Statting up a Parkour Artist

[EdroGrimshell]

Okay, I recently watched this video, and got to thinking of making a character for a 3.5 game based on it. I know a lot of skill points in climb, tumble, jump, and the like, but what classes and feats would be the best for this?

I have virtually every book out there (including third party) so that's not a problem. I'd like this to be made for a low magic campaign. The obvious classes are rogue and scout but i'd like a more combat ready character.

[HunterOfJello]

You need the Leaping Dragon Stance from Tome of Battle. It has you count as running for all jump checks and gives you +10 to those checks.

[Pechvarry]

Get the 8th level Desert Wind stance - Rising Phoenix - and reflavor its overland movement as parkouring about?

[Iku Rex]

Sounds like a PsyWarrior.

Edit: Lurk, from Complete Psionic, could work better, since it has 4 skill points per level and its psionic powers are based on Int.

[Leon]

Peregrine Runner from Races of Stone - just see if you can waiver the Goliath race requirement (if you dont want to be one)

[FelixG]

Take some levels in dread pirate (CAdv i think)

They have a class feature that allows them to move through rough terrain as if it were normal to account for running over cluttered decks.

It is pretty much Parkour as they are jumping waving dodging ect across a cluttered space in like...3 seconds XD

[Yuki Akuma]

Complete Scoundrel. Take many, many Movement skill tricks.

[Project_Mayhem]

Be a Thief/Acrobat?

THis is much easier in WoD. Take 4/5 in Athletics, and 4/5 in Parkour

[Kaeso]

Maybe it's because those guys are jumping across churches, but I can't help but be reminded of Assassin's Creed II

Anywho, I'd make it a swordsage because they have stances that influence their jump and climb checks and (if you invest in intelligence) they have enough skill points and relevant skills to make an acrobatic character.

[The Rose Dragon]

Maybe it's because those guys are jumping across churches, but I can't help but be reminded of Assassin's Creed II

Possibly because Assassin's Creed II had parkour-like movement.

[awa]

scouts a good option with the boosted movement speed jump checks will be easy

[Dresil]

scouts a good option with the boosted movement speed jump checks will be easy

Monk works too. And take the quick trait, and Run feat. A lot of people forget that every 10' after 30 base land speed gives a +4 to jump.

[TheVileVillain]

Go scout and take all of your skill tricks in movement (Don't take the free runner feat, or else you will run out of movement skill tricks to take). At about 8th or 9th level you can take Uncanny Trickster (Complete Scoundrel): it's a 3 level Prestige Class which lets you do neat things with skill tricks and you advance under the "special" chart of your class (Scout) at 2nd and 3rd level as if you were also leveling in Scout. This way you will still get "free movement" at 19th level (constant extraordinary freedom of movement effect).

For feats I suggest Daredevil Athlete (CS, +5 on most athletic skill tricks 3/day) and Leap of the Heavens (PHBII, You don't double the DC for standing jumps and get a bigger bonus for running jumps)

[Shenanigans]

I like the Peregrine Runner idea also, but I think Goliath wouldn't be a bad race. You get a nice big Str boost for better jumping and always count as having a running start for jumps. The Dex hit is a bit troublesome for Tumble and Balance.

Peregrine Runner will eventually give you that lovely Climb speed also, which is kind of fun.

[Heliomance]

This works quite nicely.

[EdroGrimshell]

This works quite nicely.

That is a good build, i'll probably rework it a bit.

And to all that suggested goliath, i'm going human.

[Cieyrin]

Don't take the free runner feat, or else you will run out of movement skill tricks to take

Why wouldn't you want to take Freerunner, as it gets you more tricks sooner, as well as raises your max number of tricks you can have. Having them sooner means you get to use them that much earlier and can use the skill points you'd otherwise be spending on skill tricks on keeping up your move skills.

As for an actual suggestion, take a look at Oriental Adventures, specifically their expanded rules for Tumble, which is quite a bit parkour. Blade Dancer provides quite a bit of bonii to movement based skills as well so you can make those kind of checks quite easily, as that Tumble DC 40 to wall bounce isn't as easy to optimize like Jump is.

[Snake-Aes]

One of my magazines has a 5 levels prestige class called "Runner" inspired on Mirror's Edge. I'll put it here later tonight. It gets speed, bonuses to the more acrobatic skills and the like.

[EdroGrimshell]

One of my magazines has a 5 levels prestige class called "Runner" inspired on Mirror's Edge. I'll put it here later tonight. It gets speed, bonuses to the more acrobatic skills and the like.

I'd like to see this if at all possible.

[Crow]

Any class or build with a dip, that can jump, run, balance, tumble, and climb works fine. Just pump up your relevant stats and invest skill points, and then fluff your movements as parkour (or freerunning...not the same).

I know a lot of traceurs and I doubt any of us are greater than like...3rd level (if you go by conan/gandalf and the like being level 6). Soooo.... 6 ranks + ability scores? Really, becoming "good" (if there can be such a scale) at parkour isn't any different than becoming good at a sport. You practice, and take care of your body.

A character shouldn't have to take feats (limiting their ability to do other things) to reflect skill in parkour. Fluff it out.

