Hey community. I would appreciate some critique on a Free Runner feat tree I made, as I have always wanted to play this style without protest from anyone. I'm big into homebrew, and I feel these feats are balanced considering the cost of prereqs and such. If there is anything that seems overpowering (though a little is acceptable), or conflicting, please let me know.
Free Runner: Prerequisites – Dex 15, Acrobatic Step, Nimble Moves, Ranks in Acrobatics 6 and Climb 4.
This feat provides some additional uses to the Acrobatics skill:
Wall-Running: As a move-action, you are able to run up or along walls with ease. Movement while wall running cost double the speed (every 5ft = 10ft of your allowable movement in a round). The DC for this check is equal to the desired distance to achieve, as long as it is within the players base land speed (a player with BLS of 30ft can move a maximum of 15ft with a wall-run, therefore the DC is 15). Failing the DC by 4 or less grants an immediate Climb check to grab a ledge or some other graspable structure to prevent falling. The player must end their turn on a safe surface (angle less than 60 degrees), or attempt to grasp an object or climbable wall that can support him with a normal Climb check (See Climb skill descriptions). This includes ending a wall run movement braced between perpendicular walls, or clasped to a rope, or gripping a ledge. Falling from a wall run is treated normally as per use of the Acrobatics skill.
Wall-to-Wall: As a move-action, when the player is flanked by walls that are no more than 10 ft apart, she can jump from wall to wall to ascend or descend a distance totaling her Acrobatics roll, but not exceeding her allowable movement per round. When using this ability to ascend, the squares cost double, but not for descending. She must end her move in the same way described in Wall-Running. This move can be done as part of a Wall-Run move, where the player can wall-run and then begin wall-to-wall ascension using the remainder of the move action.
Free Runner, Improved: Prerequisites – Dex 17, Acrobatic Dodge*, Free Runner, Ranks in Acrobatics 8 and Climb 6.
Wall-jump: The player can roll an Acrobatics check to leap from a wall-run movement up to half the remaining amount of feet within her move-action (DC=Remaining movement x 2) in any open direction. Rolling an Acrobatics check to break a fall applies normally. This ability can also be used to place the player on the other side of her opponent by wall running and jumping over an enemy’s square. The enemy must be adjacent with the player, and the player must have no more than 5ft between her and a walkable wall to perform this feat. The DC=the opponent’s CMD, but without the +5 penalty for moving through an enemy’s square. If the check fails, the movement does not occur and an attack of opportunity is provoked. When the check fails against the enemy’s CMD and provokes and AoO, the player can choose to expend a use of her Acrobatic Dodge feat to use her same roll against the enemy’s attack roll. Using Acrobatic Dodge is an immediate action, so using this feat against an AoO is legal and is only augmented by this feat based on its rules. Normal rules for successfully executing Acrobatic Dodge apply (such as ending your turn in an adjacent, available square).
Free Runner, Greater: Prerequisites – Dex 19, Improved Free Runner, Ranks in Acrobatics 10 and Climb 8.
The movement cost for free running along walls is reduced to normal values (5ft=5ft), and the player can take 10 on Acrobatics checks to use free running feats while under stress.
Creator’s Proposal (The Benefits): Wall-running allows the player to gain distance up or along walls at only twice the movement cost, rather than the quadruple cost for climbing. The movement must end with the player in a stable position, or a Climb check may be necessary to cling to a wall or perch between perpendicular walls. Wall-runs can only be initiated from a flat surface. Difficult terrain applies, treating wall conditions as ground conditions for determining what is considered difficult terrain.
Wall-to-wall allows the player to ascend or descend up to her base land speed if flanked by walls no more than 10ft apart. She must end her movement the same way as with wall-running, and using this ability to ascend requires the player to start from a flat surface. Descending in this way, however, does not need to be initiated from a flat surface.
Wall-jump is great for combat situations where the player is pinned against a wall, or to gain access to an otherwise hard to reach area. Enemies lose the +5 bonus CMD when the player uses a wall-jump to leap over an enemy's square. Acrobatic Dodge applies simply as the feat normally does, and should not be seen as an added benefit granted by the feat.
*Acrobatic Dodge is a third party feat, and I added Nimble Moves to its prerequisites and also, I'm allowing it to be functional with armor with a check penalty, but no heavier than light-armor.
Your constructive criticism is appreciated.
p.s. - Please do not be intimidated by all the writing, the rules just include information that apply to use of the Acrobatics skill, and are not necessarily provided by the feats.