Athletics
Athletics.png

When you gain the Athletics sphere, you become proficient in either Athletics or Acrobatics. If you are already proficient in both, you instead select any one talent from this sphere as a bonus talent.

In addition, you gain the following ability:

Coordinated Movement

Whenever you take the Dash action or Disengage action as an action (but not a bonus action, if you have that ability), you regain your martial focus.

Combat Rule Reminders

Aided Acrobatics

It is possible to perform some acrobatic actions with the aid of a tool. Some examples are given below.

  • Polevault: Use a 10-foot pole, polearm, quarterstaff, or spear to pole vault as an Action, letting you treat your Strength or Dexterity score as 10 higher when determining your jump’s distance or height.
  • Bomb Jump: Throw an explosive behind you as an Action to treat your Strength or Dexterity as 10 higher when determining your jump’s distance or height.
  • Combat Sledding: Ride downhill on a sled or shield to let you take a Dash action as a bonus action.
  • Aided Climb: Use daggers, pickaxes, or some other one-handed piercing weapons to climb a wall that would otherwise be unclimbable.
  • Aided Fall: Use daggers, pickaxes, a tanglefoot bag, or some other piercing weapon as a Reaction to stick to a wall and stop your fall.
  • Gliding: Use a cloak as a Reaction during a running jump to glide 1 foot horizontally for each 2 feet fallen vertically. When performing any such action, you must usually pass a Hard Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (DC 20) to keep from failing and falling prone.

Climb onto a Bigger Creature

When dealing with a creature two sizes larger than yourself, you may treat that creature as terrain for the purpose of jumping onto its back or clinging to a limb. After making any ability checks necessary to get into position and onto the larger creature, the smaller creature uses its action to make a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check contested by the target’s Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. If it wins the contest, the smaller creature successfully moves into the target creature’s space and clings to its body. While in the target’s space, the smaller creature moves with the target and has advantage on attack rolls against it.

The smaller creature can move around within the larger creature’s space, treating the space as difficult terrain. The larger creature’s ability to attack the smaller creature depends on the smaller creature’s location, and is left to your discretion.

The larger creature can dislodge the smaller creature as an action - knocking it off, scraping it against a wall, or grabbing and throwing it - by making a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the smaller creature’s Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. The smaller creature chooses which ability to use.

Rope Swing

You can use a secured chain or rope, a grappling hook, a Tether magic talent (see the Destruction, Telekinesis, or Universal (manabond) spheres in Spheres of Power), or a whip or tendril to swing around the battlefield. There must be something present for the item to attach to (for example, you could lash a chandelier, but not a blank bit of wall). Attaching such an item requires an action and that the anchor spot be within the item’s reach. Treat a grappling hook as having a reach of 30 feet for this purpose. You can make an anchor spot on a creature at least 2 sizes bigger than you, but this requires an attack roll.

Once your rope or weapon is secured, as part of your normal movement you may attempt to move to any other legal square on the ground that is within the rope or weapon’s reach as determined from the anchor point. Your movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity. You must still have a clear path towards the destination. Dislodging your weapon or item requires another action.

Tumble

A creature can try to tumble through a hostile creature’s space, ducking and weaving past the opponent. As an action or a bonus action, the tumbler makes a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check contested by the hostile creature’s Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. If the tumbler wins the contest, it can move through the hostile creature’s space once this turn.

Athletics Basic Talents

Some talents have the (motion) tag, which add an effect to your movement. You cannot apply more than one (motion) talent to a given movement.

Motion Talents

Dizzying Tumble (motion)

Your rapid spins and twists leave a creature reeling. When you exit a space adjacent to a hostile creature, you may spend 10 feet of movement to force that creature to make a Wisdom saving throw. If the creature fails, it takes disadvantage on all attack rolls until the end of your next turn. Once a creature has succeeded on this save, it is immune to your use of this ability until you complete a short or long rest.

Moving Target (motion)

When moving more than 20 feet during your turn, you gain half cover (+2 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws) against ranged attacks and spells until the start of your next turn. If you move at least 40 feet, you may expend your martial focus to increase this to three-quarters cover (+5 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws). If you take this talent a second time, the cover applies to melee attacks as well.

