How to Handle a Chase

[El Mahdi]

..They're only available now in Tome of Secrets, updated specifically for Pathfinder.

Do you know how much actual updating was done to it, or is it pretty much just the original rules?

Just wondering as the original Hot Pursuit rules seemed mostly systemless to me.

 

[Sir Robilar]

Has anyone tried the Pathfinder chase rules? I´d be very interested if they play out as cool as they sound.

 

[jaerdaph]

Do you know how much actual updating was done to it, or is it pretty much just the original rules?

Just wondering as the original Hot Pursuit rules seemed mostly systemless to me.

You're right - the original Hot Pursuit was generic enough to work with 3e/3.5e and d20 Modern. If anything, the updating in Tome of Secrets is very minor.

 

[Redcrow]

I love to run chase scenes, but I prefer to keep the pace fast 'n furious so I usually use a fairly abstract system. I found a simple set of rules for chases on the GURPS forums years ago and have adapted it to several other games since. I'll post the original here for those who might be interested. Remember that these rules were for GURPS, but it isn't too difficult to adapt to any other system.

Chases
Abstract chases can be handled as a series of Quick Contests. Depending on the chase, these could be quick contests of: DX (short distance), HT (long distance), riding, driving, piloting, flying, running, swimming, the pursued individual. The faster or more maneuverable participant may receive a bonus to the roll, or simply be judged the winner automatically.
For more elaborate chase scenes, roll 2d6 on one of the below tables until a participant has won two quick contests in a row (treat all contests mentioned below as quick contests):


Foot Chase
Roll 2d6:
2 – Contest of HT: loser is running out of breath or twists ankle (-2 to further rolls)
3 – Short cut through: back alley, buildings, back door or jumping over railing. Contest of Area Knowledge (IQ-4).
4 – Obstacle: workers carrying a large painting or a piece of glass or a waiter carrying a large tray! DX-2 to avoid.
5 – Hazard: hole, crevice, unseen obstacle, vehicle, stairs. Roll DX or take 1d damage.
6 – Crowded area: street, mall, market, office building, escalator, public-transport vehicle, or wooded area. Contest of ST or DX.
7 – Open ground: Contest, rolling vs. x2 Move.
8 – Bad Visibility: darkness, blind corner, or busy area. Pursuer must make a vision roll to continue.
9 – Barrier: wall, fence, cliff or building. Contest of Climbing (default DX-5 or ST-5).
10 – Bad weather or difficult ground: Contest of DX or HT.
11 – Other people become involved: party-goers, by-standers, bicyclists or authorities. Make reaction rolls.
12 – Commandeer a vehicle. Change to a different chase mode.
Note: Any critical failure results in a fall (1d-3 damage)


Horse Chase
Roll 2d6:
2 – Contest of Riding: the loser’s horse is winded or spooked, or there’s a problem with the saddle, stirrups, or bridles. The horse takes 1d damage if it continues, and is at -2 to rolls.
3 – Short cut: alley, building, little known path, pass or stream. Contest of Area Knowledge (IQ-4).
4 – Obstacle: Tree branch, fallen log, chicken coop or vegetable cart. Riding-2 to avoid.
5 – Hazard: Hole, trap, crevice, unseen obstacle, steep incline, heavily broken ground. Roll vs. Riding or fall for 1d damage.
6 – Congested Area: market, wooded area, cattle fencing, cramped space. Contest of Riding.
7 – Open Ground: Contest, rolling vs. horses Move.
8 – Bad visibility: darkness, woods, dense brush. Pursuer must make a vision roll to continue.
9 – Bad weather or difficult ground. Contest of Riding.
10 – Barrier: thick hedges, tall fences, building, river, canyon or swamp. May involve Riding rolls and damage.
11 – Other People: caravan, mounted authorities, travelers or reinforcements. Make Reaction rolls.
12 – Jump off horse. Change to a different chase mode.
Note: Any critical failure results in a fall (1d damage)


