Tumble (skill)

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[edit] Tumble (Dex;Armor Check Penalty)

Tumble enables you to make agile movements during combat.

[edit] Use of Tumbling

In order to tumble you need to hold your block key (Default: left shift) to enter the blocking stance. With the movement keys you can now tumble in the desired direction. If you have put no Skill Points into Tumble, or if your total Tumble score is 0 or lower due to things like low Dexterity or Armor Check Penalties, you will make little hops instead of tumbling.

[edit] Damage Avoidance

Tumbling enables fast movements in combat and can be a very powerful skill since a skilled player can evade most attacks while tumbling. While high levels of tumble produces no bonus to Armor Class, increasing your skill in Tumble allows you to tumble further. This will help to allow the player to avoid damage altogether because they are no longer within the threatened area.

The feat Mobility, however, gives an additional +4 bonus to Armor Class while tumbling. This bonus applies even if the character does not roll (he only takes the hop.) Thus, a heavily armored warrior may benefit from the Mobility feat even with only 1 rank of Tumble, in heavy armor, with an overall bonus of -whatever.

[edit] Falling Damage

Another feature of this skill is that you take less damage from falling. The higher your skill the higher is the distance you can fall without taking damage.

[edit] Additional Animations

As your tumble skill becomes higher, different animations will happen when you hold shift and push a movement key. At tumble of 0 or less, you make small hops in a direction. With a 1 tumble, you roll a somersault in that direction. No further improvement comes until tumble 31, which enables a backflip and sideways dives, which goes further than a somersault in the same time. A 36, a forward dive.

(Note that to achieve such high values of tumble at levels below 14 or so, one generally must use the Tumble spell and Skill Boost enhancements.