Stunts
The Basic Idea
A Gamble is whatever the player would like to achieve. The options below should cover a wide variety of possibilities, with the mechanics reflecting the intent of the action. The intended effect can be described in whatever narrative way that the player sees fit.
Gambles are usually a quick action skill check, but some of the more impressive effects require a standard action. Risks are consequences chosen by the GM. If the skill check for the Gamble fails, then the Risk is triggered. Any quick action Gamble can be used as a standard action to avoid a Risk.
The DC for skill checks will either be based on the standard difficulty for the environment, or if the action directly opposes an opponent then their PD or MD is used instead. For simplicity, targeting PD or MD is equivalent to a Normal difficulty. If the action would normally be a Hard difficulty, add 5 to PD/MD.
Gambles
Combat Maneuver
[Quick Action]
Make a skill check (usually Str or Dex) against your opponents PD (usually). Most of the time you must be engaged with the target, but some maneuvers will allow you to be nearby or far away.
Optional - stronger effects may additionally require you to hit with your next attack this turn, or may be triggered with a natural 16+ roll on the skill check.
Examples:
Trip - The target is Stuck until they spend a move action to stand up.
Optional stronger effect - melee attacks get a +2 bonus to hit the target.
Bull Rush - The target is pushed back a few feet, popping them free of any engagements except the bull rusher (and potentially pushing them into new engagements)
Optional - if pushing the target into dangerous terrain (a fire, off of a cliff, etc.) you have two options. You can use PD + 5 as the DC (or a Hard DC), or you can allow the target a Normal Save to negate the effect. I prefer increasing the DC personally, because it minimizes die rolling and speeds things along. If the target is Large or Huge, add an additional +5 to the DC (so it's Very Hard to push a larger creature into dangerous terrain).
Grapple - The target takes a -2 penalty to disengage checks (you must have at least one hand free).
Gain the Advantage
[Quick Action]
Choose a target who you are engaged with, who is nearby, or is far away. Make a skill check against the target's MD or PD, or use the Normal DC for the environment. Choose 1 of the following effects (or similar), which lasts until the end of your next turn:
the target is Vulnerable
you or 1 ally gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls against the target
you or 1 ally gains a bonus to damage against the target equal to your level.
Optional - double the bonus on a natural 16+.
Lure
Luring is the act of enticing an opponent into an area that they may not normally go to. it takes on two forms - Taunt and Draw
Draw
[Quick Action]
Make a skill check (normally Cha based) against an engaged target’s MD. If the target is engaged with more than one person, or you are engaged with more than one person, +5 to the DC per person involved.
If successful, you may spend a move action to move nearby without provoking an OA from the target, and the target moves along with you, remaining engaged, as a free action. They generally follow your path, and may be led into other engagements, provoke OAs from allies (and you from enemies if you choose poorly).
If the target happens to be engaged with more than one person, or is subject to engagements while following, he can make disengage checks along the way. It’s not intended to be an automatic free attack power.
Taunt
[Quick Action]
Make a skill check (normally Cha based) against a nearby target’s MD. If the target is engaged with more than one person, +5 to the DC per person involved. If this succeeds, your taunt has succeeded. They now get a disengage check for free. If successful, the target moves towards you in a direct path as possible while avoiding all hazards and dangers and engages you as a free action. Any that require a skill check or a disengage check to avoid will only pull the target to the edge of the hazard, where they will swear at you, a lot. The target can only move as far as they normally could with a single move action, and is not normally subject to intercepts, because they don’t get an attack at the end.
Massive Attack
[Standard Action]
First, make a skill check (Hard DC) with an ability appropriate to the action you're describing. If successful, you can make a basic attack against 1d3 nearby enemies in a group (whether it's a melee or ranged attack depends on how you describe the action).
Examples: Sweep attack, cutting/shooting the rope of a chandelier, throwing a table, etc.
Increase Momentum
[Standard Action]
First, describe how you're increasing the momentum of the battle and then roll a skill check with an appropriate ability (Normal DC). Immediately raise the escalation die by 1 on a success. This should probably be limited to 1 attempt per battle, but if you're feeling generous you should at least require a different narrative description for additional attempts (in other words, momentum gained from the same description doesn't stack).
Risks
Reversal
One enemy (usually the target, but a ranged leader or lurker works well too) makes an immediate basic attack against the character. If it makes more sense that the action would endanger an ally, then an ally can suffer the reversal (this will usually only happen if the character that took the Gamble is in a fairly safe position).
Vulnerable
Until the end of next turn, the character is Vulnerable (+2 crit range to all attacks targeting the character).
Lost Momentum
Decrease the escalation die by 1. This should usually be a pretty dramatic event, so you shouldn't overuse it (in other words, don't do it more than once per battle, but see Increase Momentum).
Backfired
Something went wrong, and now the character is either Dazed or Stuck until the end of his next turn.
Big Risks
Players that really like to gamble may want a stronger effect. Feel free to give it to them, with a Hard DC (or adding +5 to PD/MD). Instead, they may choose from these effects:
the target is Dazed
the target is Hampered
choose one of the Normal DC effects, and make it Save Ends.
Examples: Anything that falls into the umbrella of an Agility or Smarts trick in Savage Worlds probably works here. Taunting the opponent, throwing sand in his eyes, feinting, using footwork to improve your relative positioning, etc.