Acrobatics to avoid AoO

[jasonthelamb]

Okay, so last night in our session we had a hang up on the rules, and as the DM I Just want to get things straight.

http://gyazo.com/55b4617ac10b4a90dc30803c86fc8ef5

Alright, so basically there's a 10x15 foot pit to the north, as you can see in that picture.

A character was on the top left-most square you can see, below the pit - big bad guy was a diagonally below them.

Character wanted to roll acrobatics to avoid AoO, and do a long jump across the pit - should they have been allowed two Acrobatics checks (one to avoid AoO, other for jump), or should the BBG been allowed an AoO because of the action?

Or am I missing something completely here?

[Weirdo]

The character should have been allowed two acrobatics checks. Nothing in the rules about jumping negates a character's ability to roll an acrobatics check to avoid provoking an AoO for leaving a threatened space.

However, if the character's speed is 30ft or less, and they're trying to jump a 15ft pit (20ft total movement), they will need to move at full speed, increasing the DC of the acrobatics check by 10. If I understand the map correctly, they are also forced to make a standing jump, which sets the DC to jump 15ft at 30.

So their position makes both tasks more difficult.

[Oliver McShade]

I wonder.

I hear about using Acrobatics, to move through a threatened square without provoking an attack of opportunity from an enemy by using acrobatics.

I can understand how a Monk who is unencumbered, can do this. Or maybe a wizard/sorcerer who has a light load. Or maybe a rogue in light leather armor with light load.

But i always wonder how melee classes are able to do this, because.

You cannot use Acrobatics to move past foes if your speed is reduced due to carrying a medium or heavy load OR WEARING MEDIUM OR HEAVY ARMOR.

and what melee class is not wearing medium armor or better.

[Dabbler]

Lots. A lot of characters at low level can't afford much better than light armour (except scale mail, which sucks). A dex-based character (archer or dex-based melee character, be they a finesse fighter or TWFer) can have a decent AC wearing just studded leather armour. At higher level, a mithral breastplate counts as light armour and gives excelent protection even if your dexterity is only mediocre.

There are other benefits to wearing light armour, like being able to sleep in it, that make it a good choice.

[Gisher]

And fighters with armor training don't have their speed reduced by wearing the heavier armors.

[Poor Wandering One]

Or full plate wearing dwarven maneuver master monks.

[Gisher]

The Myrmidarch Magus gets armor training. All three of these classes can use acrobatics to avoid AoO while wearing the heavier armors because the armor doesn't reduce their speed.

[Weirdo]

Oliver McShade wrote:

and what melee class is not wearing medium armor or better.

The kind that invest in acrobatics? Many such characters have a high Dex even if not actually Dex-based, which encourages wearing either light armour or mithral medium armour. Plus, acrobatics in combat is tricky and risky enough that acrobats generally can't afford the ACP inflicted by non-mithral medium armour even if their Dex is low enough that they might want to wear it.

Poor Wandering One wrote:

Or full plate wearing dwarven maneuver master monks.

Well, that's an interesting side benefit to Slow but Steady.