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- Ironskin (Physical 50) — Through physical training and toughening a character
makes himself more resistant to physical damage, improving his
Armor Class by one. This skill is constantly in effect and may
be used in conjunction with armor.
- Juggling (Physical 1, Dexterity/Balance -1) — The character can juggle,
a talent useful for entertainment, diversion and certain rare
emergencies. When juggling normally (to entertain or distract),
no skill check is required (as long as the character has a skill
score of 50% or higher). A check is required when attempting spectacular
tricks (“Watch me eat this apple in midair!”).
- However, Juggling also enables the character to attempt desperate
moves. On a successful attack roll vs. AC 0 (not a skill check),
the character with a skill score of 50% or higher can catch small
items thrown to harm him (as opposed to items thrown for him to
catch). The character's attack roll is modified by +1 bonus to
hit per 20 points of his Juggling skill score if a successful
skill check is made. Thus, the character with a 75% skill score
could on a successful attack roll modified by a +3 bonus to hit,
catch a dagger or a dart before it hits. If this attack roll fails,
however, the character automatically suffers damage (sticking
your hand in the path of a dagger is likely to hurt).
- Racial modifiers: Dwarves are penalized by -5% when using this skill.
- Jumping (Physical 1, Strength/Muscle, Dexterity/Balance) — The character
can attempt exceptional leaps both vertically and horizontally.
If the character has at least a 20-foot running start, he can
leap (broad jump) 2d6 feet plus one foot per level. No character
can broad jump more than six times his height, however. With the
same start, he can leap vertically (high jump) 1d3 feet plus half
his level in feet. No character can high jump more than one-and-a-half
times his own height.
- From a standing start, a character with this skill can broad jump
1d6 feet plus half his level in feet and high jump only three
feet.
- The character can also attempt vaults using a pole. A vault requires
at least a 30-foot running start. If a pole is used, it must be
four to 10 feet longer than the character’s height. The vault
spans a distance equal to one-and-a-half times the length of the
pole. The character can clear heights equal to the height of the
pole. He can also choose to land on his feet if the vault carries
him over an obstacle no higher than half the height of his pole.
Thus, using a 12-foot pole, the character could either vault through
a window 12 feet off the ground (tumbling into the room beyond),
land on his feet in an opening six feet off the ground, or vault
across a moat 18 feet wide. In all cases, the pole is dropped
at the end of the vault.
- For every 25 skill points above 50 a character has in the Jumping
skill he may on a successful skill check add one foot to the length
of his jump. The character can exceed the normal maximums based
on his height through this means.
- Barbarians: Barbarians already have exceptional leaping and springing abilities.
In most cases, spending slots on the Jumping skill won’t improve
their natural skills. Barbarians usually won’t attempt pole vaults,
regardless of whether they have this skill.
- Jumping, Salmon Leap (Physical 2, Strength/Muscle, Dexterity/Balance) — The Salmon
Leap is a standing high jump, which can be used in battle to strike
over an opponent’s shield or to leap over an attacking weapon.
The Salmon Leap can be learned by any warrior or crusader (priest)
who has a skill score of 90% or higher in Jumping. (Some specialty priests of war- or combat-oriented deities,
at the DM's discretion, may also learn this skill.)
- By using the Salmon Leap (which counts as an attack), a character
may make a standing high jump of 1d3 feet plus his level in feet,
with a minimum of 3 feet. Combining the Salmon Leap with an attack
over an opponent’s shield gives the attack +2 to hit unless the
opponent makes a successful Dexterity/Balance ability check. Using
the Salmon Leap to dodge an attack improves the character’s Armor
Class by 2. A separate roll must be made for each attack dodged
and the bonus to Armor Class is cumulative with all other bonuses.
- To use the Salmon Leap a character makes a skill check to see
whether the Salmon Leap was successfully carried out. If unsuccessful,
the leap is ineffective and the attack automatically misses. Whether
the attack is successful or unsuccessful, the attacker loses all
Dexterity bonuses to Armor Class during the round the maneuver
is used.
- If the Salmon Leap is used to dodge an attack and the skill check
is unsuccessful, there is no penalty except on a critical failure
(a roll of 96-00). In the case of a critical failure, for the
remainder of the round, the character loses all Dexterity bonuses
to Armor Class or is penalized by -2 to Armor Class, whichever
is greater. In addition, no further attempts to Salmon Leap (offensive
or defensive) may be made in the same round as a critical failure
result. Whether the action succeeds or fails, the leap counts
as an attack.
- Light Sleeping (Physical 2, Constitution/Fitness -1) — This skill lets the character
receive the benefits of a full night’s rest from a one-hour nap.
The character must make a skill check before going to sleep. If
the check succeeds, the character awakens in an hour, fully refreshed
and he recovers the same amount of lost hit points as if he’d
rested for eight hours. If the check fails, he remains asleep,
awakening as usual. He may use this skill only once per week,
regardless of whether the check fails or succeeds.
- This skill is not effective for purposes of spell memorization.
 
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