Acrobatics

Advanced, Movement
Agility
The Acrobatics skill encompasses a variety of movement techniques unavailable to less flexible Acolytes. From performing somersaults to tumbling, from flipping through the air to daring leaps and jumps, this Skill expands your movement options.
Use this Skill to perform some spectacular feat of derring-do. The Difficulty depends on the desired action. The more complicated the manoeuvre, such as somersaulting over a group of enraged cultists to grab the skids of a Vulture as it takes off, the harder the difficulty. The more degrees of success you attain, the more impressive the result.
There are two special rules associated with this Skill:
Disengage: You may make an Acrobatics Test when attempting a Disengage Action to reduce it to a Half Action.
Jumping & Leaping: You may substitute an Acrobatics Test for an Agility Test when Jumping or Strength Tests when Leaping.
An Acrobatics Test is typically a Full Action.

Hot Pursuit

Normally, chasing after an opponent or fleeing from a pursuer is an Opposed Agility Test. To the acrobatic Acolyte, however, the environment can be a valuable tool, an advantage that allows the Acolyte to leap over railings, run along aerial walkways, jump across rooftops and careen down staircases. Whenever you are engaged in a pursuit through a congested area—crowds, difficult terrain, and so on, you may make an Acrobatics Test (in place of your Agility Test) for the Opposed Test.

Pursuits

At some time a character is bound to find himself involved in a chase, pursuing or being pursued by unfriendly heretics. This can be a thrilling component to roleplaying games, especially those involving dangerous environments, but such encounters can be a chore to run. To resolve pursuit simply, use the following rules.

A Pursuit Dissected

All pursuits occur in Detailed Time, so participants roll for Initiative and move as described in Dark H eresy. Where pursuit differs from normal combat encounters is in the tracking of Pursuit Points.
After rolling for Initiative, the character that acts first gains 1 Pursuit Point. On their Turn, each character involved in the pursuit, may take normal Actions (such as shooting at the fleeing opponent or pursuer, using a power, and so on). Alternatively, the character can Chase or Flee by making an Agility Test. The GM assigns the Difficulty based on the environment, with open areas being Easy (+30), while a densely packed marketplace would be Very Hard (–30). A success equals 1 Pursuit Point plus 1 Pursuit Point for each degree of success. A failure reduces the number of Pursuit Points by 1 and by another 1 point for a failure by two or more degrees. A failure by four or more degrees, reduces the Pursuit Points by 1d5. A character with negative Pursuit Points is effectively out of the chase or, for the fleeing character, pulled out of the chase. The first character to accumulate 10 Pursuit Points gets away or catches their prey, depending on who’s doing the chasing or fleeing.

Slowing Pursuit

If you’re being chased, you can slow your pursuers by creating obstacles. There must be something to use—a crate of bottles, boxes, barrels, people and so on. Creating an obstacle reduces the number of Pursuit Points you would earn for a successful Agility Test in the Round by 1, however, you increase the Difficulty of your pursuers’ Agility Tests by one-step.

Distance

While these pursuit rules are somewhat abstracted, actual distance is covered. For each Round of pursuit, the participants cover a number of metres equal to their Run movement.

Negotiating Obstacles

To a skilled acrobat, every obstacle is an opportunity, and every obstruction a challenge instead of a barrier. Whenever you Charge or Run through treacherous terrain or through an area containing an obstacle, you may make an Acrobatics Test in place of an Agility Test to avoid falling Prone. You may also attempt an Acrobatics Test as a Free Action prior to moving at your normal rate through treacherous environments (but not environments made treacherous because of poor visibility).

Tumbling Evasion

When engaged with an opponent, you may Test Acrobatics to disengage as a Half Action instead of a Full Action. A successful Test allows you to move as if you had taken a Half Move Action without granting your opponent a free attack (see Fleeing in Dark Heresy on page 192). A failed Test means you still move, but your opponent gets a free attack with a +10 bonus.