Can a character take 10 on an Acrobatics check to make a jump, provided he is not in immediate danger or distracted?
I'm aware taking a 20 would be impossible, as this would mean taking a 1 as well (and failing the jump) but nowhere in the take 10 entry is it suggested that taking 10 means taking 1-9 first.
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Yes, you can.
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Can a character take 10 on an Acrobatics check to make a jump, provided he is not in immediate danger or distracted?
I'm aware taking a 20 would be impossible, as this would mean taking a 1 as well (and failing the jump) but nowhere in the take 10 entry is it suggested that taking 10 means taking 1-9 first.
The DC of the jump is determined by distance and doubles if you don't do a run-up. If you are not in immediate danger you can take 10 on your acrobatics check. It takes no more time than if you were making a normal check and you are not restricted to doing it when you have a running start.
As to taking 20, if you were in a situation that you could keep trying, with no consequences for failure, you could still take 20. An example might be jumping to reach a hanging chandelier. It might be out of reach Taking 10, but as long as you can keep trying there is no reason you couldn't take 20.
Also, rolling a 1 on a skill check is not necessarily an automatic failure. If a character's skill is high enough a 1 can succeed.
Take 10: Yes, so long as nothing external to the jumping task distracts you.
Take 20: No, unless it's feasible to keep going back to the starting position and jump again repeatedly (in other words, failure has no real consequence). So if you're just jumping around on the ground with no hazards to see how far you can make it, then sure, go right ahead. But basically "no" in 99% 90% of adventure-relevant contexts.
As to taking 20, if you were in a situation that you could keep trying, with no consequences for failure, you could still take 20. An example might be jumping to reach a hanging chandelier. It might be out of reach Taking 10, but as long as you can keep trying there is no reason you couldn't take 20.
Good example! I'll revise my earlier statement to "90%" rather than "99%".
Take 10: Yes, so long as nothing external to the jumping task distracts you.
Take 20: No, unless it's feasible to keep going back to the starting position and jump again repeatedly (in other words, failure has no real consequence). So if you're just jumping around on the ground with no hazards to see how far you can make it, then sure, go right ahead. But basically "no" in
99%90% of adventure-relevant contexts.
Actually, I think you can Take 20 with consequence. You just get the total consequence from all the failures. If you don't mind it, you can do it. The rule states: "... and the skill being attempted carries no penalties for failure, you can take 20". What is a penalty? Walking back to try the jump again? Probably not. Taking damage? Probably so, but not guaranteed. Remember, as long as you have 1hp, you function at full capacity. You can attempt the skill while hurt some, so why not when hurt more? Will you want to take 19 (or whatever) failures? Maybe.
/cevah
Yes, this is the example SKR used for clarifying what was supposed to be the immediate danger (in this case something other than the jump)
Its kind of odd to me that leaping over a 100 foot drop isn't immediate danger but there you have it.
Yes, this is the example SKR used for clarifying what was supposed to be the immediate danger (in this case something other than the jump)
Please provide a link.
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While I think RAI damage would likely prohibit Take 20, I think there is room RAW.
Penalty: Penalties are numerical values that are subtracted from a check or statistical score. Penalties do not have a type and most penalties stack with one another.
Ability Damage is not Ability Penalty.
Why should mere hp damage be a penalty?Where is there a reference to an hp penalty?
Setup:
I have a fighter with 100 hp at full, wanting to jump over a bed of coals. The bed does 1 hp damage/round, and it can be walked off immediately after taking damage. I need to roll +18 to clear it (fail on 17 or less). I am not threatened or distracted, and have plenty of time.
If I try 20 times and get succeeding rolls of 1, 2, 3, ..., 20, then I will have taken 17 hp before I finally clear it. I am now at 83hp. At no point while trying has my lack of full hp penalized my roll, because a lack of hp is not a penalty.
Why then is it a penalty only when trying to Take 20?
Is this a case of using a specifically defined game term for a meaning other than what it is defined as?
/cevah
Awesome, this clarifies a lot. Am I also correct in assuming that you can take 10 on spellcraft when identifying magical items and learning new spells?
How about knowledge checks? Can you take 10 or 20 on those? My DM is of the persuasion that you can't
How about knowledge checks? Can you take 10 or 20 on those? My DM is of the persuasion that you can't
Take 10: No Problem, unless you are being distracted or threatened.
