Agility
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Parent Stat | Body |
| Values | |
| Stat Min | -10 |
| Base Value | 0 |
Agility represents a character's ability to control their body with precision, speed, and coordination. It governs feats of dexterity ranging from delicate sleight of hand to acrobatics, balance, rapid movement, and other actions where success depends less on raw physical power and more on putting the body exactly where it needs to be. An agile character can move through difficult terrain, manipulate objects with precision, maintain their balance in precarious situations, and perform complicated physical movements with confidence.
Agility is also closely associated with grace and physical coordination. It may determine how well a character catches a falling object, slips through a narrow opening, keeps their footing on an unstable surface, or performs a complicated dance or other physical routine. Where Strength asks whether a character can apply enough force, Agility asks whether they can apply the right movement at precisely the right moment.
Agility Checks
When performing a feat that relies primarily on dexterity, coordination, balance, or precise movement, the GM may ask for an Agility Check. A basic Agility modifier is zero, but characters such as Rogues, an Aq Aydahar, or an Aq Aydahar Rogue may have high Agility modifiers even at low levels of Power.
An Agility Check is performed by rolling a 20-sided die, to which the Agility bonus is added, or the Agility penalty subtracted. A total roll of 11 or higher indicates success. Extremely difficult tasks may require a higher roll, as determined by the GM. Critical successes occur when the required total is reached or exceeded on a natural 20. This may inspire the GM to sweeten the outcome of the check. Conversely, a natural 1 is an automatic failure, even if the addition of a bonus would otherwise exceed the required roll. This Critical Failure may inspire the GM to impose additional consequences upon the failed feat of agility.
Feats of Agility are extremely varied. They might include sleight of hand, feats of balance, climbing, tumbling, acrobatics, escaping restraints, moving quietly, catching or throwing an object with precision, or performing complicated physical maneuvers. Agility may also be called upon for musical or dance performances when success depends upon physical coordination and timing. In general, whenever a character must be quick, nimble, precise, or graceful rather than simply strong, Agility is likely to be the appropriate stat.
Agility Saving Throws
When something happens to a character that Agility alone can mitigate, the GM may call for an Agility Saving Throw. The player rolls a 20-sided die and adds their Agility modifier to the roll. The resulting total indicates to the GM whether the character avoids the danger, reduces its effect, or is subjected to the calamity requiring an agile response.
Agility Saving Throws are particularly important when there is little time to react and physical movement is the character's best defense. Examples might include:
- Dodging a falling object or other sudden hazard.
- Leaping out of the way of an explosion or collapsing structure.
- Avoiding a trap that has been triggered.
- Keeping one's footing when a surface suddenly shifts.
- Twisting or rolling away from an incoming attack.
- Catching oneself before falling from a height.
- Avoiding being knocked into a dangerous location.
- Moving through a rapidly closing doorway or other narrowing opening.
- Escaping a creature or environmental effect that attempts to pin, crush, or sweep the character away.
- Maintaining balance while crossing a narrow, unstable, or moving surface.
A successful Agility Saving Throw can be life-saving, as it may mitigate up to 100% of the damage that might otherwise have been caused. Unlike an Agility Check, which generally represents an intentional feat undertaken by the character, an Agility Saving Throw is usually a reaction to something already happening. The character is not trying to perform a feat so much as trying not to become part of the scenery.
Loss of Agility
A character's Agility may be reduced by disease, curses, special creature attacks, injuries, or other effects. A reduction in Agility results in a corresponding reduction of the character's Agility modifier and may also cause the loss or suppression of powers that require a minimum Agility modifier. Such effects can therefore weaken a character in ways that extend well beyond ordinary physical movement.
The consequences may be temporary or permanent, depending upon the source of the effect. A temporary reduction may disappear when the disease, curse, attack, or other condition is overcome. A permanent loss is considerably more serious, particularly for characters whose abilities depend upon exceptional coordination or dexterity. Permanent losses of Agility can be recovered by Powering Up and converting Power to Agility in the Player's Workshop.
Related Stats
Agility is one of the three Body stats, along with Endurance and Strength. Together, these stats describe the fundamental physical capabilities of a character. Strength represents physical force, Endurance represents physical resilience, and Agility represents coordination, precision, movement, and reaction.
The three Body stats are also used to calculate increases in a character's Body Point totals, making them particularly important to martial characters such as the Brute and Knight. Agility therefore contributes to a character's physical foundation in more ways than simply determining how gracefully they can move. For some characters, the ability to get out of the way is every bit as valuable as the ability to withstand what happens when they do not.
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