Post by CJ on Feb 11, 2008 9:01:28 GMT -5
Movement Skills are passive skills that allow one to move more quickly about the field. No matter what medium the skill demands you travel through, or what direction, you will usually move a number of Units equal to the Level of the skill, per Act you spend. One Unit is roughly around 8 feet, though this isn't a rock solid number.
With most Movements, you can spend as many Act as you like to move as far in that direction as it gets you, but this may not be the case with some skills, such as Jump or Glide.
If for any reason you want to use stats to determine the winner of a race of some kind, multiply the Move Skill level by the Speed of each participant. Highest number wins.
Even if you do not spend any slots on Movement Skills, you are considered to have Jump and Run effectively at level 1/2. You are also considered to have Level 1/2 Swim, but cannot swim upward, only horizontally, and you will sink like a rock as soon as you stop doing so. On a somewhat related note, the same is true for being in the air using Fly. You are also considered to have Level 1/2 Climb, but can only climb ropes, ladders, or formations with obvious handholds.
Standard fall speed is 2 Units per turn when Flying, and 4 when jumping or freefalling. Standard sink speed is 1 Unit per action you take (not counting Swim) and/or Round. All of these speeds increase by 1 for every 7 Units of armor you're wearing.
Don't worry too much about that though. It will probably never come up unless you take Fly.
IN BATTLE NOTE: In battle, a standard human-sized enemy will take 2 Units of running to get behind, and 1 to get to the side. If you run 3 Units instead to get behind, it's much safer as you won't pass directly by your target. Jumping requires only 1 Unit to get behind and 2 to do so safely, but the recovery time may get you smacked from behind yourself, and it can't be used to get to the side very well. If the target is much larger than a human, it make take additional movement at the GM's discression.
Here is a list of all the Movement Skills that currently exist. I think I'v pretty much covered every way there is to move, but if you think of one that isn't here and you want to take it, feel free to talk to me about it.
Run - Allows horizontal movement along the ground. Putting on a burst of speed can be handy for dodging certain attacks, at the GM's discression. Keep in mind that which direction you run may be just as important as how far. Hazardous ground or thick foilage may hamper Run skill, as will obstruction of the legs. Run skill is halved while underwater, as well.
Even if you don't have legs, Run skill is still takable. It simply refers to the speed at which you slither or slide or whatever it is you do.
Jump - Allows vertical movement straight up from wherever you jump from, though unless you have a skill for it, you must do so from the ground. If you Jump while running, then you will cover horizontal distance equal to your Jump and Run skills tallied, and will be in the air for most of it. With standstill jump, you can cover half your Jump skill in horizontal distance, but this is very slow.
Leap - For every level in this skill, increase horizontal distance covered by a Jump by one, whether it be a running jump or a standstill jump.
Triangle Jump/Wall Bounce - Allows one to Jump again, as long as you have a wall nearby to kick off of. You can only take two levels of this skill. The first only allows you to apply your Jump in a direction perpendicular to the wall you're bouncing off, meaning you can't usually use it to go upward, and you can't use it to return to the wall and jump again. The second level allows you to apply your Jump skill in any direction from any wall.
Taking this skill is somewhat restricted, based on the game you came from.
Climb - Allows vertical movement up any scalable surface. Whether you have the skill or not, you can only use Climb a number of times equal to your Power Bonus before you must rest your arms and/or legs. If you have Climb, you can then hang indefinately. If you don't, then you fall. In addition to distance traveled, each level of Climb allows you to take on tougher wallcrawls.
Level 1 - Trees, vines, ect
Level 2 - Relatively craggy walls
Level 3 - Anything but a sheer (flat) surface.
Level 4 - Even sheer surfaces. No one knows how.
Wall Drag - A Movement Skill that allows one to cling to a wall. One use of this skill will remain in effect until you break contact with the wall for whatever reason. Every Level of this reduces your Fall speed by 1. It can be reduced to 0, but not into the negatives, and a reduction to 0 will cause you to effectively stick right to the wall. For purposes of Climb, using this skill counts as 'resting' your arms. You will fall your modified Fall Speed once before your arms are rested up. This skill costs no Act, it instantly kicks in if a wall is close enough, unless for some reason you don't want it to.
Skate - Basically the same as a Run skill, only it is used for movement across slippery terrains like ice, or an oil/grease coated floor. As a bonus quirk, this skill also allows you to maintain your balance when standing on slippery footing, negating any penalties stemming from such.
Waterskate - Basically the same as Skate, only it is used for movement across the tops of liquids by standing on the surface tension, like a water strider. Keep in mind that you are still generally touching said liquid with the bottoms of your feet, so going across very hot stuff or caustic liquid isn't a great idea without proper footware. This skill also lets you stand on said liquids, but once any part of you breaks the surface, this skill will be useless.
