Template:SRD Template:Skill
Balance[]
Template:DEX Template: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 DC(1) | Difficult Surfac | Balance DC(1) |
| 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. | |||
| Only if running or charging. Failure by 4 or less means the character can’t run or charge, but may otherwise act normally. | |||
| Surface | DC Modifier(1) |
| Lightly obstructed | +2 |
| Severely obstructed | +2 |
| 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.