Acrobatics
This broad skill provides a character with basic training in acrobatics. It is used when a character wants to vault over a fence or other obstacle, dodge out of the way of an immediate danger, or try to land safely after a fall.
Vaulting
Vaulting is a vertical leap enhanced by assistance (springing off an object or using a pole). A character may use either Athletics—jump or Acrobatics.
- Both skills: Increase distance by 1 meter.
- Using a pole: Increase distance by 2 meters.
Aerobatics
This specialty skill represents a character’s mastery of complex maneuvers during personal flight, whether through natural wings, specialized jump-packs, or gravitic personal flight devices (GADS).
While very basic maneuvering in flight is covered by the Acrobatics broad skill, Aerobatics is required for high-speed turns, precise landing, evasive maneuvers, and aerial acrobatics.
At Rank 4 in Armor Operation—Propulsion Systems, this skill can also be used for complex maneuvers using a powered suit’s integrated thrusters.
Note: This skill covers personal locomotion and complex maneuvers. Operating a larger vehicle through the air or space requires Vehicle Operation—air or Vehicle Operation—space.
Results
- Critical Failure: Loss of control, potential stall or collision.
- Ordinary: Basic controlled flight; can perform simple maneuvers. Like synchronized flying, or boarding a high speed moving vehicle (assuming it can reach it and enter)
- Good: Increased control; can perform evasive maneuvers. (He can use the dodge skill)
- Amazing: Perfect control; can perform complex aerial or orbital acrobatics.
Rank Benefits
▶ Rank 4 [Stealthy Descent] When using a jump-pack or GADS, the character can descend with minimal noise, receiving a -2 step bonus to Stealth checks.
▶ Rank 6 [Endurance Flight] The character can fly for extended periods, receiving a -2 step bonus to Stamina checks for long-distance travel with with natural means or -2 step bonus to Armor Operation-Propulsion Systems with armor mounted propulsion.
Daredevil
This specialty skill enables a character to perform high-risk activities such as skydiving, scuba diving, hang gliding, surfing, bungee jumping, and whitewater rafting.
Results
- On a Critical Failure, the attempted action fails and the character could suffer stun or wound damage at the Gamemaster’s discretion. This outcome generally involves bad luck concerning some aspect of the equipment being used—scuba diving gear springs a leak, a parachute fails to open properly, and so forth.
- On a Failure, the attempted action doesn’t succeed, but the character does not necessarily suffer damage—a parachutist goes drastically off course and lands a long distance from his target, perhaps taking damage as well.
- On an Ordinary, the character is basically able to perform the action—he can manipulate a hang glider so that he stays aloft, but he has no control over his direction of travel.
- On a Good, the character has limited control of the action—he opens his parachute at just the right time, and also is able to use it to maneuver so that he lands only a short distance from his target.
- On an Amazing, everything goes right—he rides the raft all the way through the rapids without damage to himself or his equipment.
Dodge
This specialty skill allows a character to move in ways that make hard for the adversaries to hit him with melee or ranged attacks. It’s also used when a character dives for cover or hits the deck when an area-effect attack targets him. Dodge lets a character tumble, roll, duck, dive, or spring out of the way of an attack. One skill check (requiring an action) is made at the beginning of the first phase in which the character can act. The result lasts for all subsequent phases in the round. Any additional actions taken in the round receive a +1 penalty.
Adjustments to Strength/Dexterity Resistance Modifiers
- Critical Failure: -2 steps
- Failure: none
- Ordinary: +1 step
- Good: +2 steps
- Amazing: +3 steps
(This skill can’t be combined with the parry or block rank benefits described under Melee Combat Specialty skills)
Rank Benefits
▶ Rank 3 [Action Benefit]: Dodge and perform an action in the same phase (+2 penalty on the both checks), this only uses up 1 of the character actions.
⊗ Rank 4, 8, 12 [Resistance Modifier]: The character’s Dexterity resistance modifier improves by +1 at each of these ranks.
▶ Rank 7 [Reaction Dodge]: Perform a reaction dodge, allowing the character to defend earlier in the round. In a round when a character makes a reaction dodge, he can only dodge; all other actions are lost for the round.
Fall
This specialty skill allows a character to improve his ability to survive a fall by twisting his body, catching nearby protrusions, or otherwise slowing his descent, thereby decreasing the damage he sustains from an impact. A character with the fall specialty skill adds his rank in the specialty to his Acrobatics score and uses that number to make the skill check, with a +d0 base situation die.
Zero-g Training
A character with the zero-g training skill can function in weightless or near-weightless conditions better than someone who doesn’t have this skill. An untrained character has a +3 step penalty in zero gravity and a +1 step penalty in light gravity. Purchasing this skill immediately reduces the zero-g penalty to +2 steps and eliminates the penalty for light gravity.
Rank Benefits
▶ Rank 4[Improved Balance]: Zero-g penalty is reduced to +1 step, and light gravity actions receive a -1 step bonus.
▶ Rank 7[No Penalty in Zero-G]: Zero-g penalty is eliminated.
▶ Rank 10[Improved Locomotion]: Physical actions in zero-g receive a -1 step bonus. (Light gravity bonus never improves beyond -1 step.)
Sesheyan Advantage Sesheyan characters without the zero-g training skill function as though they have it at rank 1. If a sesheyan purchases this skill, penalties are reduced by 1 step and bonuses are improved by the same amount (max bonus -2 in light gravity).