A player describe moving through an enemy's space by jumping over it and doing flips and somersaults. Cool. I asked for a Acrobatics roll to not suffer from attack of opportunity.
Player B stepped in and suggest her to spend a Ki point to gain +20 to her jump skill. I allowed it and we rolled with it.
Is it okay to use High Jump to boost your attempt at moving through an enemy's space?
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Moving with out provoking an attack of opportunity is one specific use of Acrobatics. Jumping is another specific use of Acrobatics. Spending ki grants a bonus to jumping, but not to any use of Acrobatics.
That is what my instincts tells me but I didn't felt like breaking the mood.
Understandable. Continuing play and avoiding a rules discussion during battle is something a smart GM does. Any time a rule clarifications like this is needed, you could research after the session is over, then explain the difference before play begins at the next session.
Jump lets you jump vertically *or* horizontally.
Finally, you can use the Acrobatics skill to make jumps or to soften a fall. The base DC to make a jump is equal to the distance to be crossed (if horizontal) or four times the height to be reached (if vertical). These DCs double if you do not have at least 10 feet of space to get a running start. The only Acrobatics modifiers that apply are those concerning the surface you are jumping from. If you fail this check by 4 or less, you can attempt a DC 20 Reflex save to grab hold of the other side after having missed the jump. If you fail by 5 or more, you fail to make the jump and fall (or land prone, in the case of a vertical jump). Creatures with a base land speed above 30 feet receive a +4 racial bonus on Acrobatics checks made to jump for every 10 feet of their speed above 30 feet. Creatures with a base land speed below 30 feet receive a –4 racial bonus on Acrobatics checks made to jump for every 10 feet of their speed below 30 feet. No jump can allow you to exceed your maximum movement for the round. For a running jump, the result of your Acrobatics check indicates the distance traveled in the jump (and if the check fails, the distance at which you actually land and fall prone). Halve this result for a standing long jump to determine where you land.
If you wanted to do this for a monk as a houserule (and hey why not it's cool really), then suggestion would be as follows (as close to the rules as you can get).
Assuming medium sized creature we'll say takes up a five foot square - consider he also threatens anything in the five feet above him.
So to jump over him (without provoking) you would need to be 10 feet above him five feet out from him - and stay that high until five feet after him (15 feet as it were) -
.xxx
HxMxH
.xxx
That is to do it 'by the book' your hero would start at H - be 10 feet up at the first x - and stay that high until the second H in the diagram.
Assuming he's a hero (and you are for allowing this at all) the minimum acrobatics roll he would need is 10 feet up x 15 feet long (using the above rules for DC) = 15(distance crossed) + 40 (four times height reached) = 55, 110 if you don't have a 10 foot running start.
I don't know your levels - but 55 I think is doable for a monk with a ki point (making this a cool but not very often used move) - make him run for 10 feet though - and mind that the jump counts as part of his movement - if he tries to land next to the NPC it should get a hit on him for moving through his threatened area.
At least - that's a possible way to let someone really have fun with Ki jump and good acrobatics - if you are willing.
*edit* corrected my numbers (doh) and 55 = ki point and any acrobatics score of 15+ (with a very high die roll).
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Actually it isn't that hard for a monk of mid level. They add their level to jump, gain speed advantages and always act as if running.
By the time a monk is level 6 that is a bonus of 14 + 9 for skills and 20 for the Ki point and at least 1 on the die for a minimum of 44 without any feats or ability score bonuses.
I would set the DC to 6 times the height of the individual. This allows for a reach of 1/2 a creatures height in addition to 4 times higher than that for the DC to clear it. Make the DC 8 times higher for reach weapons (natural reach is already included)
This is based on the jump skill from 3.5 that stated that a horizontal jump was 1/4 the length high at the center of the jump.
These are all just suggestions.
Actually it isn't that hard for a monk of mid level. They add their level to jump, gain speed advantages and always act as if running.
By the time a monk is level 6 that is a bonus of 14 + 9 for skills and 20 for the Ki point and at least 1 on the die for a minimum of 44 without any feats or ability score bonuses.
I would set the DC to 6 times the height of the individual. This allows for a reach of 1/2 a creatures height in addition to 4 times higher than that for the DC to clear it. Make the DC 8 times higher for reach weapons (natural reach is already included)
This is based on the jump skill from 3.5 that stated that a horizontal jump was 1/4 the length high at the center of the jump.
These are all just suggestions.
Writing this up I was thinking 'monks have some other thing that should make this easier for them' but couldn't recall what it was - thanks for that it made me recall :)
I do like your suggestion in terms of 'easier to use' - and as a fellow GM I recommend it as a houserule - Ki jump is one of those abilities that doesn't get much use - and any monk that invests in acrobatics should be able to make a 'move through threatened area' acrobatics DC roll - if they want to use a ki point for a thematic jump over the enemy I don't see it being gamebreaking or doing things they couldn't do in other ways.
And on the 'non-boardgame' side of things a ki point spent to be awesome (when you have other options) isn't just a ki point spent for an extra attack - those kinds of things make play more exciting in my experience. Your mileage may vary but I hope this thread helped you with the official rules and suggestions to make it work.