Acrobatics (Agility)

Acrobatics covers feats of agile movement, graceful motion, and mastery of balance and form. With this skill, characters can leap nimbly across gaping chasms, maintain their balance on a pitching ship deck, or fall gracefully to the ground without snapping their limbs. In combat, an accomplished acrobat can somersault, flip, or cartwheel away from foes, twisting his body out of reach of his enemy or slipping past foes in a blur of motion. Often, characters develop a knack for Acrobatics as part of their training in another field. A courier or thief might learn these knacks as part of travel through densely populated areas. Gladiators, survivalists, and dancers need to be able to perform acrobatic motions as part of their daily routines. Even a Tech Adept accustomed to working in particularly confined quarters devotes his daily flesh-exhortations to improving flexibility, so that he might more effectively work within narrow duct work.

Contortionist
A character can use his Acrobatics skill to escape from bonds or the grip of a foe by twisting and turning his body. As a Full Action, a character may make an Acrobatics skill test to free himself from bonds, such as rope, manacles, or the like. This test can only be attempted once to escape restraints; if the character fails to free himself the first time, then he is simply too tightly bound and unable to contort his way free. The GM can modify this test depending on the quality of the bonds in this situation. Characters may also use Acrobatics to escape from a grapple (see page 221) by using their Acrobatics skill instead of their Agility or Strength when grappling.

Manoeuvring
In combat, a character capable of acrobatics can more easily avoid foes or retreat from combat without harm. The character may make a Disengage action (see page 220) as a Half Action (rather than a Full Action) if he passes a Challenging (+0) Acrobatics skill test.

Jumping
A well-trained acrobat excels at jumping, leaping, and lessening the effect of falls by folding his body as he hits the ground. When jumping or leaping (see page 222), a character may use the Acrobatics skill in the place of Agility and Strength tests. When determining Falling damage, a character can make an Acrobatics skill test to reduce the effective distance fallen by a number of metres equal to his Agility bonus.

When to use Acrobatics as a GM
The GM can call on a player to use the Acrobatics skill when they must keep their balance or avoid falling in unstable ground, when they want to jump down from a height and land well, or when they want to move over or around a foe/obstacle in their path without breaking their stride. Some example modifiers include.
 * +30: Moving in an open environment with Earth-like gravity or completely unarmoured.
 * +20: Moving through an open forest or tall grass field, or with hands free of weapons or other objects.
 * +10: Moving in a low gravity environment, wearing armour only on torso.
 * +0: Moving across rubble or debris, or in loose and shifting sand.
 * –10: Moving in obstructed terrain or in heavy armour.
 * –20: Moving in zero gravity or with both hands tied behind one’s back.
 * –30: Moving in an environment with gravity three times Terran standard