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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Imaro" data-source="post: 5725343" data-attributes="member: 48965">No one claimed the NPC has taken the perfect route... No one claimed this has to be a chase scene... the PC's have the very real choice of not pursuing.  No one claimed every NPC should know the perfect or most direct route.  You don't know the situation surrounding the why's of the NPC's knowledge concerning the city (He could have scouted an escape route beforehand...(nd no I don't think only genius level villains going into a situation where they are likely to be chased would be the only one's to plan ahead)... you are making assumnptions that are not present in the OP.   But the most direct route from point A to Point B either is or is not the most direct route. we are not speaking to what obstacles, challenges, etc. lie along said route, only that it is the most direct route through the city from point a to point b. As an example an expressway can be the most direct route somewhere and still be slower than another route due to traffic. That still doesn't change the fact that it is the most direct route.  IMO, to rule that there is no shorter route than "the most direct route" is not in anyway unrealistic to the concept of a chase scene.  Okay I have a question for you, what if the next player says he wants to find an even shorter route through the city and so on and so on. Is this realistic? I mean if we can't discount the possibility of a shorter route than the villain took... why can we discount the possibility of an even shorter route than the other player proposed... and if so then why not another and another? Do we arbitrarily let the idea work for one player but not others? Even in your example above you are now claiming there are only two paths that could be taken... but you also stated... "Since a chase is about catching up, cutting off or reaching the end point, shortcut finding is part of the encounter challenge. To rule otherwise is unrealistic to the concept."  So when does the number of shortcuts that supercede a previous route become unrealistic? As to the shortcut being unrealistic to the chase scene... there have been plenty of chase scenes in literature and movies where the knowledge of a secret shortcut does not factor in.  What if you use athletics to run faster than the one you are pursuing... or endurance to keep up a faster pace than he can? What if you use acrobatics to dodge and flow through the crowd more easily to gain on him? Or how about Perception to keep him in your sights while pursuing and/or notice advantageous gaps in the crowds along the city streets... Streetwise or Bluff/Diplomacy to pretend he robbed you and get the city guards in on the chase to hinder him or force him onto another route? Use nature to sick a stray dog on him... and so on, none of these requires knowledge of a shorter route.</blockquote>

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