Tactical scale chase mechanic for 4th ed D&D

[Lord Zardoz]

I have worked out the following chase mechanic for 4th edition D&D. It can probably be adapted to 3rd edition easily enough. I tried it out in my game last night and it worked out quite well.

1) Determine the movement rate assuming only Move (Run) actions for the round. The difference is to be used as a bonus for the faster participant.

ie: Bob can run at a movement rate of 6 in round as a run action. Yograx can run at a rate of 7. Yograx gets a +1 bonus to all checks in the chase.

2) Assume a condition track like this:

SAFE | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ATTACKED

All else being equal, your players are at position 3.

3) Roll initiative, then have each participant in the chase make a skill check. Usually this is Athletics, but you can use Anything that is justified for the chase (ie, Stealth works in some situations).

3a) On Bob's turn roll a skill check. The DC is 10 + the skill value Yograx is using. If Bob wins, he advances one step towards SAFE

3b) On Yograx's turn, roll a skill check. The DC is 10 + the skill value Bob is using. Of Yograx wins, Bob moves one step towards ATTACKED.

4) If Bob gets to 'Safe', Bob escapes from Yograx. If Bob falls towards attacked, then Yograx is assumed to have gotten adjacent to Bob, and gets to make an AoO as Bob tries to flee.

5) If the chase starts to go beyond 10 rounds, you add a cumulative penalty to each side of 1 per round. This can be cleared by an Endurance check with the DC equal to the number of rounds since the character / monster last catched its breath. Using 2nd wind to clear this is also a good option.

6) The following things matter:
- If someone in the chase has a ranged attack, they can use it if the target is assumed to be in range (I suggest that one space on the condition track is about 10 normal squares). Using a ranged attack lets the 'quarry' slide towards SAFE, if the pursuer is attacking, or lets the quarry slide towards ATTACKED if the one being chased pauses for a moment to shoot at the person chasing him.
- If the quarry can be deemed to have broken line of sight, you can use a Stealth Check to hide instead of an Athletics check. This should oppose the pursuers perception check or insight check (if you are inclined to allow an insight check to have someone guess where the quarry went).
- Using an action that modifies someones movement will change the bonus used in the 'opposed' checks.
- Using an Action Point for extra movement will change the condition track by 1 space
- Aside from using Athletics checks for simple running, any check that can create or clear an obstacle should be allowed within reason.

That is about it. It has the virtue of working like a physical skill challenge, but it eliminates the wild swingy-ness of opposed rolls; It always takes a good roll to move in either direction on the condition scale.

When I use this, I just mark out some squares on my battlemat with a 'safe' line and an 'attacked' line, and let the players move their figures towards whichever end of the condition track they need to move.

END COMMUNICATION

 

[DanmarLOK]

It's not clear to me but it's the person being chased that's moving up and down the chart? So you'd put the chasers in the Attacked square and start the chasee's at square 3 (all things being equal) and then their rolls shift the chasee up and down. If the chasee gets to the Safe square they've escaped. If they get to the Attacked square they suffer AO's as long as they continue to try and get away otherwise you stop the chase and have a battle?

It seems a reasonable alternative although it doesn't take into account the extremes such as elves that move 238501 squares per turn with the right gear and order of events. (slight exageration).

 

[Lord Zardoz]

Well DanmarLOK, the system is based on relative distance between people involved in the chase. Just to clarify:

Quarry: Those being chased.
Pursuer: Those doing the chasing.

The Quarry is the one moving up and down the track.

Now, the reason the system works is that it does account for relative differences in movement without assuming a foregone conclusion. If the DM wants to decide that a Quarry with a speed of 7 can never be caught by a pursuer with a movement of 6, then this system is not for that DM.

I will clarify though, that the differnece in movement is given as a bonus to whichever side is faster, and it should be applied to both the roll made by the faster party, and the DC of that the slower party has to beat.

Now, for totally unusual extremes, such as someone getting a full move as a minor action, I would handle that the same way as an action point used for an extra move action, and just adjust the position of the Quarry on the chase track.

I am about to eat, but I will modify the description, and then provide an example later.

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[Alex319]

Does this system handle multiple pursuers? How about multiple quarries?

 

[Lord Zardoz]

Does this system handle multiple pursuers? How about multiple quarries?

