D&D Chase Rules?

Anyone have a good system for simulating chases through terrain / streets / other cool environments?

I can't be the first person to want this...

-- N

Nifft said:

Anyone have a good system for simulating chases through terrain / streets / other cool environments?

I can't be the first person to want this...

-- N

Click to expand...

FFG's book, City Works has just this very thing and it is not too bad a system. Check it out...

Spycraft has a good way of dealing with environments in their chase system. It's not overly complex, but does the job.

It comes down to designing different chase moves, giving them Ride DCs based on how good they are, and then assigning penalties based on how difficult doing those maneuvers is in a densely packed forest or city street vs a wide open plain. At that point, it becomes a game of paper-rock-scissors-sword-crossbow-tuna-apple... Apple beats Tuna, Rock beats Tuna better. It's harder to do Rock than it is to do Apple... and doing Rock in the slums is tough.

After that, you define how far apart chasers must be to effectively end the chase.. in the plains it may be based on distance and time (after 5 hours, they give up) while in the city it may be based on losing them (after minutes, or simply a really high DC check that must be made at a certain distance, resulting in an automatic chase win).

I use Ride/Swim or Run checks vs Terrain DC (Easy 10, Uneven 15 Rough 20),

Then calculate distance based on speed and difference between run checks of pursued and pursuer (rate of 1ft /5pt difference)

eg Uneven Terrain (Forest) has DC 15 - all runners must make a Run check - if they beat the DC they move if they fail they stumble and get no distance this round

so say A (Pursued) Spd 20 rolls 28 and B (Pursuer) spd 30 rolls 18 - they have a distance of 30 ft between them.
(Check difference 28-18 = 10 -> +2 ft)

A (Pursued) runs 22 ft, B closes 30 ft

30 + 22a - 30b = 22ft They now have 22ft between them

If however A had failed the run check rolling 12 he would have stumbled and made no progress this round

30+0-30 = 0ft -> Caught (start melee)

Nifft said:

Anyone have a good system for simulating chases through terrain / streets / other cool environments?

I can't be the first person to want this...

-- N

Click to expand...

"The Silver Summoning" from Fiery Dragon had a chase section as part of the module.

Nifft said:

Anyone have a good system for simulating chases through terrain / streets / other cool environments?

I can't be the first person to want this...
-- N

Click to expand...

I ahve never seen any chase rules so I cannot comment on them. I use a very simple system that seems to work well.

Roll initiative every round.

Withoutthat, the rogue who wins initiative can never be caught assuming they move beyond their pursuers charge distance.

With rolled initiative, teh pursuer can run up behind the chasee, and if they win initiative, try a grapple or trip attack.

Of course if they miss, the chasee usually makes a full run and gets away.(Or at least gains a lot of ground.)

In general, the pursuer gets two chances to catch the chasee, and then they cannot do it.

Iam sure those other systems mentioned are better,though this one is simplest.

Tournaments, Fairs and Taverns, pdf from EN Publishing, has rules for races that you could probably use.

Buy it here:
http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=164

Read reviews here:
http://www.enworld.org/reviews/index.php?sub=yes&where=currentprod&which=ttf

Mongoose's Ultimate Game Designers Handbook has a section on chases. However, since the book is a collection of d20 material from different sources, the rules probably are also found in another product.