Maneuver (Action)

Heroic Action Role-Play

Maneuver governs you motor control and ability to maneuver and perform difficult physical stunts. This is complex body control and advanced maneuvers; normal movement stunts are governed by Dodge and it can sometimes be hard to draw a line between the two skills. Maneuver defaults to Reflexes and an outcome matching this attribute on a stunt directed against Maneuver will often result in a Setback.

Use in Action

You can walk tightropes, parachute, rock climb, sneak, tumble, vault, swim, and perform all the other advanced stunts reserved for the circus and action movies. Don't bother to roll for normal actions, such as running or climbing a ladder, only for dramatic acts like jumping from car to car in a high-speed chase or tightrope-walking between tall buildings.

Knowledge

You know the world record and the names of the hundred best athletes in any field you ever practiced. This can be sporting fields, but also secret ones such as ninja clans and commandos. You know a lot about sports; rules, arenas, clubs, and other trivia. You know the rules and ceremonies of a thousand competitions.

Contacts

You know practitioners, journalists, judges, and aficionados. Depending on your background, you might know people better in a specific field, such as sports, ninja, circus, or commando training. But in the athletic world, ability is more valued than talk, merely showing up and showing off at a training facility can usually win you some local contacts.

Perception

You notice when others move with smooth grace, and when their clothes are cut to allow free movement. You are a good judge terrain and determine how difficult it is to move through.

Powers

Maneuver is linked to the forms of Chi, Psi, and Time.

Stunts

List of specific stunts the skill can be used for, and rules for each using the standard power format.

Evasion

Standard Action

You can throw off pursuers by selecting a route they cannot easily follow. You need some terrain you can conceivably shake pursuit in, (check out the Free Runing rules for examples). Make an opposed Maneuver roll against the Ride or Maneuver of the target. If several people are chasing you, you still have to concentrate on shaking one at a time or use the multi-target rules. If you succeed, the target loses three shots or must give up pursuit. It you score an Outcome matching the target's Reflexes, he loses shots equal to the Outcome and has to give up the chase or suffer some Setback.

Schticks or powers can modify this stunt by +5 or even +10, as appropriate for the situation. For example, it is very hard for someone to catch up with you if you fly off and they can't, but in this case it is usually quite easy for them to follow you at a distance unless you are also faster. You can usually avoid vehicles by going for rugged terrain.

Free Running

Inherent

You can move over hindering terrain, run and leap over hazards and difficult ground that would slow or hinder others. The difficulty depends on the situation.

Obstacle	Difficulty
Rubble, gravel, light brush, moderate slope.	8
Barbed wire, broken ground, fence, steep slope.	10
Crawlspace, heavy brush, obstacle course, slick surface, tightrope.	12
Moving obstacles, city traffic, slack ropes, swaying supports.	14
Fast traffic, very slick surfaces.	16
Semi-solid surfaces such as viscous liquids.	18
Surfaces that cannot support your weight, thread.	20
Water.	22
Slow missiles like thrown weapons.	24
Smoke, vapors, bursts of automatic fire.	26
Sporadic firearm shots.	28
Laser beams.	30
Steep angle, 45-60 degrees.	+2

Free Running is not an action unless you fail the roll. If you fail by a margin less than your Reflexes, you need to focus on moving to the extent that the move itself counts as a Basic Action - if you planned to do something after the move you cannot, if you acted before moving the movement fails. If the margin matches your Reflexes you suffer a Setback.

Home Ground Advantage: When moving in a well-known area where you've been moving around many times or played as a child, you have home ground advantage. All Free Running rolls are Routine.

Climb

Inherent

This is similar to Free Running, only it involves moving up steeply angled surfaces. A creature without the ability to climb freely is Static when climbing. The difficulty is the same as Free Running, with modifiers for the angle of the wall. On a failed Maneuver roll, you can neither move nor act and your turn is wasted. On a successful roll, you can either move or act, as is normal for being Static. Climbing only applies when you begin your turn on such a surface; you can run or jump on a wall as long as you start on flat ground.

