Sell Me On A Chase Mechanic

[Water Bob]

"Who's got the higher speed? Okay, you win" isn't exciting, and it defeats my secondary purpose: which is to give PCs the chance to chase down or evade faster runners.

With the system I propose above, the chases are far from "automatic", even when one character has a higher Speed rating.

For example, take three characters. One is wearing armor that reduces his Speed from 30 to 25. Another wearing only a loincloth, moving at Speed 30. And the third had the Fleet Footed Feat that makes him Speed 40.

It is likely that all three of these characters will run the chase in their Speed order of 40-30-25. But, it's not guarranteed.

First off, most chases that begin in a game don't start with all racers on a starting line. Some may have a distance or terrain advantage. There may be obstacles like trees, rocks, columns, and tables to run around.

Just the layout of the location where the chase takes place, using standard game rules and Speed ratings, may allow a slower racer to catch a faster racer.





In addition to layout, there's terrain. The horse rider plowing through the rice field is moving half as fast as the rider using the adjacent road.




And, don't forget obstacles. A racer may, indeed, have the lead, then blow a check to avoid an obstacle, giving his pursuers time to catch him.



Lots can happen with different Speed ratings.

 

[IronWolf]

All bonuses and penalties stack. Loser buys drinks at the Boar's Nest.

Awesome! Must spread more XP around.....

 

[Tequila Sunrise]

Hot pursuit is nice because it formalizes what generally would be off the cuff rulings and provides some very evocative examples to keep the chase from being a dry dice rolling opportunity. The biggest key to me was to expand what the players could potentially do during a chase scene.

Sounds like it's worth checking out!

A simple one might be "Red Line" where you just try to drive faster. Another might be "zig zag", which makes it more difficult for someone to hit you. A more complicated might be "clip-driving", where you drive through clutter (such as gravestones in a graveyard).

Hm, good ideas for mounted chases.

 

[Water Bob]

I'm thinking you could do something like this, too: Allow the character to move 3x Speed. Any faster relies on the result of a die throw.

Thus, a character has Speed 30. The rules say that he can run (in a straight line) at 120. Instead, allow the character to move 90 plus X feet for every Y amount of points his check beat the target number.

In this way, the last 30 feet is varialbe, depending on dice throws and modifiers from characteristics.

 

[Quickleaf]

[MENTION=40398]Tequila Sunrise[/MENTION]
Your question wasn't edition specific, but you run 4e right? I ask because a skill challenge is a great way to model a chase. Instead of "X successes before 3 failures", I use "X successes within 3 rounds." Then come up with a list of obstacles and hazards to throw at the characters, provide a sense of development between rounds of the chase, and determine conditions which allow ranged attacks to be made. If you're interested, there's a good example of my approach in my 4e Planescape thread.

EDIT:
Oh and I'll second that the rules at this blog are nicely done, albeit different than what I suggest: Life In The Big City – Chase Rules | Geek Related

 

[garrowolf]

I like the system I have for chases in my game.

Basically it has to do with initiative. The prey always has initiative because he is setting the course and the predator in the chase has to react to him.

Prey Actions
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]They can make a driving/piloting roll and a gunnery roll if they have rear guns. If their driving/piloting roll (driving/piloting + maneuverability + d20) is as high as the terrain DC then it doesn't get into an accident. As long as there is no accident then the result of the Roll is the DC to stay with that ship. If predator misses by 5 then they don't get a shot at the prey at all. If they miss by 10 then the prey can decide to reverse on the predator and change places. If the predator misses by 15 then the prey can loose them – as long as there is some cover to loose them in (ie doesn't work in open water or space). [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] A prey can go evasive. This is the same thing as aborting to dodge is for a character. While you are evasive you are moving too erratically to shoot back (you may be throwing your passengers around as well). It lasts through your next turn and until the beginning of the turn after that one. [/FONT]


