Tumble: What does it do?

[samthedagger]

In PnP, tumble lets you do three things: 1) avoid attacks of opportunity, 2) reduce damage from falling and 3) move through an opponent's square without overrun. Seeing how overrun is something only monsters can do and this game doesn't have attacks of opportunity, that leaves falling damage. Is that all that tumble is good for? I also understand that if you get a tumble score extremely high, like 30+ or something, you can actually move faster while tumbling than while running. But what else does this skill actually do?

[Scalion]

In PnP, tumble lets you do three things: 1) avoid attacks of opportunity, 2) reduce damage from falling and 3) move through an opponent's square without overrun. Seeing how overrun is something only monsters can do and this game doesn't have attacks of opportunity, that leaves falling damage. Is that all that tumble is good for? I also understand that if you get a tumble score extremely high, like 30+ or something, you can actually move faster while tumbling than while running. But what else does this skill actually do?

I'm pretty sure it's closer to 40-45 to do the front flip. Backflip is lower, around 30ish. If you have mobility you can get more AC while tumbling, but you can't attack while tumbling so it's very limited in usefulness. (AC is limited in usefulness on itself, but that's for another thread)

I used to suggest taking some tumble to use it when in solid fog or similar effects, but tumble may not be useful there any more next update. Hopefully the new change will slow down your tumble, but still make it faster than running... I'm worried it'll prevent tumbling or make it as slow as running. We'll see.

[FluffyCalico]

...it reduces falling damage. I would not plan on getting anything else useful out of it.

[brian14]

I believe tumbling through traps (as opposed to running or jumping) improves your chances of avoiding damage.

[Matuse]

Tumbling can get you through short bursts of movement faster than running. This is useful for getting by traps.

Tumbling is always way faster than walking when trying to navigate knee-high water.

[darkvirus]

If you are a Fighter Stalwart Defender tumble is much faster then walking.

[TheDjinnFor]

Tumble gives enough utility in a lot of minor things (like other posters have mentioned) that people generally agree it's useful to put one point in it so that you can use it. You can use it to move better in certain situations, it slightly reduces falling damage (even more with decent dex), and so on.

You can also use it instead of jumping to dodge overrun attacks that minotaurs make (to impress your buddies, of course). Clerics, for example, can't jump worth beans, so it works for them.

[wamjratl1]

If you have some twitch skills, you can tumble around in combat without breaking your attack sequence. So you can smack on one mob, tumble out of the way before he hits you, and smack on another mob without restarting your BAB sequence. It's a pretty nice skill but takes some practice to actively use it.

To echo others, it can get you out of combat faster and safer than running or jumping, and not having to equip a FF item for every drop in the game is really nice (I would guess my acrobat can drop about 50 ft or so without taking damage and that's with levelling Tumble as a secondary skill).

[Omega2K]

Had to test this on one of my Characters to refresh my memory...

Tumble is supposed to be faster as your Skill increases however I have no real way of testing speeds...

At a Tumble Skill Level of 31+, you gain the ability to do a Backwards Flip and Sideways Somersaults which go farther and are noticibly faster than before.

At a Tumble Skill Level of 36+, you gain the ability to do a Forward Flip.

As far as I know it is not possible to do the Double Front Flip that is shown in one of the DDO Rogue Videos. It would be cool if they added it to the game though.

Tumble Skill definitely has a cool animation. Turbine made it possible for Players to see each other Tumbling a few years ago. Originally only the Player Tumbling could see their own animation.

Tumble Skill can move you around faster than running once you get your Skill high enough to do the flips. Flips though traps are a good idea especially if you would have been hit twice by running through. In part 4 of the Shroud, as the Blades close in on you, a couple quick Back Flips will get out out of there in a hurry with only a little Blade Damage.

Tumbling at just the right moment can help you dodge Ray Spells like Scorching Ray, Polar Ray, Ray of Enfeeblement, etc.. This is most useful in Player vs Player combat.

Tumble Skill increases your Armor Class while Tumbling if you have Mobility (either as a Feat or on a worn item).

Tumble Skill decreases Falling Damage you may receive if you are not wearing a Featherfall item or if you are not using Monk or Favored Soul Feats for Slow Fall. Tumble also helps in situations where Reverse Gravity occurs like in the Storm Reaver Raid or The Dreaming Dark Quest.

Tumbling also allows you to move much faster when you are "chained" in Vision of Destruction or Tower of Despair Raids. Tumbling is also faster when you are slowed due to Action Point Enhancements such as Defender of Siberys or Stalwart Defender.

Tumbling can also get your Character unstuck which can occasionally happen witha bug in DDO. Basically, a Player finds that he/she cannot move their Character by normal means and may have to log off to correct it. Hold down Shift and try to Tumble to get yourself unstuck before logging off.

In Pen & Paper there used to be a synergy between the Tumble and Jump Skills but this is not true in DDO (basically for every 3 Skill Points in one, you got a +1 Bonus to the other Skill).

Usually you can get a decent Tumble Skill with only a small investment of Tumble Skill Ranks. You need at least one full Rank of Tumble to be able to use the Skill no matter what items you may be wearing or what Spells are cast on your Character.

Tumble Skill can be increased by:
Spending Skill Points on Level-ups to increase your Tumble Skill Rank
Increasing your Dexterity Bonus
Wearing items with a bonus to Tumble Skill (up to +15 Tumble are currently in the game)
Wearing items which increase your Dexterity Based Skills (such as Green Steel items or Dragon Touched armors)
Having the Spells Tumble, Greater Heroism, Heroism, etc. cast on your Character
Wearing items with Luck Skill Bonuses (such as the Head of Good Fortune)
Taking a Skill Focus Feat in Tumbling (+3 bonus per Feat)
Taking Action Point Enhancments (most of these are for Rogues however)


Hopefully that covers most of what you needed to know about the Tumble Skill.

[WolfSpirit]

I used to believe Tumble helped you keep your feet during knockdown. Such as from Air Elementals. The Reaver Raid made me believe this, basically if you get a 'Charge' it gives you like a 40 tumble (i think) and this made you immune to the air eles.
SO I built Tumble into 2 of my characters for that reason. I was later convinced (by MANY good sources dispite my stubborness) that Tumble didn't really help it was the balance and Dex of the characters doing all the work.
Tumble has become a One Rank Skill for me since.