Modeling Parkour/Free Running

[Peregrine]

While this could fit most readily into Champions or Dark Champions, there's nothing genre-specific about it except that it's a relatively modern invention. So, how would you model Parkour and/or Free Running in Hero?

(Note: From my meager research, the two are actually slightly different. "Pure" Parkour is about moving as efficiently as possible no matter what the obstacles. Free Running adds in acrobatics and other "showy" moves. Purists will undoubtedly correct me...)

[Blue Jogger]

For the most part, it's Acrobatics. Although, you could buy 3" Superleap, Requires Acrobatics Roll, for those Jackie Chan scramble up the wall or vaulting over them. For 10 STR, that means you can do 3" up* or 5" up if you want to go non-combat.

Breakfall, Perfect Balance, and buying up one's PD, however, wouldn't hurt.

* ((2+3)/2=2.5 rounds to 3)

[Tonio]

Yeah, I'd call it just high Acrobatics and Breakfall skills.

[Thia Halmades]

An extra inch of Running and Leaping, and then Acro, Breakfall. That's it.

[Wyrm Ouroboros]

For the most part, it's Acrobatics. Although, you could buy 3" Superleap, Requires Acrobatics Roll, for those Jackie Chan scramble up the wall or vaulting over them. For 10 STR, that means you can do 3" up* or 5" up if you want to go non-combat.

Breakfall, Perfect Balance, and buying up one's PD, however, wouldn't hurt.

* ((2+3)/2=2.5 rounds to 3)

Don't forget the 'only for scrambling up vertical surfaces' disad.

[Sean Waters]

Acrobatics (plus more leaping/running) probably covers it, but if you wanted it as more of a power:

Clinging, RSR (acrobatics), requires environment of opportunity?

You probably want to take breakfall too. Just in case.

[braincraft]

Haven't Batman, Daredevil, and craploads of other costumed guys been doing this since forever? If you're Parkour-Man (Parkour-Homme?) your superpower is to be like Batman, only several decades behind the curve and without the money.

[GamePhil]

For the normal practitioner, I agree with the other posters, probably some Acrobatics and Breakfall with the possible inclusion of some extra inches of movement.

For a superhero or action hero, though, I might consider going the Superskill route, which I would build as either limited Flight (probably Requires Acrobatics Roll, Must At Least Briefly Touch Surface Throughout Route, and like that) or some Clinging, Does Not Affect Knockback. I tend toward the Flight, but either will work.

[Dust Raven]

Acrobatics is definitely Free Running. Plain and simple. Make a roll to move through a Hex with an obstacle without slowing down.

Parkour is a bit different, as it's not really acrobatics because it's just efficient running and climbing. I'd be willing to say this is just levels with Running, extra DEX, or maybe some kind of Environmental Movement to negate penalties to movement for moving around or over things. Maybe just extra Running, only to counteract reduced movement due to Climbing.

[SSgt Baloo]

I searched YouTube for:
Parkour (http://youtube.com/results?search_query=parkour&search_type=)
Free Running (http://youtube.com/results?search_query=free+running&search_type=)
Hi Opal!*Neat Stuff! (Some repetition.)

*It's a tradition I learned at another BBS. Ask me about it.

[Lord Mhoram]

In our games we have done the following for super Parkour stuff.

We let characters buy "usable as superleap" on running, and also "Usable as flight" with a "must start and end on a horizontal surface" for -1/4.

So you have the same # of inches, and you can leap, run or climb on/around anything.

[pinecone]

I'm mostly agree'in...but I'd likely buy it as Environmental movement:Free Running, and just ignore the various minor problems a less efficiently built acrobat might experiance....

Whats it worth though? I think 2 pts is about right....

[Air Pirate]

In our games we have done the following for super Parkour stuff.

Yes, But where does Parkour end, and "Wire-Fu" begins? (You know, like the stunts you see in movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon).

Or does it matter? :)

.

[Catseye]

Super Parkour probably *would* be a style of Wire-fu.

One could argue that a lot of the stuff in the matrix was super-parkour...

[Bloodstone]

Yes, But where does Parkour end, and "Wire-Fu" begins? (You know, like the stunts you see in movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon).

Or does it matter? :)

Matters as much as the GM's and players feel it should.

From a realistic perspective, it only takes 5" of Leaping to be essentially superhuman.

With 5" of leaping you can beat all current long jump world records by a few feet.

Height, however, is bit more extreme. 2.5" is nearly twice the high jump of current world record holders.

This is not even factoring in non combat movement, which theoretically allows a Heroic level normal human to jump over 30' straight up with a bit of a running start ;)

[Sociotard]

My only quibble with the present builds is the rule that says that you can only do two half moves per phase, whereas the Free Runners I've seen seem to move effortlessly from jumping to running.

I would buy the running with a +1/4 advantage: counts as running for purposes of counting moves.

This way a character with 7" running and 3" jumping could do 5" running and 2" jumping in one phase (they add to 7) if he wanted, instead of only 3.5" running 1.5" jumping.

It's not rules legal, exactly, but for me it better captures the feel of free running.

[Bloodstone]

Triggered Leaping works well to fix that problem.

[Ocelot]

Don't forget the 'only for scrambling up vertical surfaces' disad.

Exactly what I was going to say.

[Spence]

I'm mostly agree'in...but I'd likely buy it as Environmental movement:Free Running,

Beat me to it....

[Gideon]

My only quibble with the present builds is the rule that says that you can only do two half moves per phase, whereas the Free Runners I've seen seem to move effortlessly from jumping to running.

I would buy the running with a +1/4 advantage: counts as running for purposes of counting moves.

This way a character with 7" running and 3" jumping could do 5" running and 2" jumping in one phase (they add to 7) if he wanted, instead of only 3.5" running 1.5" jumping.

It's not rules legal, exactly, but for me it better captures the feel of free running.

What about Flight with the "surfaces only" limitation?

A lot of characters I've seen use that to simulate the Flash's ability to run up walls and over water. You just take a -0, to the advantage and make it solid surfaces only.

Or you could alter the lim slightly and instead of calling it "surfaces only" call it "free running only", in this case you can "run", "jump" and "climb" the way free runners do, but it counts as only 1 mode of movement.