Condition	Difficulty
Ladder or stairway	2
Rough surface, rope ladder, rocks or sculptures	4
Some handholds, tree, rope, chute	6
Textures surface, inner corner	8
Flat surface, outer corner	10
Slick surface	12
Immaterial surface, such as a force field	14
Less than 60 degrees	Not a climb
60-80 degrees	+0
80-110 degrees	+2
110-140 degrees	+4
140-170 degrees	+6
180 degrees	+8

Swim

Inherent

This is similar to Free Running, only it involves water (or other liquid). A creature without the ability to move freely in water moves is Static when in water and can't both move and act on a Basic Action on Limit Break. On a failed Maneuver roll, you can neither move nor act and your turn is wasted. The same applies to aquatic creatures on land. Abilities like Amphibian can overcome this limitation.

Obstacle	Difficulty
Calm water.	6
Swell or small waves, no turbulence.	8
Wavy or choppy water, slight turbulence. Body surfing.	10
Breaking waves, marked turbulence or strong current.	12
Violently choppy water, strong turbulence, undertow.	14
Extreme turbulence, rapids, passing a propeller or other water-churning event.	16
Waterfall, fountain, ignoring a strong current.	18

Fly

Inherent

This is similar to Free Running, only it involves air or space travel. Only creature capable of flight need bother with this.

Obstacle	Difficulty
Breeze.	6
Hard breeze.	8
Strong wind or turbulence. Light flying debris. Narrow areal passage.	10
Severe wind. Storm or narrow passage with a strong air current. Flying debris.	12
Windstorm, lots of flying debris. Tight passage (forcing the flier to bank to pass).	14
Hurricane. Flying through a slow propeller or other periodic hindrance.	16
Tornado, fast propeller.	18

Moving Through an Enemy

Moving through a space occupied by an enemy has a difficulty equal to his Maneuver. See Interference for details.

Interference

Trigger Action

You can use this to replace the difficulty of Free Running stunts when a creature moves out of a space in your reach. If people are moving into the space you actually occupy, using this stunt has no shot cost. The opponent must either stop moving or do a Free Running stunt against your Maneuver. You have to be standing on the ground to use Interference and the effect applies for the current shot. You cannot interfere with a creature whose Body is 5 higher than yours.

Jump

Basic Action

You can make a running jump equal to your Move in meters as a running jump; A quarter of that is the height of the jump. The difficulty of the stunt is twice the distance or eight times the height in meters, whichever is higher. This is for when you cannot "cheat" somehow. If you can use a pole, trampoline, rope or other aid, you have no upper limit and can make a Maneuver roll with the length (or four times the height) of the jump in meters as the difficulty.

To do a running jump, you need to move 2 meters in the direction of the jump before jumping; this can be something you did on your last previous action. If you don't have a running start, a standing jump is half as long and has a difficulty of 3 per meter.

Free Running is the more common stunt. Use the jump stunt only when there is a distinct hazard to be passed trough, not for difficult ground in general.

Lure

Basic Action

You try to lure an adjacent opponent away from his position by fancy footwork. You must begin this stunt next to an opponent. Make an opposed Maneuver roll, on a success opponent moves to a point adjacent to your new position or loses 3 shots (his choice). On an Outcome matching the target's Reflexes, he does both.

Maneuver Defense

Trigger Action (Defense)

When a Maneuver stunt is made against you, you can defend. This adds +3 to the Maneuver skill used as the difficulty for the current shot. In a situation where shots are not counted, defending means you are not fully participating - you play defensive rather than engaging in the situation - which means you can't initiate actions or make stunts of your own. Maneuver stunts are common and mostly involve outmaneuvering the opponent, either to trip them up, avoid them, or slip past them.

Outmaneuver

Basic Action

You use this is combat to get a momentary advantage. It represents such maneuvers as outflanking, getting a height advantage, and causing someone to stumble. The roll will be heavily modified depending on how well you describe your stunt and use available props.

Make an opposed Maneuver roll against your target. If you succeed you gain an Advantage or Buy Time causing the target to lose shots. It you score an Outcome matching the target's Reflexes, you inflict a Setback; the target suffers some direct penalty, as appropriate to the situation and how you described your outmaneuver. He might lose his weapon, fall over a cliff, show his unarmored flank to you, and so on.

Shift Position

Inherent

As a part of movement you move into the space of a willing creature and stop moving there. That creature moves into the space you came from. Make a Maneuver check against the Body of the creature to be displaced. On a failure, you stop in the last empty space you moved through.

Trip

Basic Action

You try to delay and hinder another character by unbalancing them. This is a buying time stunt. Make an opposed Maneuver check, on a success the target loses three shots from his current shot, or you can move the target three meters and the target loses a single shot (your choice). On an outcome matching the target's Reflexes the target suffers a Setback.