[Thurbane]

Two feats from Cityscape (Roof-Jumper and Roofwalker) probably also fit in this build...

[dgnslyr]

Up the Walls is a psionic feat that lets you run on walls while psionically focused.

[Snake-Aes]

I'd like to see this if at all possible.

Runner

Spoiler

Show

Requires Tumble 8, Balance 8, Climb 8, Jump 8.
Also requires 2 of the following feats: Agile, Athletic, Lightning Reflexes, Acrobatic.
Requires the Evasion class feature.
-----------
BAB: 3/4
Good save: Reflexes
Hit dice: D8
------
1: +1 AC, Agility is Everything, Tumbling
2: Master of Heights, Urban Travel
3: Fast Movement, Improved Uncanny Dodge
4: There he goes, Untouchable
5: +2 ac, Improved Evasion, Parkour.
-----------
Agility is Everything: Runner can use DEX instead of STR as the key skill for all strength-based skills
Tumbling: Falling from any height is reduced by 10' per Runner level
Master of Heights: Add Runner level as an untyped bonus to Tumble, Balance, Climb and Jump. The Runner can always take 10 on those skills.
Urban Travel: The Runner can ignore any obstacle that can be beaten by a dc 10 Climb or Balance check (like gates, fences, rubble...) without any tests or consuming actions.
Fast Movement: At level 3 the Runner adds +10' to his movement. This bonus is untyped and increases by 10' per further Runner level (+20' at 4, +30' at 5)
Improved Uncanny Dodge: As rogue
There he goes: The runner ignores all difficult terrain penalties.
Untouchable: The runner adds his Runner level to resist Grapple and Trip checks.
Improved Evasion: As rogue
Parkour: As long as the runner has 2 free hands, he is under the effect of "Freedom of Movement" and "Spider Climb". He can also move his normal speed on any climb or balance checks, and tumbling does not consume extra movement. Jumping is always considered a running jump.

All abilities are Extraordinary, including the spell effects from the Parkour class feature.

[EdroGrimshell]

Runner

Spoiler

Show

Requires Tumble 8, Balance 8, Climb 8, Jump 8.
Also requires 2 of the following feats: Agile, Athletic, Lightning Reflexes, Acrobatic.
Requires the Evasion class feature.
-----------
BAB: 3/4
Good save: Reflexes
Hit dice: D8
------
1: +1 AC, Agility is Everything, Tumbling
2: Master of Heights, Urban Travel
3: Fast Movement, Improved Uncanny Dodge
4: There he goes, Untouchable
5: +2 ac, Improved Evasion, Parkour.
-----------
Agility is Everything: Runner can use DEX instead of STR as the key skill for all strength-based skills
Tumbling: Falling from any height is reduced by 10' per Runner level
Master of Heights: Add Runner level as an untyped bonus to Tumble, Balance, Climb and Jump. The Runner can always take 10 on those skills.
Urban Travel: The Runner can ignore any obstacle that can be beaten by a dc 10 Climb or Balance check (like gates, fences, rubble...) without any tests or consuming actions.
Fast Movement: At level 3 the Runner adds +10' to his movement. This bonus is untyped and increases by 10' per further Runner level (+20' at 4, +30' at 5)
Improved Uncanny Dodge: As rogue
There he goes: The runner ignores all difficult terrain penalties.
Untouchable: The runner adds his Runner level to resist Grapple and Trip checks.
Improved Evasion: As rogue
Parkour: As long as the runner has 2 free hands, he is under the effect of "Freedom of Movement" and "Spider Climb". He can also move his normal speed on any climb or balance checks, and tumbling does not consume extra movement. Jumping is always considered a running jump.

All abilities are Extraordinary, including the spell effects from the Parkour class feature.

Straightforward, and a good fit, i like it.

[awa]

their was a 3rd edition oriental adventures prestige class (sword dancer) where the first level gave you +10 jump tumble and balance, and doubled you base speed. it gave you another ability but i think that ability does nothing in 3.5
you would need to be able to caste a arcane or divine spell but their are lots of ways to learn how to cast one spell particularly if it doesn't matter winch spell.

[Heliomance]

Any class or build with a dip, that can jump, run, balance, tumble, and climb works fine. Just pump up your relevant stats and invest skill points, and then fluff your movements as parkour (or freerunning...not the same).

What's the difference?

[Crow]

What's the difference?

It's not a difference that matters to the non-practitioner, and there are others that can describe it better than I can.

Basically, parkour is focused on smooth and efficient movement through an environment. Getting the most from your body with the least amount of effort, with a focus on not becoming non-efficient in your navigation enroute to a given point. Your ability and creativity help you reach a point in the most efficient way possible.

Freerunning started as another term for parkour, but has since evolved to describe a method of movement where the focus is less on efficiency, and more towards creativity. In freerunning, you often see practitioners do flips and other "tricks", which are not "parkour" in it's intended form. Freerunning often entails choosing the more interesting path which allows for more improvisation and flashiness, over choosing the more efficient path.

Like I said, it's not a difference that matters much to a non-practitioner, but there is a difference.