This is something that has frequently pestered my group and we could never find an answer, even under 3.5, yet we always seem to forget to look it up later. Until now.
Normally you cannot move through an enemy square. However, the Acrobatics rules allow you to do this, and avoid an attack of opportunity, if you make a check higher than 5 + the opponent's CMD. So my question is, what happens if you fail this check? It never seemed clear under 3.5 Tumble rules and still seems so under Pathfinder's Acrobatics rules. Do they get stopped before they enter the square, and the enemy gets an Attack of Opportunity? Do they pass through the square, but the enemy gets an AoO? Or do they fail to enter the square, but no AoO happens? If the 1st or 3rd are true, any narrow hallway leaves some of the party unable to actually fight - too bad for them if there are two melee specific party members, the 2nd just stands around! If the second is true, then why can't you move through enemy squares normally, just provoking an AoO?
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This is something that has frequently pestered my group and we could never find an answer, even under 3.5, yet we always seem to forget to look it up later. Until now.
Normally you cannot move through an enemy square. However, the Acrobatics rules allow you to do this, and avoid an attack of opportunity, if you make a check higher than 5 + the opponent's CMD. So my question is, what happens if you fail this check? It never seemed clear under 3.5 Tumble rules and still seems so under Pathfinder's Acrobatics rules. Do they get stopped before they enter the square, and the enemy gets an Attack of Opportunity? Do they pass through the square, but the enemy gets an AoO? Or do they fail to enter the square, but no AoO happens? If the 1st or 3rd are true, any narrow hallway leaves some of the party unable to actually fight - too bad for them if there are two melee specific party members, the 2nd just stands around! If the second is true, then why can't you move through enemy squares normally, just provoking an AoO?
you stop at the last square you were in
This has always been a topic of debate where I play, too. It's hard to come to a consensus. To me, it always seemed that if one was using a skill check to do something normally not allowed {like passing through an enemiy's square, as opposed to moving through threatened squares--one is never allowed without a check, the other is}, then if that check fails, then the action fails. In this case, movement ceases in the last legal square the moving character could move into without the skill check, and suffers the AoO for attempting to move out of a threatened square/enter an enemy occupied square. Whereas moving through friendly occupied squares is allowed, this may result in the moving character winding up prone in a friendly occupied square {as that is the only way two friendly characters with no significant size difference can occupy the same square}. I have also seen it ruled {in this-friendly occupied square case} that the tumbling character can, after movement is halted, choose another legal square also threatened by the enemy {and suffer that AoO for the failed combat maneuver}.
In pathfinder its not specifically called out as far as I can see.
However, in 3.5 its very clearly spelled out in the PHB on page 84. There is a table with tumble DCs for avoiding AoOs and each section tells you the consequence for failure. In the case of failing to tumble past enemies you provoke AoO and if trying to tumble THROUGH enemies you provoke AND you stop moving in the last square before you failed the check.
I can't see why this should be any different in pathfinder, but YMMV.
As per RAW it only says you make the check to avoid AoO, however normally you can't move through a square occupied with an enemy.
In 3.5 a failure would mean you stop moving and fall prone in the last square you were in, stated clearly in the description.
In pathfinder I have ruled you stop moving and provoke an AoO for a failed acrobatics check from the creature you are trying to pass. (but not fall prone though)
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Whereas moving through friendly occupied squares is allowed, this may result in the moving character winding up prone in a friendly occupied square {as that is the only way two friendly characters with no significant size difference can occupy the same square}. I have also seen it ruled {in this-friendly occupied square case} that the tumbling character can, after movement is halted, choose another legal square also threatened by the enemy {and suffer that AoO for the failed combat maneuver}.
While it is true that one can move freely through friendly spaces, I would presume that the spirit of that rule is intended to apply to allies who are out of combat, who can step aside easily, not to running through a space where your ally is swinging a weapon around, and wasn't expecting you to suddenly appear between his legs, and trip him up; or at his side, just in time for him to swing back his axe.
Therefore I don't see a problem with ruling that only unengaged allies can be moved through at will, and anyone fighting for their life in melee has to be avoided, just like an enemy, with a difficult Tumble check (though allies can elect not to take the AoO, of course...).
If you fail either check, you end up trodden on in the middle, and booted back to the last legal space you exitted.
This may sometimes mean that your total movement (forward and backward) exceeds your total movement allowance, but this can be explained, by gaining some momentum from getting a metal toecap up your backside!