Athletics
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Typically used with: Muscle.
The physically inclined, the professional athlete, the hired brawn: all users and owners of the Athletics skill. The Athletics skill encompasses all forms of athletic prowess, from throwing a weight to jumping across a chasm.
Difficulty
The difficulty depends on the physical action being performed. Thus, it's up to the GM to determine appropriate numbers. Here are some examples. In the descriptions below where you see the phrase "if a character rolls a 30," take that to represent a character with 10 in Muscle, 10 ranks in Athletics, and rolls a 10.
Long Jump
Leaping across an open chasm or from rooftop to rooftop would be a good usage of Athletics for jumping.
For a long jump, the result of the skill check equals the number of feet the character can move. Thus, if a character rolls a 30, they can jump 30 feet. (To put it in perspective, the current world record for the long jump is 29.36 feet). Characters need a good running start to gain sufficient momentum to jump this far. If a sufficient distance is not completed, the GM should determine what impact it has on the distance. (For example, the record for standing longjump is a little over 12 feet. The GM may say that the result should be halved or thirded).
High Jump
| DL | Feet |
|---|---|
| 5 | 1.25 |
| 10 | 2.5 |
| 15 | 3.75 |
| 20 | 5 |
| 25 | 6.25 |
| 30 | 7.5 |
A character may feel the need to leap over a fence or out of a pit. Here is an example of this usage of the skill.
For a high jump, the result of the skill check divided by 4 equals the number of feet the character can move vertically. Thus, if the character rolls a 30, they can jump 7.5 feet. (To put it in perspective, the current world record for the high jump is 8.03 feet).
Characters need a good running start to gain sufficient momentum to jump this high. If a sufficient distance is not completed, the GM should determine what impact it has on the distance. (For example, the record for the standing high jump is about 6 feet, so the GM may say that the result of the check divided by 5 equals the number of feet moved vertically).
Throwing
Your character may need to throw a weapon to a comrade or a bomb to an enemy.
For objects that are 1 pound or lighter (an apple, a baseball, a dagger), the result of the roll times 15 should be the number of feet the object is thrown. Thus, if a character rolls a 30, the object can be thrown 450 feet.
Traditionally, an Olympic games hammer weighs 16 pounds. The result of the roll times 10 should be the number of feet the object is thrown. Thus, if a character rolls a 30, they can toss a 16lb. hammer 300 feet. (To put it in perspective, the current world record for the hammer throw is 284.58 feet).
A shot put weighs the same as the hammer, but it gets much less momentum. When held at the base of the neck and pushed out with the arm, the roll times 3 should equal the number of feet thrown. Thus, if a character rolls a 30, they can toss a 16lb. shot 90 feet. (To put it in perspective, the current world record for the shot put is 75.87 feet).
A heavy object can be thrown much shorter a distance. For a 60 pound object, the result of the roll should be the number of feet thrown. Thus, if a character rolls a 30, they can toss a 60 pound weight 30 feet. (To put it in perspective, the world record for throwing a 56 pound weight is 36 feet).
An Olympic javelin weighs just under 2 pounds. The result of the roll times 10 should be the number of feet the javelin is thrown. Thus, if a character rolls a 30, they can throw a javelin 300 feet. (To put it in perspective, the current world record for the javelin throw is 297 feet).
Lifting
The strong man in the party is best for picking things up and hauling them around.
For a character to lift a great amount of weight, he or she does have to be concerned about the stress it puts on the body including to the skeleton and internal organs. For a dead lift (lifting a weight from the ground to waist level) the result of the roll times 30 should be the number of pounds lifted. Thus, if a character rolls a 30, they can lift 900 pounds. (To put it in perspective, the current world record for dead lift is 939 pounds).
Time
The amount of time a feat of athleticism takes really depends on the task. A long or high jump itself really only takes 1 AP, but the amount of time to run should be included. Throwing an object should be 1 AP. Ask your GM for specifics.
