to Index