Jumping on the bandwagon

[Bareheaded Warrior]

Another aspect to this jumping pits topic is how you handle a situation where a hero is faced with a pit in a single-square width passage with a monster occupying the 'landing' square on the other side?

The original rules do have this covered, the hero is simply expected to voluntarily fall into the pit, take damage, and then fight the monster at a disadvantage, but I don't find that a particularly satisfactory method, hero players are forced to take this unappealing option to keep the game moving and avoid a stalemate, or they choose to remain on the square before the pit and force the EWP to make the same unappealing choice to keep the game moving. A more fun option is the following special rule:

If you want to jump a pit but the only landing square is occupied by an opponent then you may carry out a 'jumping attack' action. Roll to jump the pit as usual, failure results in you falling into the pit as usual, but success means that you can roll to attack your opponent and if you kill them (or push them back if you are using pushback rules) then you land on the now vacant landing square, if you fail to vacate the square then you land in the pit.

This feels more fun and heroic to me!

[Daedalus]

The Jumping Attack houserule looks like fun to me.

Going back to a previous post or two, there was a question as to what use is jumping a trap to the NA Dwarf if he can more reliably disarm it. An edge case is possible if the trap is located in the corner of a corridor with a monster waiting out of sight a couple of squares farther down. Assume that the trap has been found and the Dwarf moves onto it for a disarm attempt. As he now has moved into the corner, the lurking monster is revealed which prevents a disarm action. At that point, the Dwarf can either stay planted where he is and accept the trap damage, but that's a bad option. Instead, he can attempt to jump the trap and move around the corner into the next corridor. Assuming that he succeeds at that 50/50 chance, he then can continue to move to the monster for an attack (if he has enough movement.) [This is incorrect. While there is restriction for monsters in a search for traps, disarming a trap carries no such onus. The Dwarf in question could disarm the trap rather than jumping. Of course, he then wouldn't be free to attack the monster and would possibly be vulnerable to attack in Zargon's turn--he may wish to jump after all. -edit]

About blind jumping, I'm for it. This means that a Dwarf blind-jumping a suspected trap includes the general location of traps in corridors, no corner needed as with the edge-case above. Certain room layouts would also qualify.

I treat blind-jumping a suspected trap square like jumping a spear trap, but it is harmless. The Hero must roll a combat die. If he succeeds by rolling anything but a skull, all is well and he may continue with his turn. If he fails by rolling a skull, he isn't stabbed, but his turn ends on the suspected trap square. This works well at the door of a room inhabited by monsters. If a Hero decides to jump into the room, he may occasionally avoid an otherwise unavoidable trap just within, but he will more likely risk tripping and forfeit his chance at a first attack, not to mention potentially blocking line of sight for any companions behind.