Acrobatics
(Balancing, Breakfall, Contortion, Quick Stand, Tumbling)
Acrobatics allows a person to engage in physical feats of dexterity and finesse. Flips, tumbles, dives, and balancing all fall under this skill.
Balancing
When a character wants to move along a narrow or precarious surface, he treats it as he would difficult ground. If the character wishes to move faster or there are more difficult circumstances involved, an Acrobatics check must be made. The difficulty target number of the check will be based on the surface the character is trying to move across.
| Width of Surface | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Very wide (5 feet or more) | Extremely Easy (5+) |
| Wide (1-5 feet) | Very Easy (7+) |
| Narrow (approx. 1 foot) | Average (12+) |
| Very Narrow (3-6 inches) | Hard (15+) |
| Tightrope (about 1 inch) | Very Hard (18+) |
There are also additional modifiers that are taken into consideration:
| Conditions | Modifier |
|---|---|
| Sticky or adhesive surface | (flip+1) |
| Surface slightly slick | (shift-1) |
| Slick surface | (flip-1) |
| Damaged or uneven surface | (flip-1) |
| Avoiding becoming vulnerable | (flip-1) |
If a character fails a test, he does not necessarily fall. He simply cannot move as he struggles to maintain his balance. If he failed the check with a target number equal to the next lower difficulty rating, he will fall. Unless the character declares he is trying to avoid becoming vulnerable, he will take penalties during combat as it will be more difficult to dodge incoming attacks.
If a character takes damage while balancing, he must make an Acrobatics check or fall.
Breakfall
Breakfall is used when attempting to lessen the damage from a fall. It reduces the amount of STUN and LETHAL damage before the character’s External Resilience is checked. Unlike many skill checks, there is no set DTN for Breakfall. Instead, the amount of damage avoided is based on how well the character did on the skill flip. A normal check is made and then the table is checked to see how much damage is ignored.
| Breakfall Check Result | Damage Reduction |
|---|---|
| Easy (7+) | 1 point |
| Average (12+) | 2 points |
| Hard (15+) | 1/4 of damage |
| Very Hard (18+) | 1/2 of damage |
| Near Impossible (21+) | All damage |
Contortion
This particular use of the Acrobatics skill allows a character to squeeze through spaces too small to pass through normally. The size of the passage compared to the size of the character determines the difficulty of the check.
| Passage Size | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| 1 size class smaller | Extremely Easy (5+) |
| 2 size classes smaller | Average (12+) |
| 3 size classes smaller | Very Hard (18+) |
| 4 size classes smaller | Impossible (25+) |
Quick Stand
Usually standing up from the prone position requires a specific action to be taken. Using Acrobatics, a character can attempt to speed up the process. An Easy (9+) Acrobatics check allows a player to halve the time it takes to stand. Failing this check means that standing will take the full amount of time. A Hard (15+) Acrobatics check allows the player to combine standing up with another action, such as attacking or using an item. If the character fails this check but has passed the Easy check, he can still stand in half the time. The length of time the combined action takes is equal to the longer of the two actions (either Standing from Prone or the additional action that was chosen).
Tumbling
Tumbling is used when attempting to move through a space on the tactical map that is occupied by a non-friendly character or other object that could be moved through (like under a table, for example). The difficulty of the Acrobatics check is determined by the desired use of the skill.
| Width of Surface | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Tumbling through an opponent’s space | Hard (15+) |
| Tumbling through a threatened space to avoid an Opportunity Attack | Average (12+) |
| Tumbling through, over, or under objects (furniture, etc.) | Easy (9+) |
| Penalty for each additional Threat to a Space | (shift-1) |
Tumbling through an opponent’s space is modified by the size of the opponent relative to your own. For each size class smaller than your target, the DTN goes down to the next easier threshold. For each size class you are larger than your opponent, the DTN goes up to the next higher threshold.
Tumbling through objects removes the half-speed penalty for difficult terrain. Depending on the type of objects involved, the GM may change this target number to something easier or harder.