Spring Attack

Acrobatics

Agility

Quickness

Self Discipline

Short Description

Strike from outside an opponent’s reach and retreat before they can react.

Success Criteria

Effects

Modifiers and Restrictions

Action Examples

Jab and Withdraw with melee weapon You lunge forward from outside an enemy’s reach, stab, and immediately step back before they can strike and thus you will be out of their melee range. DR will often be an opposed roll against closing, tumbling, sidestep, feinting.,

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To actually hit with the weapon, this skill must be sequenced with an attack.

Long Description

Spring Attack allows agile characters to strike without entering an enemy's threat zone, avoiding potential attacks of opportunity. It's especially powerful for characters using long weapons (like spears or halberds that will often have it as a wespon bonus) . The technique leverages timing, balance, and awareness, creating opportunities for hit-and-run tactics in both open-field combat and tight corridors.

Ideal when facing foes with high melee reach or brutal counterattacks.
Combine with:

Tumbling (to pass through tight spaces),
Closing (to bait enemies into attacking),
or Feinting (to confuse reaction timing).

Sequencing

Potential Counters

How to use this page

All the information above is intended as a guide to help you navigate the many situations that can arise during your game. Since it's both impossible—and frankly uninspiring—to plan for every possible outcome, players are encouraged to think creatively when using their skills. Game Masters, in turn, are encouraged to embrace and support that creativity.

Whenever possible, aim to resolve situations through narrative choices, logical thinking and role playing. If that’s not feasible, agree on a Difficulty Rating (DR) using the provided Success Criteria and Modifiers. These are not rigid rules, but suggestions - starting points to help you find the right level of challenge. The player describes their intended action, and the Game Master proposes a DR. This should be open to brief discussion at the table, ideally resulting in consensus. If not, the Game Master has the final say.

It’s important to emphasize that all suggested effects, modifiers, and action examples are exactly that: suggestions. If you’re unsure how to resolve something, they offer a reliable fallback—but wherever possible, we encourage you to push boundaries. That’s where some of the most memorable and exciting moments in play are born.

Sequencing and Potential Counters are far from exhaustive. With hundreds of skills, spells, and tech modules in the game, the possibilities are too vast to list. You’re encouraged to explore combinations that make sense in your story and setting and in the situations that arise in your game. Sequencing and countering are core to Cosmic Odyssey - they’re where strategic depth meets dramatic flair, and where legendary moments often take shape. Even if no sequencing and counters are mentioned, some certainly exists and can be smartly utilized.

So explore boldly, improvise wisely, and enjoy the game as it unfolds around your choices.