High Jump: calculate leap height and reach separately
High Jump uses the Strength modifier, and reaching above the leap also uses the jumper’s height. Keep vertical leap, arm reach and movement cost as separate quantities.
Use it at the table
- After at least 10 feet on foot immediately before the jump, leap 3 plus Strength modifier feet, minimum zero.
- A standing High Jump reaches half that leap height.
- Each foot jumped costs movement; reaching upward adds one and a half times the character’s height to the leap height.
Make the call
A 6-foot-tall character with Strength modifier +2 has a qualifying running start and enough movement. What is the highest reach described by the rule?
The ruling
14 feet: 5 feet of jump plus 9 feet of reach.
The running leap is 3 + 2 = 5 feet. The character can extend their arms half their height above themselves, making reach height one and a half times 6, or 9 feet. Added to the leap, that is 14 feet. Reaching a ledge and successfully holding it may still involve the actual situation.
Watch for this mistake
Do not use the full Strength score for High Jump; that belongs to the Long Jump distance rule. A running start and the jump still consume movement.
Ask the table
What are the leap height, upward reach and movement budget for this attempt?
The source rule
SRD 5.2.1, page 183. Read the official PDF.
When you make a High Jump, you leap into the air a number of feet equal to 3 plus your Strength modifier (minimum of 0 feet) if you move at least 10 feet on foot immediately before the jump. When you make a standing High Jump, you can jump only half that distance. Either way, each foot of the jump costs a foot of movement. You can extend your arms half your height above yourself during the jump. Thus, you can reach a distance equal to the height of the jump plus 1½ times your height.
Source and reuse
This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 (“SRD 5.2.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.
The explanation, example and table prompt are Table Ready adaptations; source text has been reflowed. This guide and its printable card are available under the same CC BY 4.0 license. Independent reference; no official affiliation. These rules are optional for our system-neutral adventures.