Tumbling (sage ability)

Tumbling is an amateur-status sage ability that enables the character to perform a variety of acrobatic skills, including jumps, twists, flips, walk-overs and rolls — and perform routines that are sometimes described as "gymnastics." These are feats that can be used in giving an exhibition for an audience, competing in a tumbling competition or for preserving the character's life. Benefits for this last are covered on this page.

Strength & Dexterity Checks

Tumbling skills result from excessive body training, which ensures the character is able to get the most out of their strength and dexterity ability stats. While the tumbling ability doesn't increase either stat, it does ensure the character's improved use of each.

Whenever an ability check is needed for either strength or dexterity, the character rolls two d20s ... if either of these are equal to or lower than the character's stat, then the check is a success. It might be assumed that if both succeed, the character avoids the danger with some panache, but no special rules accompany such rolls.

Stuns

When a character with this ability is hit in combat and stunned, he or she may choose to "roll with the blow" and retreat two full hexes instead of the one normally required. The benefit here is that, while the character is still stunned and unable to act the following round, they put themselves further away from the enemy — giving greater opportunity for allies to come to their aid while forcing the enemy to advance further and extend themselves. The greater retreat is optional.

See also,
Acrobatics (sage study)
Circus (sage field)