System Reference Document
| Author | Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, John D. Rateliff, Thomas Reid, James Wyatt, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson |
| Publisher | Wizards of the Coast |
| Publish date | 2000-2003 |
| OGL Section 15 | srd |
The material below is open game content
BALANCE (DEX; ARMOR CHECK PENALTY)
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:
| Narrow Surface | Balance DC1 | Difficult Surface | Balance DC1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7–12 inches wide | 10 | Uneven flagstone | 102 |
| 2–6 inches wide | 15 | Hewn stone floor | 102 |
| Less than 2 inches wide | 20 | Sloped or angled floor | 102 |
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 Modifier1 |
|---|---|
| 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.
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.
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.
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.
Special: If you have the Agile feat, you get a +2 bonus on Balance checks.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Tumble, you get a +2 bonus on Balance checks.