Car Chase
Roll 2d6:
2 – Randomly determine a participant to have a mechanical problem. Roll vs. Mechanic to continue, and Driving rolls are at -2.
3 – Short Cut: back alley, detours, or a route with less traffic. Contest of Area Knowledge (IQ-4).
4 – Obstacle: hot-dog cart, baby carriage or workers carrying an enormous piano, sofa, window or mirror. Driving-2 to avoid.
5 – Hazard: holes, construction, roadblocks, other vehicles. Roll vs. Driving or crash for 2d-2 damage.
6 – Traffic: highway, freeway, downtown area or parking lot. Contest of Driving.
7 – Straightaway: Contest of Driving (+4 for faster vehicle).
8 – Sharp Turn: Contest of Driving, and a hubcap flies off.
9 – Bad Road Conditions: gravel, ice, rain or ‘off-road’. Contest of Driving.
10 – Barrier: wall, roadblock, gate, train or backing out semi-trailer. Driving-4 to avoid.
11 – Other Vehicles: irate motorists or police, sheriff, or state patrol cars. Driving-2 to avoid and/or they may join the chase.
12 – Ditch the Car: change to a different chase mode.
Note: Any critical failure results in a crash (2d-2 damage).

 

[Jhaelen]

We actually considered this, but in the end we decided not to combine all the movement rates into one because that just starts getting kinda weird and silly. Snakes are good climbers, after all, but if we combined the skills, that would make snakes equally good at flying and jumping. Likewise, sharks—it's weird that a shark would be just as good at swimming as it would running or climbing.

I dunno. That argument doesn't fly with me.

I mean, look at the Perception skill: It covers all of the senses of a creature, yet different creatures use different senses in very different ways. It's a very similar situation to having a single skill covering all kinds of movement, yet it's represented completely different in the rules.

You can have a single skill covering all kinds of movement if you provide information on what kinds of movement a creature is physically capable of. This would be similar to noting that a creature has Scent, Darkvision and Tremorsense.

Imho, that would result in a much cleaner implementation. But that's just a design choice. What I don't like is going one way with movement skills and going a different way with Perception skills. If you prefer having a skill for every kind of movement, you should also have a skill for every sense, i.e. Spot, Listen, Smell, etc.

 

[Hand of Evil]

To me it comes down to time, if the runner gets too much time he will loose the chaser. So, the best way to handle it, is to decide if movement is tactical or local - I think tactical is the better choice, as it is by round.

Your conditions are:
Difficult Terrian - roof tops, allyways, market place, lots of people, etc.
Obstacle - boxes, wagons, people
Poor Visbility - lots of people, corners

 

[Edgewood]

To me it comes down to time, if the runner gets too much time he will loose the chaser. So, the best way to handle it, is to decide if movement is tactical or local - I think tactical is the better choice, as it is by round.

Your conditions are:
Difficult Terrian - roof tops, allyways, market place, lots of people, etc.
Obstacle - boxes, wagons, people
Poor Visbility - lots of people, corners

We had a chase scene in our last game where the party were running from a group of guards in a castle. Since they didn't know the layout of the castle and considering it was an enclosed environment, if forced the pcs to be creative with their use of magic (black tentacles here, fire wall there) as well as some quick combat. It was done round by round from beginning to end. I dare say the guys had a blast because I ran it pretty fast (when it came to someone's turn that had only 5 seconds to decide what to do).
I read over the chase rules in the Gamemastery Guide but that seems to be geared for a planned chase in a module. This was completely spontaneous as a result of some near sighted decisions by a particular character.

 

[Celebrim]

We had a chase scene in our last game where the party were running from a group of guards in a castle. Since they didn't know the layout of the castle and considering it was an enclosed environment, if forced the pcs to be creative with their use of magic (black tentacles here, fire wall there) as well as some quick combat. It was done round by round from beginning to end. I dare say the guys had a blast because I ran it pretty fast (when it came to someone's turn that had only 5 seconds to decide what to do).

Chases like that tend to fall into the fighting withdraw category, and generally work pretty well using just the standard combat rules. But any time your chase starts to depend on simultaneous movement (both parties going flat out but the distance between them not changing that much) some modification of the default turn order and/or resolution method in D20 is required.

I read over the chase rules in the Gamemastery Guide but that seems to be geared for a planned chase in a module. This was completely spontaneous as a result of some near sighted decisions by a particular character.

I don't know much about the Gamemastery Guide, but while Hot Pursuit to me favors a preplanned chase (or 'chase as dungeon') scenario, I have used the rules to resolve impromptu chases before.