Dodge (Action Powers)

Heroic Action Role-Play

Dodge Skill Description

Dodge is the ability to stay out of harms way. Different heroes approach this differently; some use reflexes to dodge, others use insight to simply not put themselves in danger, while some are heroic enough to just shrug off attacks that would kill lesser men. In many ways, Dodge is not really a skill, it is more of a measure of your heroic potential. It is very much recommended that you raise this skill as high as possible, even if you are not a combat character. Dodge is linked to Reflexes and an outcome matching this attribute on a stunt directed against Dodge will often result in a Setback.

Use in Action

Dodge is the default defense against physical attacks, and even most mental and mystic attacks in combat use Dodge as the difficulty. It has few active uses.

Knowledge

You know of safe places to find cover, and can make an educated guess about where to take cover safely from various dangers. You can identify which cover is dangerous and in danger of collapse, and which barriers are strong enough to give effective cover.

Contacts

There is an informal bond between veterans of conflict, a degree of mutual respect even between enemies. You can call on this bond, but your contacts maintain their loyalties. You can expect sardonic conversation, but little else.

Perception

Dodge can spot clear and present danger, and can also sense when a situation is potentially dangerous. This sense is pretty blunt and cannot sense simple spying or be used to spot sneakers.

Powers

Dodge is linked to the forms of Fey, Flux, and Illusion.

Stunts

Basic combat, movement and evasion stunts.

Active Dodge

Trigger Action (Defense)

You can gain a +3 bonus to Dodge used as a defense for the current shot.

Danger Sense

Inherent

You have an instinctive sense for when danger approaches. You can use your Dodge as if it was Recon for Alertness stunts used to spot sneaking enemies, and as the difficulty of Sneak checks. This sense only registers actively hostile creatures; ambushes and enemy with intent to immediate harm. You do not sense scouts, spies, thieves, or traps. It does not work against a creature using Sneak to Hide (see the stunt description).

Kiss the Ground

Trigger Action (Defense)

When attacked by an area or ranged attack you get a Dodge bonus of +3. You become Static for the rest of the round.

Meatshield

Trigger Action (Defense)

You can interpose yourself between an attacker and an ally next to you, redirecting the attack to hit you instead. You must be aware of the attack and have shots to spend. You can't take further trigger actions to defend yourself from the attack.

Reflex Push

Trigger Action (Combo)

You can use this stunt to focus in order to function at a higher Reflexes rating for one action. This is useful with abilities whose effect derives from Reflexes. This works only for effects whose effectiveness is solely determined by [[Reflexes (Action)|Reflexes]]. You cannot do this for a power where the Outcome is directly added to Reflexes to derive an effect, such as most attacks.

This is a trigger action triggered by whatever action you needed greater Reflexes for. Make a Dodge roll against your own Reflexes; for every 3 points you score on this roll, your effective Reflexes is increased by one, with a minimum of +1 for a successful roll. An Outcome of 1-5 allows +1 Reflexes, 6+ allows +2 Reflexes, 9+ allows +3, 12+ allows +4 and so on.

Schticks

Schticks are mundane specializations.

Dodge Schticks

Several of these sticks cover abilities quite unrelated to the Dodge skill. This is because a hero is always assumed to raise Dodge to the highest allowed value, and these schticks relate to the character's overall level. In other word, some Dodge sticks could just as well be based on a character's highest skill rating, placing them in Dodge is just a little more elegant.

Armor Proficiency

Inherent

You ignore the Loud and Unreliable penalties when wearing Armor.

Bodyguard

Trigger Action (Defense)

You are a trained bodyguard, and can instinctively react to threats to other people. This is an improved version of the Meatshield stunt. When somebody within your Move in meters is attacked, you can move adjacent to them. If you cannot move adjacent, you cannot move at all. You then interpose yourself between the attacker and ally, redirecting the attack to hit you. You also get a +3 Dodge_All_(Action_Powers) bonus for the current shot. You can use this even in situations where you are not aware of the attack or in a Surprise round but not when you are out of shots for other reasons.

Bulletproof Nudity

Stance

Nudity can distract an opponents at critical moments. If nothing else, it makes the audience root for you. You must be more naked than the local cultural norm allows to use this, and not encumbered by excessive gear or wear armor. You can strip down as a part of activating the stance. Add +2 to your Dodge. Multiple Dodge bonuses do not stack.