Note: A Monster trying to eat your friends while you are frantically trying to recall its weaknesses via a knowledge check does count as a threat, so identifying monsters mid-combat usually will not allow taking 10.Take 20: Usually, no.
Since taking 20 implies trying several times, and knowledge checks do not normally allow retries, you're out of luck.
There may be situations (e.g. researching a specific kind of demon in a library) where you can retry your checks (e.g. check daily)... so, in these cases, you could take 20, if you are willing to spend the time.
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Awesome, this clarifies a lot. Am I also correct in assuming that you can take 10 on spellcraft when identifying magical items and learning new spells?
How about knowledge checks? Can you take 10 or 20 on those? My DM is of the persuasion that you can't
"Taking 10: When your character is not in immediate danger or distracted, you may choose to take 10."
So I don't see why you couldn't take 10 on a spellcraft or knowledge check. Note that taking 10 might turn out to be a fail if the DC turns out to have been higher than your Take 10, and in many cases, you cannot re-try the skill check even if you could possibly succeed if you rolled.
Taking 10 is very useful when aiding another as it usually means you will succeed on the DC10 check.
Awesome, this clarifies a lot. Am I also correct in assuming that you can take 10 on spellcraft when identifying magical items and learning new spells?
I remember a developer said somewhere that maintaining concentration on your detect magic counts as a distraction, so you can't take 10 on Spellcraft to identify items, but for scribing new spells it's fine.
Taking 10 is very useful when aiding another as it usually means you will succeed on the DC10 check.
The Aid Another action specifically prohibits Taking 10.
you can take 20 just fine
there just needs to be a safe spot to land when you fail and stairs near by.
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Awesome, this clarifies a lot. Am I also correct in assuming that you can take 10 on spellcraft when identifying magical items and learning new spells?I remember a developer said somewhere that maintaining concentration on your detect magic counts as a distraction, so you can't take 10 on Spellcraft to identify items, but for scribing new spells it's fine.
I would not rule that way without a FAQ. The "distraction" in this case is part and parcel of the task at hand, so just as a lava pit doesn't distract you from jumping over it, maintaining concentration on detect magic shouldn't distract you from examining the revealed auras.
Philosophically, a GM should not look for ways to thwart a take 10. It is intended that the vast majority of skill checks can be made via taking 10; this speeds up game play and removes uncertainty from tasks that the character would find routine--tasks that the character would only fail if an external influence interfered with the attempt.
Awesome, this clarifies a lot. Am I also correct in assuming that you can take 10 on spellcraft when identifying magical items and learning new spells?I remember a developer said somewhere that maintaining concentration on your detect magic counts as a distraction, so you can't take 10 on Spellcraft to identify items, but for scribing new spells it's fine.I would not rule that way without a FAQ. The "distraction" in this case is part and parcel of the task at hand, so just as a lava pit doesn't distract you from jumping over it, maintaining concentration on detect magic shouldn't distract you from examining the revealed auras.
Philosophically, a GM should not look for ways to thwart a take 10. It is intended that the vast majority of skill checks can be made via taking 10; this speeds up game play and removes uncertainty from tasks that the character would find routine--tasks that the character would only fail if an external influence interfered with the attempt.
I would be interested in seeing the discussion on detect magic and take 10 for Spellcraft. I am aware of one FAQ that semi-supports this view - Contact Other Plane: Can you Take 10 on the Intelligence check for this spell?
Contact Other Plane: Can you Take 10 on the Intelligence check for this spell?
Having your Int and Cha blasted down to 8 by an extraplanar entity is a significant and distracting threat, therefore you can't Take 10 on that check.
Yes, this is the example SKR used for clarifying what was supposed to be the immediate danger (in this case something other than the jump)Please provide a link.
*dig dig dig*
I'm not an athlete, but I can easily to a standing broad jump of 5-6 feet, over and over again without fail. It doesn't matter if I'm jumping over a piece of tape on the floor or a deep pit... I can make that jump.
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10d6 damage? Ha! Falling isn't even a threat to a mid level caster, much less a low level martial!Yes, this is the example SKR used for clarifying what was supposed to be the immediate danger (in this case something other than the jump)
Its kind of odd to me that leaping over a 100 foot drop isn't immediate danger but there you have it.
Heh. Boots of the Cat for 10 damage, not prone, or a Ring of Feather Falling for no damage, not prone...
