Athletics

Athletics covers feats of physical prowess: climbing, forcing things open, jumping, swimming and throwing.

Jump limits. Your High Jump limit is your Speed ÷ 10 (rounded up) in feet, and your Long Jump limit is half your Speed (rounded down); the Speed table in Encounters lists both. A good jump needs a 10-foot running start; without one, use High Leap or Long Leap. Your vertical reach is 1½ × your height: when reaching for an object or a ledge, add it to the height you jump.

Actions

Climb (Move)

Requires: Both hands free.

You move up, down or across an incline. Unless it's especially easy or you have a climb Speed, roll Athletics against the DC the GM sets from the incline and the conditions. Without a climb Speed you are Off-Guard while climbing.

Critical Success: You climb up, across or safely down the incline, up to your Speed.

Success: You climb up, across or safely down the incline, up to your Speed, but every foot counts as 2.

Failure: You can't move without falling.

Critical Failure: You fall.

Force Open (Attack)

You use your body, a lever or another tool to force open a door, window, container or heavy gate. A high enough result can even smash through a wall. Prying something open without a crowbar or similar tool gives 1 level of Disadvantage on the check.

Critical Success: It opens, and you can avoid damaging it.

Success: You break it open, and it gains the Broken condition. Something especially sturdy might take damage without breaking (GM's call).

Critical Failure: You jam it shut. Further attempts to Force it Open have 1 level of Disadvantage.

High Leap (Move)

Your High Jump limit is your Speed divided by 10, rounded up. A good jump needs a 10-foot running start. With at least 1 Rank in Athletics you can jump without one by rolling Athletics against a DC of the height you want × 5 (your Vertical Reach doesn't count toward it). Without a Rank you can still try, but your maximum height is halved (round down). Vertical Reach: 1½ times your height; when reaching for an object or grabbing a ledge, add it to the height you leap.

Success: You reach the height you wanted.

Failure: You jump, but not high enough.

Critical Failure: You don't jump at all, and fall Prone in your space.

Long Leap (Move)

Your Long Jump limit is half your Speed, rounded down. A good jump needs a 10-foot running start. With at least 1 Rank in Athletics you can jump without one by rolling Athletics against a DC equal to the distance. Without a Rank you can still try, but your maximum distance is halved (round down).

Success: You jump the distance you wanted.

Failure: You jump a number of feet equal to your check result. At a cliff or ledge, if you fell short by no more than half your height, you can make a Reflex save to catch the edge.

Critical Failure: You jump a number of feet equal to your check result and land Prone.

Swim (Move)

For 1 Action Point you swim up to your Speed, with every foot counting as 2. The movement can come before, between or after your other actions, as long as the total distance swum doesn't exceed your Speed; each extra use in the same turn adds your Speed again (with Speed 25, two uses let you swim 50 feet and three let you swim 75). No check is needed unless the water is rough enough (GM's call), but you can roll Athletics against a DC the GM sets to swim faster. If you end your turn in the water and have no Rank in Athletics, you must succeed an Athletics check or sink 10 feet, or be carried by the current as the GM decides.

Critical Success: You swim up to your Speed as above, but each foot counts as only 1.

Success: You swim up to your Speed as above.

Failure: With at least 1 Rank in Athletics you make no progress but tread water. Without one you sink 10 feet or are carried by the current (GM's call).

Critical Failure: You make no progress and sink 10 feet if you can; otherwise you go under and must hold your breath. If you were already holding your breath, you lose an extra round of breath.

Throw (Attack, Manipulate)

You throw an object at a creature, an object or a point. Make an Athletics attack roll unless the item is a weapon or a rule says otherwise. An item with no listed range increment has one of 10 feet; it can be thrown up to 6 increments, and each increment after the first gives 1 level of Disadvantage. A weapon with the Thrown trait can use its normal skill and the increment in its Thrown trait; a non-weapon with the Thrown trait uses Athletics and that increment. At a creature: compare your roll to its Reflex save. At a space: roll against DC 10, with the same range penalties. If the exact landing spot matters, roll 1d8 for the direction; a burst, splash, cloud or similar effect resolves from where the item lands.

Success: The item hits the creature or lands where you meant it to, as suits the item.

Failure: The item misses and lands in a random space next to the target.

Critical Failure: The throw is badly off target: it lands farther away, as the GM decides, and usually doesn't catch the target in any splash, burst or similar effect.

Scatter (Attack, Manipulate)

You throw a powder, dust or similar fine substance into a nearby area. Make an Athletics attack roll unless the item has a rule that says otherwise. An item with no listed range increment has one of 5 feet; it can be used up to 6 increments, and each increment after the first gives 1 level of Disadvantage. An item with the Scattered trait uses the increment in that trait. At a creature: compare your roll to its Reflex save. At a space: roll against DC 10, with the same range penalties. If the exact landing spot matters, roll 1d8 for the direction; a burst, cloud or similar effect resolves from where the item lands.

Success: The item affects the creature or bursts where you meant it to, as suits the item.

Failure: The item misses and lands in a random space next to the target.

Critical Failure: The scatter is badly off target: it lands farther away, as the GM decides, and usually doesn't catch the target in any burst, cloud or similar effect.