Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Celas Evriamytholin 07-16-07, 11:40 AM	I'm currently writing an adventure for the 'Writing an adventure path' project, and I'm delving into rules I never really looked up much before. And, although 'tis a good thing, as always, just to be sure, I must request guidance. The Balance Skill. Essentially, I'm looking to figure out a few basic DCs. In the SRD, it notes several DCs for difficult surfaces, listed here: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/balance.htm As well as surface modifiers, like: -Obstructed (lightly or severely) -Slippery(lightly or severely) -Sloped or angled What is the DC for walking on a normal, horizontal surface with no obstruction, 0? 5? If the PCs are walking on a relatively even road, in winter. There is a bit of snow and it is icy. Would the DC be : 0 (non-difficult terrain) + 2 for the snow (lightly obstructed) +5 (severely slippery) for the ice = DC 7? If they are walking on a slope, would it be: 10 (if running or charging) + 7 (as shown above) +2 (sloped)= 9 or 19? When do the characters have to make balance checks? It takes two squares of movement to pass through a square with ice in it. -If your movement is 30, does moving 15 ft require a check? -If your movement is 30, does moving 30 ft require check? (with a -5 penalty, I think?) -Does fighting in a square with ice require a check? Or is it only when you get hit in a difficult square? 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. -When are you considered ''balancing'' ? Thank you.
tarkin 07-16-07, 12:23 PM	What is the DC for walking on a normal, horizontal surface with no obstruction, 0? 5? No. There is No DC in that case, you are simply walking, not balancing. Similarly, you do not need to make a spot check to see your friend who is out there in the open, not hiding from you. With a bit of ice, I would probably say DC 0. If you started with more and more Ice, you would boost up the DC. When you list out the amount of ice, you should also list the DC to balance on it. Keep in mind that even a SMALL amount of ice means you have to cut your speed in 1/2 and now count as flat-footed. The uphill example would be 19. Moving even 5 ft over ice would require a balance check, but that single balance check lasts for UPTO 15ft (assuming your speed is 30.) If you accept the -5 penalty, then you would need one balance check to move upto 30 ft. In some cases taking that penalty would make sense. Merely fighting in an area that had enough ice to slip would require a balance check - and make you flat-footed all the time (unless you had the ranks) If you are currently on an area that requires a blanace check, then you are balancing. 1 I walk 5 ft forward on good footing. No balance check, no balancing 2. I carefully walk on 5ft on ice, make my blance check, and am balancing. (Counts as 10 ft) 3. I walk forward another 5 ft on good ground, not balancing. 4. I still have 10 ft of movement left, but there are 20 ft of ice in front of me. I walk on another 5ft of slippery patch, making my balance check and am balancing. 5. I am in front of my enemey. I am still on the slippery patch, so am still balancing. I make my attacks against him, while balancing.
Celas Evriamytholin 07-16-07, 12:36 PM	Thank you very much :).