Acrobatics
| Skill List |
|---|
Tiered Skill — Agility
Acrobatics covers actions that use agile movements and practiced precision. Uses of Acrobatics include Tumbling through combat, Balancing on precarious surfaces, and vaulting over obstacles in the way.
Actions Covered:
- Balancing
- Tumbling
- Vaulting
- Jumps
Contents
Specific Uses
Balance
The use of this skill is free when maintaining balance (such as simply standing or recovering from an attack). When moving, Acrobatics is used concurrently with the Move action and doesn't cost anything.
If a character fails his Acrobatics check for balance when trying to move, the character doesn't manage to move, wasting the AP used for the move action. If the check fails by 5 or more, the character slips from the balance point (DC: 20 Reflex check to grab on).
| Action | DC |
|---|---|
| Resisting a Trip Attempt | Opposed Trip |
| Maintaining balance on a two-foot surface | 10 |
| - one-foot surface | 15 |
| - 6-inch surface | 20 |
| - 4-inch surface | 25 |
| - 2-inch surface | 30 |
| - 1-inch surface | 35 |
| - <1-inch surface | 40 |
| Retain balance when hit | 10 + Damage taken |
| Stand on hands (check every round) | 30 |
| Modifiers | |
| Moving at half speed | -0 |
| Moving at full speed | -10 per move action (cumulative) |
| Slope is between 20 and 45 degrees | -5 |
| Slippery Surface | -5 |
Standing and Walking on Hands
A DC 30 balance check is required for every round spent standing on your hands. This costs 4 AP. Move actions may be completed if this check is successful, but they cost twice as much and another DC 30 check is required for every 10 feet moved in a round.
Combat Tumble
| Action | DC |
|---|---|
| Move without presenting an opening | 20 + 5 per move action |
| Move through an opponent's space | 25 + 5 per occupied space moved through this round |
Movement
Actions detailed in this section can only be used once per move action. Thus, if a character had a speed of 10 and tried to successively vault over two objects within 10 feet of each other, the character would take a -15 penalty on the second vault attempt. This restriction can be alleviated by ranking up the skill.
| Action | DC |
|---|---|
| Vault onto or over a waist-high object | 15 |
| Vault onto or over a chest-high object | 20 |
| Vault onto or over an object of equal hight | 25 |
| Tik-tak off of a wall | 25 |
| Reduce damage from a fall | See description |
Reduce Damage From a Fall
When making an acrobatics check to reduce the damage taken from a fall, the effective falling height is reduced by 5 feet for every 5 points over 10 of the check result. Thus, if a character is drops 15 feet from a ledge, and rolls a 24 on his Acrobatics check, the fall damage is reduced to 5 feet.
Falls into water deeper than 10 feet may use a swim check instead.
Characters take a -10 penalty to their roll if they are in an uncontrolled fall (such as being pushed from a ledge or slipping off of a balance point.
Escape Artist
| Action | DC |
|---|---|
| Escape from ropes | The binder's use rope check +10 |
| Net | 25 |
| Tight Space | 35 |
| Manacles | 35 |
| Grappler | Grappler's Grapple check |
Generally attempts take 10 minutes. Tight spaces take a minute or so, depending on the length of the space (a tube or pipe would take longer). Nets and similar entrapments take 8 AP. Beating grapples takes 4 AP. Beating the DC for actions that take more than a minute by 5 or more halves the time taken.
Escape From Ropes: This is the check to escape from being tied up. Because it is easier to tie someone up than it is to escape, the DC is their check plus 10.
If you can beat the person who tied you up's use rope check with one of your own you can gain a +4 to escape artist checks agains their bindings, due to your superior knowledge of ropes.
Tight Space: If your head fits through a space, you can theoretically squeeze through, though if your shoulders don't you will need to succeed this check. If you head doesn't fit to begin with, you can't get through. Spaces only slightly smaller than your shoulders may have lower DCs.
Grappler: If you are being pinned or grappled you may oppose your opponent with an escape artist check instead of a grapple check. A successful check either breaks a pin or allows you to escape from the grapple. If you are pinned and you wish to leave the grapple, you must check twice to break both levels of hold.
Skill Tiers
This skill starts at Tier Zero. The upgrade cost of skill tiers is 2 + (Current Skill Tier x2) Upgrade Points.
Tier One
A character with Tier One Acrobatics is able to apply his agility to new areas, and gains access to the following actions:
Precise Jump
When jumping to a surface that a character would have to balance on upon landing (such as a railing, or a pole), the character can use his Acrobatics skill modifier with his Strength Ability and jump to the surface and balance on it with a single skill check. The check uses the jump's DC or the balance's DC, whichever is larger.
Nimble Climbing
When climbing a surface that is only as tall as the character's single move action, the character can use his Acrobatics Skill with his Dexterity Ability and simply make a Acrobatics check (DC: 20) to cover that distance. If the surface is taller than the character's single move action, the character must then make a Athletics (Climb) check in order to grab onto the surface (DC: Surface DC + 10).
Characters can also use their Acrobatics skill with their Strength Ability when pulling themselves up from a ledge, instead of their Athletics skill.
Tier Two
A character with Tier Two Acrobatics can chain movement actions together in one movement action without taking a penalty.
Tier Three
A character with Tier Three Acrobatics has achieved such a level of synergy with Acrobatics that he can take 10 even when in stressful combat situations. Characters still can't take 10 when recovering from damage taken while balancing.
Limerick
Jumping's importance depends,
Upon where the jump's planned to end,
When jumping offboard,
From the ship to the shore,
Be careful, the ocean's no friend.
