Sindeloke
2017-11-20, 04:07 AM
I like the idea of chase rules as seen in the DMG, but not the implementation, which is IMO way too fiddly to effectively evoke a fast-paced cinematic mad dash (and is by the same token not really in the spirit of 5e). So this is my attempt at something looser and simpler that doesn't require a hex map the size of a tennis court to keep track of a decent 5-minute scene.
SIMPLE CHASE RULES
A chase is a struggle of relative progress between the quarry and its pursuers, represented by the pursuer's movement either up or down the chase ladder:
Closing In
Gaining Ground
Keeping Pace
Falling Behind
The DM determines what rung the pursuers start at; Keeping Pace is the usual default and the most likely starting state if a chase starts when one party attempts to flee from a losing combat, but a surprise encounter with an enemy in a crowd may call for an initiative check, and pursuit of a pickpocket may default to Falling Behind due to the time it takes for the victim to realize what's happened.
Once the chase starts, it's played out in 20-second intervals, which we might as well call rounds because I trust people not to get confused. The Chase assumes that everyone is running at full tilt - essentially continually taking the Dash action - so they can only fit in a meaningful attempt to change the odds a few times a minute. These attempts are resolved by (group) ability checks. If the pursuer(s) lose these checks, they move down the ladder by one rung, and if they win, they move up. Falling off the bottom of the ladder means the chase is over and the quarry escapes. Climbing off the top of the ladder means the chase is over and the quarry is caught.
To make things interesting, at the beginning of each round, the DM rolls a die. On an even roll, the quarry gets to take action, and the pursuer reacts; on an odd roll, the pursuer tries to do something, and the quarry reacts. Probably simplest to show an example, so:
Fiona the half-orc Fighter, Rajan the half-elf Ranger, and Birdsong the kenku bard are shopping in the marketplace when they abruptly run into Scratch, a tiefling lieutenant of the BBEG they've been searching for. After a moment of mutual shock, Scratch bolts and the party takes off in pursuit. The DM asks for initiative rolls; the party averages 12 and Scratch manages only a 9, so the chase begins with the party Gaining Ground.
The DM rolls a 2 at the beginning of the first round, and announces that Scratch is going to try to get lost in the crowd, asking the players how they'll respond. Rajan says he'll climb up the nearest building to try and spot Scratch from above; this could be either a Strength check to climb or a Wisdom check for perception, so the DM rules to call for a Wisdom check, deciding that the climb is the easier of the two tasks. Fiona proposes to simply plow through the crowd on brute Strength with Birdsong on her shoulders, and Birdsong decides to make her own Wisdom check to see Scratch from up there. The DM rules the tight crowds and gaudy marketplace set the DCs at 10 to push through and 16 to see Scratch. Birdsong and Rajan fail their checks, and the group slides down to Keeping Pace as they try to find Scratch in the crowd and he tries to get out before they do without being too obvious about it.
At the beginning of the second round, the DM rolls a 5 and asks the players what they'll do to catch up. Birdsong and Fiona decide to mimic a watchman whistle and the watchman shouting for the crowd to clear out, respectively, Fiona failing her Charisma check but Birdsong succeeding. Rajan decides to run across the rooftops to try to cut Scratch off, adding acrobatic proficiency to a Dexterity check and handily succeeding. The crowd clears out and the party moves back up to Gaining Ground.
The third round goes to the players again, and as the DM describes the chase leading out into the orchard outside town, Rajan decides to use entangle* to try to snare Scratch, and Birdsong (still on Fiona's shoulders) attempts to give her ride a burst of speed with longstrider. The DM asks for an Intelligence (arcana) check from both of them, representing the difficulty of casting on a fast-moving target while tired from a full minute of full-out sprinting. Fiona simply decides to push herself and makes a Constitution check to find the energy for a burst of extra speed. Birdsong fails her check and wastes a spell slot, but Fiona and Rajan pass and bring the party to Closing In as Scratch detours around the entangle and trips on grasping roots. One more good round and they'll have their hands on their prey.
* He took Magic Initiate (Druid). It's just an example. Leave me alone.
The party should always be doing the rolling, so if they're the quarry, just reverse the process; they make stealth checks to hide in the crowd, or acrobatics or arcana checks to dodge an entangling spell or burn a path through it with a fireball. If you're worried about a chase running long, call for saves against exhaustion every minute/3rd round or even every round, increasing the DC with every attempt until people start hitting three levels, falling to half speed and dropping out. (This can also add a little interest if the quarry decides to try to fight its way free when caught and everyone has varying levels of disadvantage on their saves and attacks.)
