Acrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts as well as in many sports.
Difficulty Checks
During a fall, acrobatics may be used to reduce bodily harm. If the character has not already used his turn for the round, he may rely on acrobatics in an attempt to land properly. The character generates an acrobatics total. For every five points over the base difficulty number of 10, the hero reduces the damage total by one point, in addition to a base reduction of one point. The damage total, however, cannot be lower than zero.
| Maneuver | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Somersault; pirouette | 5 |
| Handspring; cartwheel; handstand | 10 |
| Swing over a obstacle | 10 |
| Round-off; backflip | 15 |
| Vaulting over an obstacle | 15 |
| Bouncing off a surface to reach a specific destination | 20 |
| Walking up a wall* | 30 |
| *The character may “walk” a maximum of her Move in one round; she must have a flat surface to stop on at the end of her turn or he falls and takes damage from the fall. |
Adverse Condition Checks
It is often unlikely for situations requiring acrobatics to arise that are as simple as a "Jump and tumble". Often (regularly?) there are circumstantial or environmental factors causing complications. For ideas refer to the following examples.
| Adverse Condition | Difficulty Modifier |
|---|---|
| Flat surface to flat surface | 0 |
| Unlimited landing area | -3 |
| Limited landing area | +3 |
| Almost no landing area | +6 |
| Rough or unsteady landing area | +3 or more |
| High surface to low surface | +3 |
| Low surface to high surface | +6 |
| Slippery surface | +3 |
| Strong wind | +3 |
| Add a twist of the body (per twist) | +3 |
| Performing the maneuver underwater or backwards | +3 |
| Performing the maneuver in the air (such as on a trapeze or bars) | +9 |
| Performing the maneuver on a narrow surface | +6 |
| Note: Characters may combine one or more maneuvers in the same action. In this case, use the difficulty of the most challenging maneuver, add 3 for each additional maneuver (up to five additional maneuvers), and include modifiers as if the complex stunt was one maneuver. |
Escapology
Acrobatics can also aid a character in escaping from bonds.
The chart below contains sample difficulty numbers for escaping from various kinds of restraints. Modify the difficulty based on the circumstances of the escape, such as the conditions the character works under or specially designed restraints. The character may
not use this skill if completely immobilized. If in multiple restraints, the character must make a separate roll for each one. A Critical Failure indicates that the character has pulled a muscle (and he does his Strength Damage to himself ).
Note that this skill does not substitute for the sleight of hand skill. The character may be able to pull his arms over his head to use his hands, but he may not be able to slip out of the handcuffs unless they are improperly secured.
| Restraints | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Ropes | 15 |
| Wires, chain | 18 |
| Handcuffs | 21 |
| Straight jacket | 26 |