Sudden Flank (motion)

If you successfully tumble through a hostile target’s space, you gain advantage on your next attack against that creature before the end of your turn.

Other Talents

Capoeira Spin

You do not take disadvantage on attack rolls with unarmed strikes due to the prone condition. If you start your turn prone, you may stand up from prone as a bonus action, making a single unarmed attack simultaneously.

Close Quarters Training

You can stand in or move through the space of a hostile creature and even make attacks from that space. You must succeed on a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check opposed by the creature’s Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) (the creature chooses); if you fail, your movement stops in the previous space and you provoke an opportunity attack from them. Attacks you make against a creature you are sharing a space with have disadvantage unless they are made with light weapons, natural weapons, or unarmed strikes.

If two creatures sharing a space in this way are of the same size, they grant each other half cover (+2 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws) against creatures not sharing the space. If one creature is larger, the smaller creature gains three-quarter cover (+5 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws), and the larger creature gains no cover. If this cover is enough to cause an attack to miss, resolve the attack against the other creature using the original attack roll.

Mighty Conditioning

Any time you make a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check, you may use either Strength or Dexterity as your ability (your choice). You can use Dexterity instead of Strength to determine the distance or height you can jump.

Mobility

Opportunity attacks made against you for moving out of a creature’s reach take disadvantage.

Multiple Motions

When moving, you may expend martial focus to apply two (motion) talents to the movement.

Polearm Vaulter

You no longer need to spend an action or pass a check to pole vault. Additionally, when pole vaulting, you can expend your martial focus as a bonus action to increase the distance jumped by an additional 10 feet or the height of a jump by an additional 5 feet regardless of your Strength (or Dexterity) score or remaining movement.

Powerful Wings

If you can fly through the use of wings, you may hover.

Rope Swing

You may attach an appropriate item to perform a rope swing as a bonus action, and dislodging it requires no action at all.

When rope swinging, you may end your movement in the air (as if you had a fly speed) or even swing all the way up to the anchor point as a means of quick climbing.

Rapid Motion

You may take the Dash action as a bonus action.

Scale Foe

You may make the Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check necessary to climb onto a bigger creature as a bonus action instead of an action. Creatures you have climbed on gain disadvantage on any attacks made against you (but not on attempts to dislodge you).

If you possess the Bronco Buster talent of the Beastmastery sphere, you may use Strength (Handle Animal) checks in place of Strength (Athletics) checks when climbing on a bigger creature. If you have the Wrestling sphere, climbing onto a bigger creature counts as grappling them for the purpose of that sphere (within reason; you can’t use Choke Hold or Heel Tactics if you are not near the bigger creature’s neck or eyes, for example). If you possess the Close Quarters Training talent, you gain its benefits while clinging to a bigger creature.

Strong Lungs

You are practiced at quickly collecting a deep breath, drawing in more air in less time. This gives you the following benefits.

  • You gain advantage on any saving throw against an effect that requires inhalation or causes suffocation.
  • You have advantage on Constitution saving throws made against exhaustion as part of a forced march.
  • Multiply the number of rounds you can normally hold your breath by your proficiency bonus.

Sure Grip

The power in your hands is great. This gives you the following benefits.

  • You have advantage on Athletics checks to climb or prevent falling and, as a reaction, may make an Athletics check to catch yourself or another creature within your natural reach when falling.
  • You never drop held items when subject to the frightened, stunned, or unconscious conditions. This includes spells or abilities that cause you to drop held items in addition to being subject to one of these conditions (such as the Fear spell).
  • If you are grappling a creature, your grapple does not end automatically if you become incapacitated.

Swift Movement

When you have martial focus, all of your movement speeds increase by +10 feet.

Training

You become proficient in either Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics). If you are already proficient in one, you may choose to gain twice your proficiency bonus instead. This talent may be taken more than once.

Tumbling Recovery

You may drop prone at any time, even when it is not your turn. Whenever you are knocked prone or drop prone, you may spend a bonus action or reaction to move up to 10 feet in any direction. If used to avoid an attack or area effect, this talent imposes disadvantage on the attack roll and gives you advantage on the Dexterity saving throw.