Bullheaded

Inherent

You are sure of yourself and not easily impressed by intimidation or social pressure. You can use your Dodge as a defense where you'd normally use Impress.

Cold Fish

Inherent

You are not easily swayed by charm and whiles. You can use your Dodge as a defense where you'd normally use Charm.

Crazy

Basic Action

Your motivations can rapidly and unexpectedly change. While being affected normally by social interactions and mental effects, you can completely change your motivations and negate all such effects you are currently under. You have to role-play this change of agenda. Examples include going from a peaceful healer to a raging maniac or from a loyal retainer to glory hound. You can only do this once per scene. You can use this schtick even when something would normally prevent you from doing so. This cannot end a Curse, but can cancel the effect of a social or mental curse for a round.

Defensive Reflex

Trigger Action (Defense)

You have reflexes honed to defense. When attacked and unable to use a Trigger Action (Defense), such as when you are surprised, the attack is a trigger action, or have zero shots left, you gain a Dodge bonus of +3 for the rest of the shot. You can do this even if you have no have no shots remaining.

En Garde

Stance

You scorn the use of shields and brute weapons, relying on defensive weapons and a good fighting stance to protect you. Add +2 to your Dodge. Multiple Dodge bonuses do not stack. To use En Garde, you must be using a melee weapon with the Parry ability. This includes a weapon gaining Parry from Melee Technique or similar.

Grenade Leap

Trigger Action (Defense)

When attacked by an area attack, you can use this to get a +3 bonus to Dodge and take a move in any direction, including up. You can use it with one of your own area attacks to leap in this way as long as you are in the area of the attack—you don't take damage from your own attack in this case. You are moving after the attack, so you do not get the benefit of any cover you move into.

Hold the Line

Focus

When an ally within 3 meters of you takes a Hit, you can focus.

Invincible Superiority

Trigger Action (Defense)

Use your exceptional abilities as a universal defense. This is beneficial when the difference in ability scores is more than 3. When you use this schtick, select one ability score, Body, Mind, or Reflexes. For the current shot add the chosen attribute to your Dodge and to each attacker's Melee or Shoot.

Kiss the Ground

Trigger Action (Defense)

When attacked you can drop prone and get a Dodge bonus of +3 against ranged attacks only until you take your next Basic Action or Limit Break.

Look Out!

Trigger Action (Defense)

When one or more of your friends are the target of an ability where Dodge is the difficulty, you can substitute your own Dodge for that of your friends' for the current shot. Normally, you need to be within Dodge meters of them to do this, but if you have some means of communicating and are aware of the situation, you can use this at a longer range.

Martial Arts Stance

Stance

You scorn the use of weapons, relying on a good fighting stance to protect you. Add +2 to your Dodge. To use Martial Arts Stance you must be using unarmed attacks or a Signature Melee Weapon.

Master Dodge

Basic Action

When you would ordinarily be hit by an attack you can take an active dodge, which increases your Dodge value by +3 for the current shot. You also give the +3 bonus to another when you do the Look Out! stunt. Finally, the difficulty of Analyze Weakness against you is equal to your Dodge at all times.

Signature Armor

Inherent

Select one specific set of armor, like the family ancestral full plate or the titanium flak jacket that saved your life in the Desert War. Your fate is linked to this armor.

• Even light Signature Armor gives you some protection. Your Toughness becomes Body +4 if it would normally be less than this.
• You can own and operate this armor legally even if it would normally be beyond your means, illegal, or require some special license. People tend to not question your right to take it along; unless the GM makes a montage of how it is taken, the armor stays with you. It can also pop up in the unlikeliest places seemingly on its own.
• It is harder to steal or damage this armor. You are Confident on any stunt to hide or interaction check to keep the armor. When others try stunts to disarm or make you lose the armor, they are Stymied. Even if it is stolen, it always crops up later — it is never permanently lost.
• The armor is tougher than normal, having a minimum Toughness score equal to your Dodge. Even when seemingly destroyed, the armor can always be repaired.
• You become fully proficient with the armor, gaining the effects of Armor Proficiency but only with this specific suit of armor.
• Finally, the armor becomes infused with your essence. It is considered a supernatural or magical armor in situations where this matters.