Athletics allows you to perform deeds of physical prowess. Most Athletics actions let you move about the environment (Climb, High Jump, Long Jump, Swim) or control your opponent’s movement in combat (Grapple, Reposition, Shove, Trip, and Disarm).

Escape: When you use the Escape basic action, you can use your Athletics modifier instead of your unarmed attack modifier.

Climb [one-action]
Move

Requirements You have two hands free.

You attempt an Athletics check to move a maximum distance of 5 feet up, down, or across an incline. You’re off-guard while climbing unless you have a climb Speed. The GM determines the DC based on the nature of the incline and environmental circumstances; you might get an automatic critical success on an incline that’s trivial to climb. If your land Speed is 40 feet or higher, increase the maximum distance by 5 feet for every 20 feet of Speed above 20 feet.

Critical Success You move along the incline, increasing the maximum distance by 5 feet.

Success You move along the incline.

Critical Failure You fall. If you began the climb on stable ground, you fall and land prone.

Sample Climb Tasks

Untrained ladder, steep slope, low-branched tree
Trained rigging, rope, typical tree
Expert wall with small handholds and footholds
Master ceiling with handholds and footholds, rock wall
Legendary smooth surface

Force Open [one-action]
Attack

Using your body, a lever, or some other tool, you attempt to forcefully open a door, window, container or heavy gate. With a high enough result, you can even smash through walls. Without a crowbar, prying something open takes a –2 item penalty to the Athletics check to Force Open.

Critical Success You open the door, window, container, or gate and can avoid damaging it in the process.

Success You break the door, window, container, or gate open, and it gains the broken condition. If it’s especially sturdy, the GM might have it take damage but not be broken.

Critical Failure Your attempt jams the door, window, container, or gate shut, imposing a –2 circumstance penalty on future attempts to Force it Open.

Sample Force Open Tasks

Untrained fabric, flimsy glass
Trained ice, sturdy glass
Expert flimsy wooden door, wooden portcullis
Master sturdy wooden door, iron portcullis, metal bar
Legendary stone or iron door

Grapple [one-action]
Attack

Requirements You have at least one free hand and your target is no more than one size larger than you.

You attempt to grab a creature or object with your free hand. Attempt an Athletics check against the target’s Fortitude DC. You can Grapple a target you already have grabbed or restrained without having a hand free.

Critical Success Your target is restrained until the end of your next turn unless you move or your target Escapes.

Success Your target is grabbed until the end of your next turn unless you move or your target Escapes.

Failure You fail to grab your target. If you already had the target grabbed or restrained using a Grapple, those conditions on the target end.

Critical Failure If you already had the target grabbed or restrained, it breaks free. Your target can either grab you, as if it succeeded at using the Grapple action against you, or force you to fall and land prone.

High Jump [two-actions]

You Stride, then attempt a DC 30 Athletics check to jump vertically. If you didn’t Stride at least 10 feet, you automatically fail. This DC might be increased or decreased due to the situation, as determined by the GM.

Critical Success You Leap up to 8 feet vertically and 10 feet horizontally.

Success You Leap up to 5 feet vertically and 5 feet horizontally.

Failure You Leap normally.

Critical Failure You fall prone in your space.

Long Jump [two-actions]

You Stride, then attempt a DC 15 Athletics check to make a long jump in the direction you were Striding. If you didn’t Stride at least 10 feet, you automatically fail your check. The GM might increase or decrease this DC depending on the situation.

Success You Leap a distance equal to your check result rounded down to the nearest 5 feet. You can’t jump farther than your land Speed.

Failure You make a normal horizontal Leap.

Critical Failure You make a normal horizontal Leap, then fall and land prone.

Leap

The Leap basic action is used for High Jump and Long Jump. A horizontal Leap lets you jump up to 10 feet horizontally if your Speed is at least 15 feet, or up to 15 feet horizontally if your Speed is at least 30 feet. You land in the space where your Leap ends (meaning you can typically clear a 5-foot gap if your Speed is between 15 feet and 30 feet, or a 10-foot gap if your Speed is 30 feet or more).

A vertical Leap lets you jump up to 3 feet vertically and 5 feet horizontally onto an elevated surface.

Forced Movement

Reposition and Shove force a creature to move. When an effect forces you to move, or if you start falling, the distance you move is defined by the effect that moved you, not by your Speed. Because you’re not acting to move, this doesn’t trigger reactions triggered by movement.

Reposition [one-action]
Attack

Requirements You either have at least one hand free, or you’re grabbing or restraining the target. The target can’t be more than one size larger than you.

You muscle a creature or object around. Attempt an Athletics check against the target’s Fortitude DC.

Critical Success You move the creature up to 10 feet. It must remain within your reach during this movement, and you can’t move it into or through obstacles.

Success You move the target up to 5 feet. It must remain within your reach during this movement, and you can’t move it into or through obstacles.

Critical Failure The target can move you up to 5 feet as though it successfully Repositioned you.

Shove [one-action]
Attack

Requirements You have at least one hand free. The target can’t be more than one size larger than you.

You push a creature away from you. Attempt an Athletics check against your target’s Fortitude DC.

Critical Success You push your target up to 10 feet away from you. You can Stride after it, but you must move the same distance and in the same direction.

Success You push your target back 5 feet. You can Stride after it, but you must move the same distance and in the same direction.

Critical Failure You lose your balance, fall, and land prone.

Swim [one-action]
Move

You attempt an Athletics check to move a maximum distance of 10 feet through water. The GM determines the DC based on the turbulence or danger of the water; in most instances of calm water, you get an automatic critical success. If your land Speed is 40 feet or higher, increase the maximum possible distance by 5 feet for every 20 feet of Speed above 20 feet.

If you end your turn in water and haven’t succeeded at a Swim action that turn, you sink 10 feet or get moved by the current, as determined by the GM. This doesn’t apply if your last action on your turn was to enter the water.

Critical Success You move through the water, increasing the maximum distance by 5 feet.

Success You move through the water.

Critical Failure You make no progress. If you’re holding your breath, you lose 1 round of air.

Sample Swim Tasks

Untrained lake or other still water
Trained flowing water, like a river
Expert swiftly flowing river
Master stormy sea
Legendary maelstrom, waterfall

Trip [one-action]
Attack

Requirements You have at least one hand free. Your target can’t be more than one size larger than you.

You try to knock a creature to the ground. Attempt an Athletics check against the target’s Reflex DC.

Critical Success The target falls, lands prone, and takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage.

Success The target falls and lands prone.

Critical Failure You lose your balance, fall, and land prone.

Athletics Trained Action

Disarm [one-action]
Attack

Requirements You have at least one hand free. The target can’t be more than one size larger than you.

You try to knock an item out of a creature’s grasp. Attempt an Athletics check against the target’s Reflex DC.

Critical Success You knock the item out of the target’s grasp. It falls to the ground in the target’s space.

Success You weaken your target’s grasp on the item. Further attempts to Disarm the target of that item gain a +2 circumstance bonus, and the target takes a –2 circumstance penalty to attacks with the item or other checks requiring a firm grasp on the item. The creature can end the effect by Interacting to change its grip on the item; otherwise, it lasts as long as the creature holds the item.

Critical Failure You lose your balance and become off-guard until the start of your next turn.