Physique

The Physique skill is a counterpart to Athletics, representing the character’s natural physical aptitudes, such as raw strength and endurance. This allows for the creation of two distinct types of physical characters - the nimble guy (represented by Athletics) and the strongman (represented by Physique).

Main Article: Actions

You can use Physique to overcome any obstacles that require the application of brute force, which most often lets you overcome a scene aspect on a zone, or any other physical impedance, like prison bars or locked gates. Complex obstacles might be required to smash, break, or otherwise bypass something that’s reinforced.

Of course, Physique is the classic skill for arm-wrestling matches and other contests of applied strength, as well as marathons or other endurance-based challenges.

Physique has a lot of potential in physical conflict for advantages, usually related to grappling and holding someone in place, making them Pinned or Locked Down. You might also use it as a way of discovering physical impairments possessed by the target—grappling the old mercenary tells you that he has a Bum Leg or somesuch.

Physique is not used to harm people directly - see the Fighting skill for that.

Though you don’t generally use Physique to defend against attacks, you can use Physique to provide active opposition to someone else’s movement, provided you’re in a small enough space that you can effectively use your body to block access. You might also interpose something heavy and brace it to stop someone from sprinting.

The Physique skill gives you additional physical stress or consequence slots. Average or Fair gives you a 3-point stress box. Good or Great gives you a 3-point and a 4-point stress box. Superb and above give you an additional mild consequence slot in addition to 4-pointadditional stress boxes.

See Also Stunts (list)

+2 to Physique rolls made to create advantages on an enemy by wrestling or grappling with them.

You can use Physique to defend against Fighting attacks made with fists or blunt instruments, though you always take 1 shift of stress on a tie.

Once per session you can reduce the severity of a moderate physical consequence to a mild physical consequence, or erase a mild physical consequence altogether, at the cost of a fate point.

You gain a +2 damage bonus vs inanimate objects.

You can use Physique instead of Fighting for unarmed combat.