Multiple quarries is easy. The check made by the pursuer is tested against all the passive DC's from the

Quarries. Multiple pursuing parties is a bit trickier, but manageable. Instead of having a literal

condition track, you just need to track relative distance, and assume that if the distance becomes zero, a

pursuer has caught up to the party, and if the distance between a pursuer and its quarry becomes 5 (or

whatever you decide the escape distance needs to be), then the quarry has escaped.

Of course, this assumes that all quarries are running in the same direction (more or less). Hey, I never

said this system was perfect!

Example, 1 Pursuer, 2 Quarry:
Pursuer: Yograx

Quarry: Bob and Jill.

Bob has move 5 (and Athletics +8 (Trained and Str 16, L1 PC)
Jill has Move 7 and Athletics +3 (untrained, Str 16, L1 PC)

Yograx has move 6 and Athletics +7 (Trained, 10 Str, L4 monster)

At a run (+1 to speed) with a double move , Yograx can move 14 taking 2 move actions.
Bob can move 12
Jill can move 16

So Yograx has a +2 advantage on Bob, and Jill has a +2 advantage on Yograx

Passive DC's
Yograx: 17
Bob: 18
Jill: 13


We start at distance 3. Initiative is Bob, then Yogragx, then Jill

Round 1;

--------------J
--------------B
SAFE | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ATTACKED (Y)

Bob makes an Athletics check vs Yograx at DC 19 (17 passive Athletics + 2 for speed difference). He rolls 13

for a score of 21 vs 19, a success. He moves to space 4.

Yograx makes an Athletics check vs Bob at DC 18. He rolls a 7, and gets a total of 16 (d20 + Athletics +

Spd, o 7 + 7 + 2). Bob stays at Position 4.

Because there are 2 quarries, Yograx now compares his Athletics check vs Jill. Same d20 roll, but the speed

advantage goes to Jill. So Yograx has a total of 14, and Jill has a passive DC of 15 (13 passive Athletics +

2 for Jills speed advantage). Jill stays at position 3.

Jill makes an Athletics check vs vs Yograx at DC 19. Jill rolls a 14 for the check, getting 14 + 3 + 2 is

19. Jill gets a success, and moves to position 4.


Round 2:

---------- J
---------- B
SAFE | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ATTACKED (Y)

Bob makes an Athletics check vs Yograx at DC 19 again (same values as above). Bob succeeds again and goes tp

space 5.

Yograx makes an Athletics check vs Bob at DC 18. Yograx rolls a 12. This succeeds vs Bob (21 vs DC 18) and

Jill (19 vs DC 15). Bob goes to position 4, Jill moves to position 3.

Jill makes an Athletics check vs vs Yograx at DC 19. Jill fails, and stays at position 3.

Round 3:

---------- B--J
SAFE | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ATTACKED (Y)

Bob makes an Athletics check vs Yograx at DC 19 again (same values as above). Bob fails and stays at space

4.

Yograx makes an Athletics check and rolls a 2. This fails vs both bob and Jill.

Jill makes an Athletics check vs vs Yograx at DC 19. Jill fails, and stays at position 3.

{Positions only change when a check succeeds}.

Round 4:

---------- B--J
SAFE | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ATTACKED (Y)

Bob makes an Athletics check vs Yograx at DC 19 again Bob succeeds and advances to 5. At this point Bob's

player uses an Action point and gains another space. Bob has now escaped, Yograx cannot catch him.

Yograx makes an Athletics check and rolls well. Jill falls to position 2.

Jill makes an Athletics check vs vs Yograx at DC 17. Jill fails, and stays at position 2.

Round 5:

--B---------------J
SAFE | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ATTACKED (Y)

Yograx succeeds his check. Jill fails


Round 6:

--B------------------J
SAFE | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ATTACKED (Y)

Yograx succeeds his check. Jill fails, falls to Attacked. Yograx gets to make an Opportunity attack on Jill

next turn.

Round 7:

--B-------------------------J
SAFE | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ATTACKED (Y)


Yograx makes a standard attack on Jill.

Jill decides to keep trying to escape. Yograx gets his AoO, but since Yograx made a non move action, Jill

auomatically gets to position 1. Jill succeeds her check vs Yograx and moves back to space 2. If Jill

wanted to, she could use an action point and get out to space 3.

The chase will continue until Jill escapes or dies.

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