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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Storyteller01" data-source="post: 2894750" data-attributes="member: 20931">Tracking has modifiers for time between the trail being made and the attempt to track. Use similar modifiers, taking into account decomposition and environment. Add +1 to the DC per week from the victims death for sterile environs (winter snow, desert, uninhabited dungeon, etc), +1 per 24 hours for standard environs (predators munching on the body in the forest, body is sitting in a village hut exposed to rats, etc), and a +1 per hour for extreme environs (body floating on or under water, decomposition in extreme humidity, body disposed of with acid, etc). You can set the DC as easily (5 to notice the crushed skull) or as hard (35 to find trace elements of the near unidentifiable toxin) as you like and add time to the equation. Example: Traver finds a body that has been decomposing in the forest for two weeks. Having died from a blow to the head, the DM gives a DC of 5 to discover the cause of death. Given the time, the DC becomes 19 (+14 for the scavengers widening the hole in the head to get at the soft chewy brain, as well as feeding on other body parts). If the victim was poisoned, you're looking at a possible DC of 34 (arbitrary DM call of 20 to discover the poison, plus the +14 for the 2 week wait). Exotic methods or spells may have higher DCs (although I'm sure a fireball will leave more than a few traces <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /> ).Those with Track could gain a co-operation/synergy bonus (the ranger detective strikes again!!)Even if they take 20 (which is completely feasible, given how many tests are run on one body), time and exotic methods may still stump the specialist. You can even adjust the DC for differing environs (the body spent a month on ice, then two days in a warehouse. The modifier is a +6, but you may need to counter a disguise check to determine time of death).Besides, I thought you couldn't take 20 only if there were a serious consequence for a failed or fumbled roll?My apologies if this seems to ramble or seems scattered. I'm running on 48 hours without sleep. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></blockquote>

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