Long Jump: include the run-up in the movement budget
Long Jump uses the Strength score for distance after a qualifying run-up. Its distance permission does not grant free movement beyond the amount available on the turn.
Use it at the table
- A run-up of at least 10 feet immediately before the jump permits up to Strength score feet horizontally.
- Standing distance is half that amount; every foot jumped costs movement.
- Landing in Difficult Terrain requires DC 10 Acrobatics or becoming Prone; a low obstacle may require a separate Athletics check.
Make the call
A character has Strength 14 and 30 feet of movement. After moving 10 feet immediately before a 14-foot jump, how much movement has the route used?
The ruling
24 feet, leaving 6 feet.
The approach costs 10 feet and the jump costs 14, for 24 total. The run-up permits the full Strength-score distance, but does not provide extra movement. The remaining 6 feet can be used if other circumstances allow. Check the landing space for the stated Difficult Terrain consequence.
Watch for this mistake
Do not substitute the Strength modifier for the score in this horizontal-distance calculation. Also avoid treating every jump as an automatic Athletics check when the rule describes a normal distance.
Ask the table
What is the approach, jump distance and landing terrain, and can the turn pay for all three?
The source rule
SRD 5.2.1, pages 184–185. Read the official PDF.
When you make a Long Jump, you leap horizontally a number of feet up to your Strength score if you move at least 10 feet immediately before the jump. When you make a standing Long Jump, you can leap only half that distance. Either way, each foot you jump costs a foot of movement. If you land in Difficult Terrain, you must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check or have the Prone condition. This Long Jump rule assumes that the height of the jump doesn’t matter, such as a jump across a stream or chasm. At your GM’s option, you must succeed on a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check to clear a low obstacle (no taller than a quarter of the jump’s distance), such as a hedge or low wall. Otherwise, you hit the obstacle.
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.