It requires a lot of improvisation and fast DM calls, but if you're comfortable with that sort of thing and your players are able to think of creative things each round beyond "I guess I keep running," it's a very fast, smooth, dynamic way to create an unpredictable chase.
SIMPLE CHASE RULES
A chase is a struggle of relative progress between the quarry and its pursuers, represented by the pursuer's movement either up or down the chase ladder:
Closing In
Gaining Ground
Keeping Pace
Falling Behind
The DM determines what rung the pursuers start at; Keeping Pace is the usual default and the most likely starting state if a chase starts when one party attempts to flee from a losing combat, but a surprise encounter with an enemy in a crowd may call for an initiative check, and pursuit of a pickpocket may default to Falling Behind due to the time it takes for the victim to realize what's happened.
Once the chase starts, it's played out in 20-second intervals, which we might as well call rounds because I trust people not to get confused. The Chase assumes that everyone is running at full tilt - essentially continually taking the Dash action - so they can only fit in a meaningful attempt to change the odds a few times a minute. These attempts are resolved by (group) ability checks. If the pursuer(s) lose these checks, they move down the ladder by one rung, and if they win, they move up. Falling off the bottom of the ladder means the chase is over and the quarry escapes. Climbing off the top of the ladder means the chase is over and the quarry is caught.
To make things interesting, at the beginning of each round, the DM rolls a die. On an even roll, the quarry gets to take action, and the pursuer reacts; on an odd roll, the pursuer tries to do something, and the quarry reacts. Probably simplest to show an example, so:
Fiona the half-orc Fighter, Rajan the half-elf Ranger, and Birdsong the kenku bard are shopping in the marketplace when they abruptly run into Scratch, a tiefling lieutenant of the BBEG they've been searching for. After a moment of mutual shock, Scratch bolts and the party takes off in pursuit. The DM asks for initiative rolls; the party averages 12 and Scratch manages only a 9, so the chase begins with the party Gaining Ground.
The DM rolls a 2 at the beginning of the first round, and announces that Scratch is going to try to get lost in the crowd, asking the players how they'll respond. Rajan says he'll climb up the nearest building to try and spot Scratch from above; this could be either a Strength check to climb or a Wisdom check for perception, so the DM rules to call for a Wisdom check, deciding that the climb is the easier of the two tasks. Fiona proposes to simply plow through the crowd on brute Strength with Birdsong on her shoulders, and Birdsong decides to make her own Wisdom check to see Scratch from up there. The DM rules the tight crowds and gaudy marketplace set the DCs at 10 to push through and 16 to see Scratch. Birdsong and Rajan fail their checks, and the group slides down to Keeping Pace as they try to find Scratch in the crowd and he tries to get out before they do without being too obvious about it.
At the beginning of the second round, the DM rolls a 5 and asks the players what they'll do to catch up. Birdsong and Fiona decide to mimic a watchman whistle and the watchman shouting for the crowd to clear out, respectively, Fiona failing her Charisma check but Birdsong succeeding. Rajan decides to run across the rooftops to try to cut Scratch off, adding acrobatic proficiency to a Dexterity check and handily succeeding. The crowd clears out and the party moves back up to Gaining Ground.
The third round goes to the players again, and as the DM describes the chase leading out into the orchard outside town, Rajan decides to use entangle* to try to snare Scratch, and Birdsong (still on Fiona's shoulders) attempts to give her ride a burst of speed with longstrider. The DM asks for an Intelligence (arcana) check from both of them, representing the difficulty of casting on a fast-moving target while tired from a full minute of full-out sprinting. Fiona simply decides to push herself and makes a Constitution check to find the energy for a burst of extra speed. Birdsong fails her check and wastes a spell slot, but Fiona and Rajan pass and bring the party to Closing In as Scratch detours around the entangle and trips on grasping roots. One more good round and they'll have their hands on their prey.
* He took Magic Initiate (Druid). It's just an example. Leave me alone.
The party should always be doing the rolling, so if they're the quarry, just reverse the process; they make stealth checks to hide in the crowd, or acrobatics or arcana checks to dodge an entangling spell or burn a path through it with a fireball. If you're worried about a chase running long, call for saves against exhaustion every minute/3rd round or even every round, increasing the DC with every attempt until people start hitting three levels, falling to half speed and dropping out. (This can also add a little interest if the quarry decides to try to fight its way free when caught and everyone has varying levels of disadvantage on their saves and attacks.)
It requires a lot of improvisation and fast DM calls, but if you're comfortable with that sort of thing and your players are able to think of creative things each round beyond "I guess I keep running," it's a very fast, smooth, dynamic way to create an unpredictable chase.