Unimpeded Positioning

As long as you have martial focus, you ignore non-magical difficult terrain.

Unwilling Boost

You can use the momentum of another creature’s attack to launch yourself. When your movement provokes an attack of opportunity from a creature of at least your own size, You may increase your movement speed for the round by 5 feet per point of the creature’s Strength bonus horizontally, or half that amount vertically. To do this, either the creature must strike you, or if they miss, you must use your bonus action to still use their attack to your advantage. Allies may choose to use their reaction to aid you as if making an attack of opportunity against you, but you still must use a bonus action to take advantage of their aid.

Wall Stunt

You may run up or along walls as if they were flat ground, although you treat them as if they were difficult terrain. You may treat creatures at least two sizes larger than you as if they were walls (with GM discretion), but using a creature in this fashion provokes an attack of opportunity from them. You fall at the end of your turn if you are still on a wall in this fashion unless you have something to hold onto (including a creature, if attempting to climb onto a bigger creature).

Whirlwind Flip

Whenever you succeed at a tumble check against a hostile creature, you regain your martial focus.

Athletics Legendary Talents

Afterimage (motion)

Prerequisites: Athletics sphere.

When moving more than 20 feet during your turn, the speed of your motion causes you to leave behind an afterimage, which may foil your foe’s attacks. This afterimage disappears at the start of your next turn.

Whenever a creature attacks you or targets you with a spell, there is a 50% chance they instead attack your duplicate. Once a creature hits your duplicate, the duplicate is destroyed. An attacker must be able to see the afterimages to be fooled. If you are invisible or the attacker is blind, this ability has no effect.

Air Stunt

Prerequisites: Athletics sphere (Wall Stunt), 5th level or higher.

You may treat the air as if it were a wall for the Wall Stunt talent.

Flash Step (motion)

Prerequisites: Athletics sphere, 11th level or higher.

When you take the Dash action, you may expend martial focus to magically teleport to your final destination without passing through any intervening squares. The place you end must be within sight and must be within the range of your movement speed.

Helicopter Descent

Prerequisites: Athletics sphere (Polearm Vaulter or Rope Swing).

If you end your turn in the air while wielding a Polearm Vaulter or Rope Swing item, you may as a Reaction expend your martial focus to slow the descent of your fall to 60 feet for a number of rounds equal to your proficiency bonus. If you land before the slow descent ends, you take no falling damage and can land on your feet.

Shark Swim

Prerequisites: Athletics sphere.

You gain a swim speed equal to your land speed. If you possess the Strong Lungs talent, you can replace its usual bonus to holding breath and instead hold your breath for a number of hours equal to your Constitution modifier.

Sparrow's Path

Prerequisites: Athletics sphere (Air Stunt, Wall Stunt), 5th level or higher.

You gain a fly speed equal to half your base land speed.

Speed Boost

Prerequisites: Athletics sphere.

You may move an additional 10 feet when taking the Dash or Disengage action. You may also expend your focus to increase your movement speeds by 50 feet for a number of rounds equal to your Constitution modifier. After these rounds end, your exhaustion level increases by 1 until you complete a short or long rest. You suffer this exhaustion even if you are usually immune to exhaustion. You cannot use this ability if your exhaustion is greater than 2.

Spider's Touch

Prerequisites: Athletics sphere.

You gain a climb speed equal to your base land speed. If you possess the Sure Grip talent, you can climb across vertical surfaces and upside down along ceilings. You must have at least 1 hand free to climb.

Terrain Glide

Prerequisites: Athletics sphere, 11th level or higher.

Your skills and muscles honed by swimming allow you to cleave through soil and snow with ease. You can swim through dirt and sand as if it were water. This counts as swimming through difficult terrain (each foot of movement costs 2 extra feet, or 1 if you possess a swim speed). This does not grant you the ability to see or breathe through dirt, meaning you are effectively blind while swimming in this fashion and might run out of air if you spend too long underground.

Variants

Limited Athleticism

You do not gain proficiency in Athletics or Acrobatics and may not take the Training talent. You gain a (motion) talent as a bonus talent.

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