Dig - Allows downward movement into the ground. Use of this skill tends to require some sort of hard sharp object or objects, like a shovel or claws. Once completely underground, one can also use this skill to move in any direction at the speed their level dictates. Without skills, taking Action while underground or without taking a turn to fully pull yourself out is impossible. This skill can also be used to dig for treasure.
Swim - Allows movement in any direction while submerged at least to the chest in liquid, as long as this distance does not bring you out of liquid. Some liquids may be harder or easier to swim in. Having this skill does not make you sink slower, but it does allow you to swim back up if you're getting too low for comfort. It also doesn't prevent you from drowning if you stay under too long.
Tread Water - While most movement skills move you, this does just the opposite. It keeps you in place. Just having this skill is enough to prevent you from sinking, but at level 1 you must have both hands and both feet free or you will sink at half normal speed.
Level 2 - Only three 'limbs' are needed to maintain tread.
Level 3 - Only two limbs are needed to maintain tread.
Level 4 - You don't sink unless you want to, period.
Fly- Allows movement in any direction as long as one is completely off the ground, meaning you have to jump or be thrown somehow. You cannot use this underwater. To take this skill you need wings or other propulsion of some sort, which you can't just sprout if you don't naturally have them. Thus, taking this skill is somewhat restricted. Chi flight or other such things will usually be full slot abilities, not passives. Also remember that even once in the air, you will fall constantly at the rate listed above.
Hover - Like Tread Water, this "movement" skill keeps you from falling. Unlike Tread Water, you use an Act to activate it, but can activate it multiple times to maintain your height. This skill doesn't necessarily 'require' wings or anything, but it's kind of suggested that you have them or else have a pretty good reason to take it. Below is the amount of time Hover will last per activation for each level.
Level 1 - Stops you from falling for 1/4 of a Round.
Level 2 - Stops you from falling for 1/2 of a Round.
Level 3 - Stops you from falling for 3/4 of a Round.
Level 4 - Stops you from falling for one Round.
Glide - A mixture of Hover and Fly. Allows horizontal movement through the air, as long as one is at least 1 Unit upward. For every Unit you sink, you will travel forward a number equal to your Glide skill. Like Hover, this doesn't require wings or anything, but it would be nice if you had a reason to take it.
Move - The ultimate movement skill. Each level of this is a full slot. Move in any direction, through anything, a number of Units equal to your skill. To take this skill, you must already have Fly, Swim, Climb, Dig, Run, Waterskate, Skate, and Jump maxxed out.
With most Movements, you can spend as many Act as you like to move as far in that direction as it gets you, but this may not be the case with some skills, such as Jump or Glide.
If for any reason you want to use stats to determine the winner of a race of some kind, multiply the Move Skill level by the Speed of each participant. Highest number wins.
Even if you do not spend any slots on Movement Skills, you are considered to have Jump and Run effectively at level 1/2. You are also considered to have Level 1/2 Swim, but cannot swim upward, only horizontally, and you will sink like a rock as soon as you stop doing so. On a somewhat related note, the same is true for being in the air using Fly. You are also considered to have Level 1/2 Climb, but can only climb ropes, ladders, or formations with obvious handholds.
Standard fall speed is 2 Units per turn when Flying, and 4 when jumping or freefalling. Standard sink speed is 1 Unit per action you take (not counting Swim) and/or Round. All of these speeds increase by 1 for every 7 Units of armor you're wearing.
Don't worry too much about that though. It will probably never come up unless you take Fly.
IN BATTLE NOTE: In battle, a standard human-sized enemy will take 2 Units of running to get behind, and 1 to get to the side. If you run 3 Units instead to get behind, it's much safer as you won't pass directly by your target. Jumping requires only 1 Unit to get behind and 2 to do so safely, but the recovery time may get you smacked from behind yourself, and it can't be used to get to the side very well. If the target is much larger than a human, it make take additional movement at the GM's discression.
Here is a list of all the Movement Skills that currently exist. I think I'v pretty much covered every way there is to move, but if you think of one that isn't here and you want to take it, feel free to talk to me about it.
Run - Allows horizontal movement along the ground. Putting on a burst of speed can be handy for dodging certain attacks, at the GM's discression. Keep in mind that which direction you run may be just as important as how far. Hazardous ground or thick foilage may hamper Run skill, as will obstruction of the legs. Run skill is halved while underwater, as well.
Even if you don't have legs, Run skill is still takable. It simply refers to the speed at which you slither or slide or whatever it is you do.
Jump - Allows vertical movement straight up from wherever you jump from, though unless you have a skill for it, you must do so from the ground. If you Jump while running, then you will cover horizontal distance equal to your Jump and Run skills tallied, and will be in the air for most of it. With standstill jump, you can cover half your Jump skill in horizontal distance, but this is very slow.
