Optimizing tumble checks

[Teh_das]

Greetings to the Playground. I'm looking for help raising my tumble check to the best it can be, aiming to reliably hit that DC 40 10-foot step.

At level 7, I have a 17 (10 ranks + 5 Dex mod +2 skill synergy). Can the playground do better?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

A Masterwork Tool (example) costs 50 gp and adds a +2 circumstance bonus to checks with the skill the 'tool' was designed for.

Take Item Familiar at 3rd level, invest every skill point you get from 4th-7th level into it. If you manage to invest 30 skill ranks into it (8 points per level is 32 over four levels) you can add another +10 to Tumble via its Invest Skill Ranks feature.

Acrobatic adds +2 to Tumble, Skill Focus would add another +3.

That's already double what you already have.

You can upgrade your Item Familiar yourself as though you possessed the necessary feats, and "a creator can add new magical abilities to a magic item with no restrictions." Near the top of that same page is a table for estimating magic item gold piece costs, and it lists a Skill Bonus (Competence) at Bonus Squared x 100 gp. That bonus can be up to +30 before it's an epic item, though you probably can't afford that much.

A 7th level character should have 19,000 gp worth of gear. The Item Familiar can begin as a Ring of Protection +1, which you would pay 2000 gp for. Upgrading it yourself costs you half the base price in gp price and 1/25 the base price in xp. You can upgrade it to a Ring of Competence Bonus: Tumble that has a +1 Deflection bonus to AC added per MIC p234, so you only have to account for the base price of that Competence bonus. Your budget will be 16,950 gp to account for your action jeans, so the competence bonus base price can be double that, 33,900 gp. A +18 competence bonus item has a base price of 32,400 gp, of which you would pay 16,200 gp and 1,296 xp to upgrade it onto your item familiar. This leaves you with a budget of 750 gp for the rest of your gear. If you only made it a +17 bonus, thus tripling your previous efforts with the above bonuses, it would instead cost you 14,450 gp and 1,156 xp, leaving you with 2,500 gp for the rest of your starting gear.

So you would have a total of +51 to Tumble at 7th level, with a +1 Deflection bonus to AC, down three feats, and only 2,500 gp remaining for the rest of your starting gear.


For something a bit more reasonable/playable, skip Acrobatic and Skill Focus, and don't spend quite as much on the Competence bonus. Just a +10 Competence bonus costs you 5,000 gp and 400 xp, in addition to the 2,000 gp for the +1 Ring of Protection and the 50 gp for your fancy pants. You'll still have 11,950 gp for the rest of your starting gear at 7th level, you'll only have spent one feat on Item Familiar which is well worth it, and you'll have a total Tumble bonus of +39.

[WhamBamSam]

Anyone with 3 levels of Factotum adds both Dex and Int to Tumble and can add a bonus equal to their Factotum level once per day.

[StreamOfTheSky]

Also look into Factotum (Dungeonscape base class), it gets Brains Over Brawn at level 3. Adds Int to all str and Dex checks and skills.

Any class with Movement Mastery will let you take 10 on Tumble, reducing the needed bonus to +30 barring penalties. I know Dervish gets it fairly early, not sure what other classes get it. Alternatively if you have swift actions to spare, Belt of Ultimate Athleticism in MIC lets you use a swift to take 10 on Tumble and other skills for 1 round, usable unlimited times per day (and 1/day you can take 20 on a check) and costs about 1800 gp.

There's probably some Warlock least invocation for +6 on tumble and two other skills you can get with a 1 level dip.

[Svata]

Speaking of tumble, isn't there a feat or askill trick or something that lets you take a 10-foot step with tumble rather than just a 5-foot one? I swear I remember there beng something like that, but I can't find it anywhere.

[StreamOfTheSky]

Speaking of tumble, isn't there a feat or askill trick or something that lets you take a 10-foot step with tumble rather than just a 5-foot one? I swear I remember there beng something like that, but I can't find it anywhere.

There's the Press the Advantage stance to take 10 ft steps instead of 5 ft steps, maybe that's it? Has nothing to do w/ tumble, though.

[WhamBamSam]

Speaking of tumble, isn't there a feat or askill trick or something that lets you take a 10-foot step with tumble rather than just a 5-foot one? I swear I remember there beng something like that, but I can't find it anywhere.

Oriental Adventures has alternate uses for some skills including being able to take a 10 ft step in place of a 5 ft step with a DC40 Tumble check. That's what the OP is going for with their Tumble optimization, by the looks of things.

EDIT: Also, while I'm here, binding Paimon will give you an untyped +4 Dex and +4 to Tumble.

[Forrestfire]

UMD and Sparring Dummy of the Master?

[Teh_das]

It's indeed for that alternate skill use. I won't be able to fit the item familiar into the build because it's feat intensive (as well, I don't think it would pass by the DM), but the masterwork pants are a good thought. I'm more looking in the realm of magic items, such as boots, or hr/lvl buffs that our cleric or druid can cast.

The build is planned to be Scout 4/Ranger 3/Fighter 1/CoCL 2/Dervish 10

[sideswipe]

not that you are going to take it as you have the build already. but if homebrew is allowed diciple of mym c'sil adds charisma to all physical skills. and factotum adds int. you add dex naturally.

as for currently, an item that gives a +5 competance bonus (the common one) to a skill is 2500 gp. and a +10 item cost 10,000 gp

so you will have 27. then the +2 from the circumstance from a 50gp masterwork tool for 29.

you can use the rules for making an item with a different bonus type item. so you get a +5 insight bonus item to tumble. i believe it costs x1.5 normal so its 3,750 gp. again for a (holy/unholy bonus, name escapes me) bonus to tumble +5 for another 3,750 gp.

so, 17 + 10 + 2 + 5 + 5 = 39 and you cant crit fail skills so you auto pass the roll. and it costs 17,800 gp. there are many ways to make magic items cheaper. use those, and i believe you can easily reduce that by 40% ish. giving you enough money for your weapons and armour and anything else you need.