Acrobatics

Acrobatics (Dex; Armor Check Penalty)

You can keep your balance while traversing narrow or treacherous surfaces. You can also dive, flip, jump, and roll to avoid attacks and overcome obstacles.

Check

This skill has several distinct uses. First, you can use it to move on narrow surfaces and uneven or slippery ground without falling. A successful check allows you to move at half speed across such surfaces. You can move at full speed, but you take a penalty of –10 on your check. Make one check for each move action used to move across such surfaces. Use the following table to determine the base DC, which is then modified by the Acrobatics skill modifiers noted below. While you are using Acrobatics in this way, you are considered flat-footed, unless you beat the DC by 10 or more.

If you take damage while using Acrobatics, you must immediately make another Acrobatics check at the same DC to avoid falling or being knocked prone.

Surface Width	Base Acrobatics DC
Greater than 3 feet wide	0*
1–3 feet wide	5*
7–11 inches wide	10
2–6 inches wide	15
Less than 2 inches wide	20
* No Acrobatics check is needed to move across these surfaces unless the modifiers to the surface (below) increase the DC to 10 or higher.

Many conditions can affect your chances of success with Acrobatics checks. The following modifiers to target DCs apply to all Acrobatics skill checks. The modifiers stack with one another, but only the most severe modifier for any one condition applies.

Acrobatics Modifiers	DC Modifier
Slightly obstructed (gravel, sand)	+2
Severely obstructed (cavern, rubble)	+5
Slightly slippery (wet)	+2
Severely slippery (icy)	+5
Slightly sloped (less than 45°)	+2
Severely sloped (greater than 45°)	+5
Slightly unsteady (boat in rough water)	+2
Moderately unsteady (boat in a storm)	+5
Severely unsteady (earthquake)	+10

More advanced uses of the Acrobatics skill include the following:

Task	Acrobatics DC*
Escape bonds	varies
Escape grapple or pin	Opponent’s Combat Maneuver Defense
Ignore difficult terrain	20 + 5 per additional 5 ft.
Jump up	25
Move through occupied square	5 + opponent’s Combat Maneuver Defense
Move through threatened squares	Opponents’ Combat Maneuver Defense
Move through tight space	30
Slow fall	15 + 10 per additional 10 ft.

Escape bonds

With a successful Acrobatics check, you can slip free of restraints. If you are tied up with ropes, the DC is equal to 20 + the binder’s Combat Maneuver Bonus. To escape from a net the DC is 20. For manacles, the DC is 30, or 35 if masterwork. To escape a spell effect that binds or entangles you, to DC is 20 + spell level.

Escape grapple or pin

If you are grappled or pinned, you can, as a standard action, attempt to slip free by making an Acrobatics check with a DC equal to the grappling opponent’s CMD. If you succeed, you break free from the grapple and can act normally.

Ignore difficult terrain

You can take a 5-foot step into a square with difficult terrain with a DC 25 Acrobatics check. When using a move action to move into difficult terrain, you can ignore the movement penalty for moving into the first square with a DC 25 Acrobatics check, and one additional square for every 5 points by which your result exceeds that DC.

Jump up

You can attempt to stand up from prone as a swift action with a DC 25 Acrobatics check, provided that you still have a move action available that round. For each opponent beyond the first that threatens your square, you take a –2 penalty on your check. If you fail the Acrobatics check, standing up is a move action, and you provoke attacks of opportunity as normal. If you succeed, you do not provoke attacks of opportunity from each opponent threatening your square if your result equals or exceeds that opponent’s Combat Maneuver Defense unless your are carrying a medium or heavy load or wearing medium or heavy armor.

Move through occupied or threatened square

When moving through threatened squares, you can make an Acrobatics check as part of your move action to avoid attacks of opportunities. For each opponent beyond the first that threatens any of these squares, you take a –2 penalty on your check. You do not provoke attacks of opportunity from each opponent threatening one of these squares if your result equals or exceeds that opponent’s Combat Maneuver Defense.

When you attempt to move through a square occupied by an enemy, make one Acrobatics check per such square. If you fail the check, your movement ends before you enter the opponent’s square, and you provoke an attack of opportunity from that opponent as normal.

When moving in this way, count each threatened or occupied square as 2 squares. You can choose to take a penalty of –10 on your check instead, and count occupied and threatened squares as 1 square.

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, unless you have an ability that allows you to move at full speed under such conditions.

You can use Acrobatics in this way while prone, but doing so requires a full-round action to move 5 feet, and you take a –5 penalty to your check. You can attempt to crawl at half your speed, but no more than 20 feet, as a full-round action, but you take an additional –10 penalty to your check.

Move through tight space

The DC noted is for getting through a space through which your head fits but your shoulders don’t. When moving in this way, you move at one-quarter your speed. You can move at half speed, but you take a penalty of –10 on your check. If the space is long, you may need to make multiple checks. You can’t squeeze through a space that your head does not fit through.

Slow fall

When falling, a DC 15 Acrobatics check allows you to ignore the first 10 feet fallen. For each 10 points by which your result exceeds the DC, you can ignore an additional 10 feet fallen. You still end up prone if you take damage from a fall. See the falling rules for further details.

Action

Varies. Most of the time, an Acrobatics check is made as part of another action or as a reaction to a situation. Using Acrobatics to escape from a grapple or pin is a standard action.

Special

If you have 3 or more ranks in Acrobatics, you gain an additional +1 dodge bonus to AC when fighting defensively, and an additional +2 dodge bonus to AC when taking the total defense action.

If you have the Nimble feat, you get a bonus on Acrobatics checks.