Sacrifice Dodge and Auto Dodge

[Axelmania]

I forget where the "jump in front of fireball meant for Timmy" rule was...but would this be possible without spending an attack for Juicers?

[Tiree]

I'm going to say 'No' as it is a conscious action. You have to actively change your pre-programmed behavior from going away from being hit (flinching) to jump into a hit of some sort.

[Killer Cyborg]

I forget where the "jump in front of fireball meant for Timmy" rule was...but would this be possible without spending an attack for Juicers?

RGMG Q&A section.

Rereading it should answer your question, I believe.

[Axelmania]

Found on 33, forgot it was a strike roll and not a dodge. Any idea what strike bonuses would and would not apply? Could bonus to strike with shield represent throwing weapon in front instead?

A bigger question is raised by the "tackle out of way" approach as this is normally TWO actions. Autododge cannot give a free strike but maybe it could be used there to reduce it to 1?

[Killer Cyborg]

Also, "Can I Strike to jump behind Timmy if there's a fireball headed toward me...?"
The rule raises questions.

[Prysus]

Any idea what strike bonuses would and would not apply? Could bonus to strike with shield represent throwing weapon in front instead?

Greetings and Salutations. Racial, O.C.C., Hand to Hand bonuses, and those from a high P.P. would likely apply. Weapon Proficiency bonuses would likely not apply, unless the W.P. somehow physically moves your character. The strike roll is for your character to literally move into the path, so if the weapon won't move you into the path then it would not apply (and you are not allowed to parry under such circumstances, so still no W.P. bonus). Also, W.P. Shield does not provide any bonuses to a Shield when thrown, if you're literally talking about throwing it, so adding in a bonus that doesn't exist is moot.

If you're talking about standing next to Timmy and deciding to Parry for him with your shield, then that's the option ABOVE the sacrifice dodge/strike being discussed. Basically, this is still an attack/action, and specifically states that "it is no longer an automatic action." So automatic dodge won't help.

A bigger question is raised by the "tackle out of way" approach as this is normally TWO actions. Autododge cannot give a free strike but maybe it could be used there to reduce it to 1?

Not likely. The first action is the equivalent of a Simultaneous Attack (as the book states), and Auto-Dodge doesn't give free strikes. The second is to defend for yourself, and for Timmy. As stated above, defending for another "is no longer an automatic action."

A different way to look at it is that this is effectively a Body Block/Tackle, which also takes two actions and tackles people to the ground. As stated earlier, Auto-Dodge does not give free strikes. The only real difference is the objective. Instead of trying to tackle an enemy to the ground (who can defend against your attack), you're tackling Timmy (who doesn't appear to be defending against you, otherwise you'd be rolling your Simultaneous Strike in which the book tells us is the first action) out of the way of an attack. As such you use a Dodge to roll instead of a Strike, but the action is the fundamentally the same.

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Also, "Can I Strike to jump behind Timmy if there's a fireball headed reward me...?"
The rule raises questions.

Dodging out of the way of the Fireball (whether it's behind Timmy, a tree, a wall, or just moving out of the way in a big open field) is a Dodge roll, as normal.

Now, if you mean Timmy is standing behind you and you want to Dodge by running around, back-flipping, or otherwise moving behind Timmy, I'd personally say it's still an action (because taking effort to get into position instead of just dodging with a reflex). Skill usage (such as Back Flips) tend to require a skill usage anyways. Of course, if you do that, and Timmy manages to Dodge, then you'll be hit anyways (and since you already dodged the attack, I'm not sure you'd get a second dodge). Of course, if you just dodged normally Timmy would've taken the hit anyways, so seems like a lot of wasted effort to me.

Or, if you mean that you want to pick Timmy up and use him as a human shield, that would probably still cost an action (drawing a weapon, per page 32, an action, and Timmy is effectively your weapon).

Unless you meant the Fireball is effectively a heat seeking missile and will follow you no matter where you go, though I don't know of any such spell that works like that. In that case, I'd probably use the same rules for dodging out of the way of a Blast Radius, though I'm not sure if that ever addresses Auto-Dodge. Of course, I think this last one is becoming oddly hypothetical and probably not covered well in the rules.

Okay, hope some of that helps. Farewell and safe journeys to all.

[Axelmania]

Hadn't noticed the autoparry for your ally no longer being automatic, that sounds like a good precedent for dodging for both of you not being automatic...

It is the dodge roll that will determine whether the hero manages to knock them both out of the way of his attacker's roll to strike.
This heroic effort uses up two melee actions/attacks. If the G.M. is nice, he or she will let the hero take damage even if the dodge part of the roll fails so the child is saved (and the hero injured).

If using the latter part, where it is assumed the child is saved if you pass your strike, the dodge is basically just for yourself... so I could see autododge applying there.

But if the dodge is for BOTH of you, yeah, gonna cost.

Dodges and Parries aside, now I'm wondering if we have any precedent for interpreting other defenses here. Like all that "in place of a parry" or "in place of a dodge" type semantics.

Could you body flip an attack intended for an ally? Do a defensive disarm or an entangle against an attack targetting an ally?

Given that you can't do an automatic parry, if I had to spend an action anyway then I think I'd prefer to try to entangle an enemy attacking my friend.

The "shoot down a missile headed for my friend" idea would also seem to fall under doing a "simultaneous attack" response. You can do this if a missile is shot at you, after all.

[drewkitty ~..~]

I would allow it as a "parry" (rolled as a strike). But it would take up 1-2 APM (taking up the char's next action/attack), because the char is moving/changing position to accomplish this.