The Acrobat Role
By Eric Jwo
Acrobats are rogue heroes who have mastered their tumbling and acrobatic skills in order to accomplish their goals. Many acrobats use their skills to perform in traveling shows or to entertain the wealthy. Acrobat-thieves use their skills to walk along tightropes to reach their marks, climb sheer walls, and avoid law enforcement. Acrobat-warriors often use their skills to dodge enemy weapons, overcome physical obstacles, and to evade their enemies.
Acrobats have spent years perfecting their skills. They have trained for so long that tumbling, dodging, catching, and climbing are second nature to them. Whereas a warrior might back into a table to avoid a quick sword thrust, an acrobat would somersault backwards over the table automatically.
Acrobats have their own fighting styles as well. Jackie Chan movies provide a great example of an acrobat's fighting techniques, since his mixture of dodging and improvising exemplifies the acrobat's skills.
An example of an acrobat is Calarran from the short story "Lessons of the Land." Gem from "The Magnificant Two" is also a good example of an acrobat. Both of these short stories appear in the Dragonlance anthology entitled Dragons of Chaos.
Requirements
An acrobat depends greatly on his Agility and Dexterity to perform his skillful feats. Therefore, an acrobat needs a minimum score of 7 in both Agility and Dexterity. However, this strenuous training depends on an acrobat to be lithe and slim. An acrobat cannot be large and muscled and still perform adequately. Therefore, an acrobat has a maximum Endurance score of 5. Acrobats tend to remain aloof. Acrobats are talented at sneaking and dodging, but not leading. Therefore, an acrobat has a maximum Presence score of 5.
Acrobats spend a lot of time improving their Perception and Dexterity. Therefore, an acrobat must have a code of "B" or higher in both Dexterity and Perception. The time spent on their training limits an acrobat's knowledge of the arcane. Therefore, an acorbat has a maximum score of "B" in Spirit, and a maximum score of "C" in Reason. The strenuous training of an acrobat also limits an acrobat's knowledge of the art of war. Therefore, an acrobat has a maximum code of "B" in Strength.
Only human, elves, half-elves, and kender may adopt this role. This role cannot be adopted during play.
Advantages
Acrobats are superbly trained and have taken advantage of their skills. Any Agility action, such as dodging an arrow, walking a tightrope, completeing a somersault, or dodging a boulder, is automatically considered a trump. Dexterity actions involving thrown weapons, improvised weapons, and acrobatic feats are also considered trump bonuses.
Disadvantages
An acrobat needs to remain light and unemcumbered in order to utilize his skills. Therefore, an acrobat cannot wear armor heavier than leather. Also, an acrobat needs to keep his hands free and ready. Therefore, an acrobat cannot wear gloves or gauntlets, cannot use shields, and an acrobat cannot use two-handed weapons. While teh above weapons may be used temporarily (such as picking up a shield to block an arrow, grabbing a staff to fend off a foe, etc.), they cannot be carried around by an acrobat as permanent possessions.
Also, acrobats are particularly susceptible to magic. Acrobats never receive a trump bonus to resisting sorcery or mysticism. Should an acrobat hero ever learn a sphere of mysticism, this sphere must be the sphere of channeling.
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