Catch Those Apes!

[Mark Chance]

Okay, I've got some workable chase rules, glommed from this site as well as a couple of other places. Now, I need to use them. I've got a scenario coming up where six halfling heroes are pursuing four Ridiculously Well-Trained Chimpanzees who've just abducted the Princess Teena and are now fleeing across the rooftops of your typical medieval-esque fantasy town.

I want to liven up the chase rules with pre-planned random stuff. I'm thinking about printing X number of chase events on business cards to form a small deck. Players (based on some predetermined criteria) will draw a card and act/react based on the information.

What I need now are events. Here are some I've thought of:

1. A Shortcut! You see a quicker route, but it's not going to be easy. Make a DC X Acrobatics check. If you succeed, you move up X chase increments. This may actually put you ahead of the apes.

2. Clothesline! In your haste in the dark, you didn't see the clothesline until just now. Make a [some sort] check to avoid getting entangled in drying laundry.

3. Loose Tiles! Some of the roof tiles come loose underfoot. Make a DC X Acrobatics check to avoid sliding to the edge of the roof. You fall behind one chase increment.

4. Flock of Pigeons! You startle a flock of pigeons. The air is full of feathers and beating wings. Make a [some sort] check to avoid not being able to advance a chase increment this round.

5. Poo! One of the apes left a nasty surprise. Make a DC X Acrobatics check to avoid befouling yourself.

I'd really like to have between 18 to 24 events, with a mixture of bad, good, and humorous.

Thoughts?

 

[weem]

Since this is related to a rooftop chase, some of the ideas that first come to mind don't quite work (ex: "Hit the deck" allowing you to slid under an obsticle like a cart).

With that said, if you want to increase the # of events, you could make varying degrees of some of the ones you already have. For example...

A Shortcut! DC [medium] = move up X chase increments

A Great Shortcut! DC [hard] = move up X+1 chase increments

Cut them off! DC [hard] = move up X+1 chase increments... fail = lose X chase increments

...just a quick idea for adding more quantity

 

[Mark Chance]

How about?:

Bounce Off That Awning! You're coming up on a particularly wide alley. There's an awning you could use as a trampoline to help you clear the distance. Make a DC X [check of some sort]. If you succeed, you gain a chase increment; if you fail, you lose a range increment.

I also forgot that the apes have caltrops. (Did I mention that they're Ridiculously Well-Trained?) So:

Caltrops! One of the apes has strewn caltrops in your path. [Insert normal caltrops rules.]

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

Aww, chimps with caltrops? Not banana peels?


Chimney smoke! Watering eyes and coughing reduces visibility for a few rounds.

A cat burglar! ...is sneaking out a window as the PC runs by. reflex save to avoid collision, or maybe save against having some minor treasure pickpocketed.

A gust of Wind! save or lose balance and take a tumble

Chamber pot! A careless cleaning lady casts the night's leavings out a window. Save or slip in the mess. Also, smell like a chamber pot for 1d4 days.

A black cat! ...crosses your path. save or slow down, maybe suffer a minor luck penalty?

Bell tower on the hour! Passing a bell tower during the hourly chimes. Save or be deafened for short while.

Target practice! Little kids throwing rocks at you... a normal attack, minimal damage.


{And if it's stormy/cloudy outside:}

Random Lightning Strike! enough said


Sounds like a fun chase scene! Hope it goes well

 

[Piratecat]

Move to Boston and run a game for me, damn it. Or come to GenCon. This sounds too good to miss!

 

[Mark Chance]

Move to Boston and run a game for me, damn it. Or come to GenCon. This sounds too good to miss!

I couldn't live in Boston. The commute to get the kids to school and me to work would be hellish.

One of these days, I'd like to go to GenCon. Unfortunately, my budget is rather small.

Of course, you could come down to Houston for OwlCon this February. I'll be running the game there.

 

[falcarrion]

the roof is weak and your leg goes through.

the chimp grabs a vertical pole and swings around and doubles back. ( best used when a PC is almost on him.)

drops to balconies and start leaping from balcony to balcony.

slides down drain, runs across ally and climbs up a drain on another building.
( nothing will piss off a PC more then watching the chimp climb back up, once the PC gets down.)

 

[Wik]

Cool idea! I think it could also be fun to have some cards players can put into action that let their allies do better (getting back into the race, as opposed to putting them in the lead) and maybe things that will slow the enemies down. And have each player get an extra card at the beginning, so they have some choice in what they play - to avoid the feeing it's just a bunch of "roll dice in reaction to cards".

A "we're going to have to jump!" card would be nice, to get PCs to clear a large distance.

"Hey, I know this part of town!" Make a DC X Streetwise check. If you succeed, you know this part of town really well, and know some of the ins and outs that might get you ahead.. Draw two cards, and choose one, playing it immediately. If you fail the streetwise check, you don't know the town as well as you thought, and lose X chase increments as you wonder where to go next.

"Follow 'em on the ground". You jump to the ground, falling 20 feet - which can be lessened by an acrobatics check if you are trained. You follow the chase on the ground - you gain 1d3 chase increments per turn, but when you want to get on the rooftops again, you must make an Athletics DC X check - if you fail, you go back two chase increments, and even if you succeed, you go back one.

"Damn Chimney Sweep" You frighten a chimney sweeping boy, who is angered and chases after you, yelling. Each turn, you go back one chase increment, unless you succeed on a DC x Diplomacy, Intimidate, or Bluff check - two successful checks are necessary to scare the boy off. You draw cards as normal while being chased by the boy.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

These are intelligent apes we're talking about. They wouldn't leave poo, they'd leave banana peels behind...in an effort to make their pursers slip.

Poo? That they'd save for flinging!

(As I've said before...)

Everybody was flung-poo fighting
Those cats were fast as lightning
In fact it was a little bit frightning
But they fought with expert timing

I also bet that your players would appreciate it if, at some point, the biggest of the chimps has the Princess at a high point in the warehouse of a local brewery...and he starts flinging barrels.

 

[Mark Chance]

These are intelligent apes we're talking about.

Not intelligent, but Ridiculously Well-Trained.

I also bet that your players would appreciate it if, at some point, the biggest of the chimps has the Princess at a high point in the warehouse of a local brewery...and he starts flinging barrels.

Excellent!