Athletics
This skill is obviously favored among athletes. The Athletics skill encompasses all forms of athletic prowess, from throwing a hammer 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.
Long Jump
For a long jump, the result of the skill check equals the number of feet the character can move. Thus, if a character with 10 in Muscle and 10 ranks in Athletics rolls a 10 on their skill check, 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.
High Jump
| DL | Feet |
|---|---|
| 5 | 1.25 |
| 10 | 2.5 |
| 15 | 3.75 |
| 20 | 5 |
| 25 | 6.25 |
| 30 | 7.5 |
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 a character with 10 in Muscle and 10 ranks in Athletics rolls a 10 on their skill check, 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.
Throwing
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 with 10 in Muscle and 10 ranks in Athletics rolls a 10 on their skill check, 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 with 10 in Muscle and 10 ranks in Athletics rolls a 10 on their skill check, 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).
Lifting
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 with 10 in Muscle and 10 ranks in Athletics rolls a 10 on their skill check, they can lift 900 pounds. (To put it in perspective, the current world record for dead lift is 939 pounds).
Retries
Athletics checks cannot be re-rolled without the expenditure of a fate point.
