Track and Aid Another

[Water Bob]

This is totally up to the GM, but I'm looking for other opinions. How many Aid Another bonuses would you allow for Track? If you have a group of 10 trackers, and they all make their Aid Another checks, would you allow +20 to the throw?

What seems reasonable?



Also, I've seen a version of Aid Another where, if the extra person fails the Aid Another check, he can end up hurting the chances of the overall throw. For example, let's say you've got three trackers. The one with the highest Survival skill will make the check. The second highest will attempt Aid Another and makes it, giving the main tracker a +2 bonus on the throw. The third guy bricks his Aid Another attempt and ends up giving the primary tracker a -1 penalty on the throw (for a net of +1 on the throw).

The idea here is that the guy that fails is actually missing, stepping on, and otherwise destroying valuable track information.

You could take this idea and increase the DC by +2 for every extra person: First tracker Aids at the standard DC 10. Second aids at DC 12. Third aids at DC 14, and so on.



What are your thoughts on this?

 

[billd91]

This is totally up to the GM, but I'm looking for other opinions. How many Aid Another bonuses would you allow for Track? If you have a group of 10 trackers, and they all make their Aid Another checks, would you allow +20 to the throw?

What seems reasonable?



Also, I've seen a version of Aid Another where, if the extra person fails the Aid Another check, he can end up hurting the chances of the overall throw. For example, let's say you've got three trackers. The one with the highest Survival skill will make the check. The second highest will attempt Aid Another and makes it, giving the main tracker a +2 bonus on the throw. The third guy bricks his Aid Another attempt and ends up giving the primary tracker a -1 penalty on the throw (for a net of +1 on the throw).

The idea here is that the guy that fails is actually missing, stepping on, and otherwise destroying valuable track information.

You could take this idea and increase the DC by +2 for every extra person: First tracker Aids at the standard DC 10. Second aids at DC 12. Third aids at DC 14, and so on.



What are your thoughts on this?

I'm lukewarm to having additional helpers make higher DCs or detract from the skill check with a failure. In a situation like this, I'd just put a limit on the number of reasonable helpers. I'd keep it to 2 or 3 at the most unless there's a particularly big area to cover or large group being tracked when tracking.

 

[Starfox]

To me, the point of Aid Other is to make the other players want to participate. You are no good at diplomacy, but still want to get a word in edgewise with the baron? Express it as an Aid Other in game terms, and it suddenly makes sense. From this perspective, the ludicrously easy DC (10) makes sense - anyone has a meaningful chance to contribute. For the same reason, I'd never make Aid Other a hindrance - that would discourage participation. It might make sense from a simulationist point of view, but it is no fun.

IIR, the Aid Other rules suggest a maximum bonus of 4 people (for a +8 bonus), but this might be an unconscious house rule of my own invention.

 

[delericho]

This is totally up to the GM, but I'm looking for other opinions. How many Aid Another bonuses would you allow for Track? If you have a group of 10 trackers, and they all make their Aid Another checks, would you allow +20 to the throw?

What seems reasonable?

Two. Legolas and Gimli.

Seriously, though, something like that is always going to be situation dependent. Ideally, there should be other things for the rest of the PCs to get on with while the Ranger is busy finding the tracks.

Incidentally, in the specific case of Track (also Disable Device vs traps, and similar situations): In general, I wouldn't let someone use Aid Another on a check if they couldn't at least attempt the 'main' check themselves. So, even though Aid Another is a DC 10 check, I wouldn't let a character Aid Another unless they had the Track feat. (I believe this is stated in the rules of some d20 system games; I also think it's not stated in D&D. Either way, it does seem like a good idea.)

 

[Starfox]

Incidentally, in the specific case of Track (also Disable Device vs traps, and similar situations): In general, I wouldn't let someone use Aid Another on a check if they couldn't at least attempt the 'main' check themselves. So, even though Aid Another is a DC 10 check, I wouldn't let a character Aid Another unless they had the Track feat. (I believe this is stated in the rules of some d20 system games; I also think it's not stated in D&D. Either way, it does seem like a good idea.)

White this is a valid point in general, Pathfinder has no Tracking feat - it is a core function of Survival in this edition.

 

[delericho]

White this is a valid point in general, Pathfinder has no Tracking feat - it is a core function of Survival in this edition.

Indeed, but this thread was marked 3e/3.5e.

Actually, it's a Pathfinder change that I'm rather in favour of. In general, I'm in favour of removing trained-only uses for skills, and especially things like the requirement for the Track feat, the Rogue's trapfinding class feature, and so on - let anybody at least try any 'standard' use for the skills. (Though I'm aware that not all skills are created equal, so while that's my philosophical preference, it's actually not something I've houseruled IMC.)

 

[Grogg of the North]

Ten people aiding in tracking strikes me more as a line of people sweeping through the woods rather than crawling on the ground searching for tracks and clues.

Each case is unique and that's what the GM is for. Can a fighter and a barbarian work together to knock down a door? Sure, seems reasonable. Can the Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, et al. all work to knock down the door? That seems unreasonable.

Also, remember that in order to aid another you have to be able to perform that task yourself.