Tweak RPG/Skills/Balance

From NexusCrossing

[edit] Balance (Dex; Armor Check Penalty)

[edit] Check

You can walk on a precarious surface. A successful check lets you move at half your speed along the surface for 1 round. A failure by 4 or less means you can’t move for 1 round. A failure by 5 or more means you fall. The difficulty varies with the surface, as follows:

[edit] Being Attacked while Balancing

You are considered flat-footed while balancing, since you can’t move to avoid a blow, and thus you lose your Dexterity bonus to AC (if any). If you have 5 or more ranks in Balance, you aren’t considered flat-footed while balancing. If you take damage while balancing, you must make another Balance check against the same DC to remain standing.

[edit] Accelerated Movement

You can try to walk across a precarious surface more quickly than normal. If you accept a -5 penalty, you can move your full speed as a move action. (Moving twice your speed in a round requires two Balance checks, one for each move action used.) You may also accept this penalty in order to charge across a precarious surface; charging requires one Balance check for each multiple of your speed (or fraction thereof) that you charge.

[edit] Action

None. A Balance check doesn’t require an action; it is made as part of another action or as a reaction to a situation.

[edit] Synergy

If you have 5 or more ranks in Tumble, you get a +2 bonus on Balance checks.

 Balance DCs
     
     
 Narrow Surface        Balance DC[1]      Difficult Surface        Balance DC[1]
 7-12 inches wide        10               Uneven flagstone            10[2]
 2-6 inches wide         15               Hewn stone floor            10[2]
 Less than 2 inches      20               Sloped or angled floor      10[2]
        
                   
  [1]   Add modifiers from Narrow Surface Modifiers, below, as appropriate.
  [2]   Only if running or charging. Failure by 4 or less means the character
        can’t run or charge, but may otherwise act normally.

      Narrow Surface Modifiers
  Surface              DC Modifier[1]
  Lightly obstructed       +2
  Severely obstructed      +5
  Lightly slippery         +2
  Severely slippery        +5
  Sloped or angled         +2
        
  [1] Add the appropriate modifier to the 
      Balance DC of a narrow surface.
      
      These modifiers stack.