[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Faster Prey[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] If the prey is significantly faster then the predator then the chase is up to the prey. Once the prey is in more open then tight terrain it can choose to end the chase on their turn. Their movement will take them out of range fairly quickly. [/FONT]


[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Prey Criticals[/FONT]

• [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Switch to become Predator[/FONT]
• [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Increase Terrain Difficulty for Predator[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Predator Action[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] Predator makes driving/piloting roll (Driving/Piloting + Maneuverability + Size Penalties + 10). Pilots get a bonus or penalty based on the size of the vehicle they are trying to chase. If the target vehicle is larger then add the difference in size as a bonus to their rolls. If it is smaller then subtract it. You don't have to stay as close to a larger vessel to stay with it. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] As long as the Predator's roll is not more then 5 below the prey they will keep up with them and can shoot at them. If they don't then they can't fire at them accurately (they can fire wildly for free but no roll is made). If they miss by 15 then they loose then. If they don't even make the terrain DC then they stop where they are. This is not necessarily a crash. They are just blocked by the terrain and can't keep up. If they botch then they run in to something. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] If the predator beats the prey's roll then the predator's group gets the margin of success as a bonus for their attacks that action. They can make an attack as their second action or another character's action. In a fighter aircraft it would be the predator's pilot's gunnery roll. In a larger craft it could be a separate gunner. [/FONT]


[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Faster Predator[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] If the predator is significantly faster then the prey then they can not be lost in anything more open then tight terrain. It requires the tight terrain to get lost in for them to have a chance to get away. They do not loose them on a 15. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] If the predator is an aerial vehicle following a ground vehicle then it can only loose the vehicle if there is somewhere for it to travel under cover for a while. However the restricted attack rolls still apply. The ground vehicle can evade enough to make it hard to hit from the air. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] Of course if the predator is too much faster then the prey it only counts as a strafe instead of as a chase. [/FONT]


[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Predator Criticals [/FONT]

• [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Increase Terrain Difficulty for Prey by crowding[/FONT]
• [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Decrease Terrain Difficulties for gunnery actions and passengers[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Keep up![/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] Sometimes it is all you can do just to hang on! Instead of having a gunnery action or even driving to get better positions you focus on making it through the terrain and not loose them. Reduce the DC by -5. This action is often taken by everyone else but the lead predator in a large chase. [/FONT]

 

[Tequila Sunrise]

[MENTION=40398]Tequila Sunrise[/MENTION]
Your question wasn't edition specific, but you run 4e right? I ask because a skill challenge is a great way to model a chase. Instead of "X successes before 3 failures", I use "X successes within 3 rounds." Then come up with a list of obstacles and hazards to throw at the characters, provide a sense of development between rounds of the chase, and determine conditions which allow ranged attacks to be made. If you're interested, there's a good example of my approach in my 4e Planescape thread.

Yes, 4e is my poison of choice.

I think I'll end up play testing a few chase mechanics, and SCs are on my list. But I'm not in love with the skill challenge the way some 4ers are. The SC is an acquaintance of mine, and I've hooked up with her once or twice. But I've never taken her home to meet my parents.

 

[JDarkshadow]

Home-made chase table

I run a home-made sandbox based on 3.0/3.5 rules. As this thread correctly points out, in the world of D&D chases suck and our whole campaign takes place in a massive city where running away or after someone is a common thing.

There was no way to allow for complex use of skills and strengths, creative problem solving, and realistic, common sense outcomes within the regular rules of D&D.

That's why in Vulcarsgrave (city/campaign name), chases are a mini-game!

Players travel 1-4 times their speed in a turn. The distance depends on their ability to move through the general environment (street size and density) and their interaction with objects/obstacles that a)may be used as a shortcut, b) must be navigated around, or c) could create a shortcut or obstacle for pursuers.

http://cdn.obsidianportal.com/assets/75911/street_chase_table.JPG

I'm still a new DM with little experience playing in other peoples' games, but this was the best crack I could take at it. My city has a lot of precarious vats of oil and jars full of marbles and guys carrying paintings slowly across narrow streets.