Leap - For every level in this skill, increase horizontal distance covered by a Jump by one, whether it be a running jump or a standstill jump.
Triangle Jump/Wall Bounce - Allows one to Jump again, as long as you have a wall nearby to kick off of. You can only take two levels of this skill. The first only allows you to apply your Jump in a direction perpendicular to the wall you're bouncing off, meaning you can't usually use it to go upward, and you can't use it to return to the wall and jump again. The second level allows you to apply your Jump skill in any direction from any wall.
Taking this skill is somewhat restricted, based on the game you came from.
Climb - Allows vertical movement up any scalable surface. Whether you have the skill or not, you can only use Climb a number of times equal to your Power Bonus before you must rest your arms and/or legs. If you have Climb, you can then hang indefinately. If you don't, then you fall. In addition to distance traveled, each level of Climb allows you to take on tougher wallcrawls.
Level 1 - Trees, vines, ect
Level 2 - Relatively craggy walls
Level 3 - Anything but a sheer (flat) surface.
Level 4 - Even sheer surfaces. No one knows how.
Wall Drag - A Movement Skill that allows one to cling to a wall. One use of this skill will remain in effect until you break contact with the wall for whatever reason. Every Level of this reduces your Fall speed by 1. It can be reduced to 0, but not into the negatives, and a reduction to 0 will cause you to effectively stick right to the wall. For purposes of Climb, using this skill counts as 'resting' your arms. You will fall your modified Fall Speed once before your arms are rested up. This skill costs no Act, it instantly kicks in if a wall is close enough, unless for some reason you don't want it to.
Skate - Basically the same as a Run skill, only it is used for movement across slippery terrains like ice, or an oil/grease coated floor. As a bonus quirk, this skill also allows you to maintain your balance when standing on slippery footing, negating any penalties stemming from such.
Waterskate - Basically the same as Skate, only it is used for movement across the tops of liquids by standing on the surface tension, like a water strider. Keep in mind that you are still generally touching said liquid with the bottoms of your feet, so going across very hot stuff or caustic liquid isn't a great idea without proper footware. This skill also lets you stand on said liquids, but once any part of you breaks the surface, this skill will be useless.
Dig - Allows downward movement into the ground. Use of this skill tends to require some sort of hard sharp object or objects, like a shovel or claws. Once completely underground, one can also use this skill to move in any direction at the speed their level dictates. Without skills, taking Action while underground or without taking a turn to fully pull yourself out is impossible. This skill can also be used to dig for treasure.
Swim - Allows movement in any direction while submerged at least to the chest in liquid, as long as this distance does not bring you out of liquid. Some liquids may be harder or easier to swim in. Having this skill does not make you sink slower, but it does allow you to swim back up if you're getting too low for comfort. It also doesn't prevent you from drowning if you stay under too long.
Tread Water - While most movement skills move you, this does just the opposite. It keeps you in place. Just having this skill is enough to prevent you from sinking, but at level 1 you must have both hands and both feet free or you will sink at half normal speed.
Level 2 - Only three 'limbs' are needed to maintain tread.
Level 3 - Only two limbs are needed to maintain tread.
Level 4 - You don't sink unless you want to, period.
Fly- Allows movement in any direction as long as one is completely off the ground, meaning you have to jump or be thrown somehow. You cannot use this underwater. To take this skill you need wings or other propulsion of some sort, which you can't just sprout if you don't naturally have them. Thus, taking this skill is somewhat restricted. Chi flight or other such things will usually be full slot abilities, not passives. Also remember that even once in the air, you will fall constantly at the rate listed above.
Hover - Like Tread Water, this "movement" skill keeps you from falling. Unlike Tread Water, you use an Act to activate it, but can activate it multiple times to maintain your height. This skill doesn't necessarily 'require' wings or anything, but it's kind of suggested that you have them or else have a pretty good reason to take it. Below is the amount of time Hover will last per activation for each level.
Level 1 - Stops you from falling for 1/4 of a Round.
Level 2 - Stops you from falling for 1/2 of a Round.
Level 3 - Stops you from falling for 3/4 of a Round.
Level 4 - Stops you from falling for one Round.
Glide - A mixture of Hover and Fly. Allows horizontal movement through the air, as long as one is at least 1 Unit upward. For every Unit you sink, you will travel forward a number equal to your Glide skill. Like Hover, this doesn't require wings or anything, but it would be nice if you had a reason to take it.
Move - The ultimate movement skill. Each level of this is a full slot. Move in any direction, through anything, a number of Units equal to your skill. To take this skill, you must already have Fly, Swim, Climb, Dig, Run, Waterskate, Skate, and Jump maxxed out.