Running a Chase Scene in D&D - Simple, Easy-to-Use Rules

[@theDMLair]

📣How do you run chase scenes in your games? ⏩Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/thedmlair

[@atomman13]

the DM Lair for my first chase I did something kind of similar, instead I gave the party options for their skill checks. Like “you see your target hop over some boxes just as a cart begins to pull into your path, choose x or y.”

[@theDMLair]

Yeah that's a good idea too especially if you have players who struggle to think about what they might do in a given situation.

[@Goatzilla117]

I plan out chase obstacles for each area, both the people fleeing and chasing have to make a dc based on the obstacle every 100ft they travel maintaining the close RAW for chase seen rules. I only like rules as written for this because it is realistic though love speeds in dnd are far from that unless a player is moving at 3x there walk speed I make a new sprinting rule so that players and enemies move 3x the speed and use far greater stamina while also running into more obstacles because they cover more ground. Though it’s fair because the npc running away must also succeed on the same dc. Example of obstacles is a crowd of people, guards that join the chase to stop the commotion, and the chase lead takes a turn into an ally trying to escape jumps a fence if he passes his dc. It makes it fun and keeps it realistic so that players can still cast haste or fly to close gaps very fast.

[@GlynHarrison]

Check out the 'Angry GM's guide to encounters'... theangrygm.com/how-to-build-awesome-encounters/ So much good good stuff on his site. It's basically decades of GM experience bottled into words on webpages.

[@vikingraven4758]

+the DM Lair The system you have proposed is quite frankly bad. The reason for this is because it ignores and nullifies player customisation. A fast player is punished, because suddenly their speed is irrelevant. A Spellcaster who focuses on utility spells is punished, because suddenly a fireball is just as effective as their levitate, spider climb, feather fall, or freedom of movement would have been. Did you take the mobile feat, or invest into acrobatics? Suddenly it doesn't matter. I have experienced acrobatics expertise being the difference between catching a foe and loosing it, because the PC had the skillset to jump down a place the NPC had to climb. Due to this the PC could jump on top of them, and impale them to the ground. Don't know about you, but to me forcing the players to make smart builds that can do cool things is a loot more fun than; "you delayed them with your fireball"....

[@Joseph125]

Ah yes, Locate Big Bad Evil Guy, the brilliant 8th level spell that most DMs have banned due to the fact that it can just skip the lategame story

[@theDMLair]

I've definitley banned it. Lol

[@nutregina]

What spell?

[@theDMLair]

nutregina, I don't think it's an actual spell. I'm pretty sure Joefish was joking about my reference to it in the intro. :)

[@nutregina]

@@theDMLair, yes. I was going to say "Why couldn't your Big Bad Guy go and buy a brand new lead-foil cap for himself. btw Have you made a video about dealing with all those players' detect and charm spells?

[@theDMLair]

What do you mean by detect and charm spells?

[@Vivo-ux9vz]

Man, I wish more people were experiencing the true enjoyment of D&D

[@theDMLair]

Amen! So much fun stuff to love about this game!

[@schemage2210]

The last time I did a chase, I dug out the rules from pathfinder which turned out to be even more clunky then what is first described there. Your variant rules are awesome and I hope to remember next time a chase is called for.

[@theDMLair]

Thanks! Pathfinder tends to be rules heavy, right?

[@jeanrushmer8192]

I would just tell the players the fireball blows up a nearby wagon temporarily slowing the rogue down

[@theDMLair]

Yes! That's exactly the sort of flavor and narration that would make a chase scene exciting.

[@OminousPinapple]

A wagon of cabbages, and an NPC runs out and screams for his poor cabbages, grabbing the rogue to sob on

[@mithril1584]

@@OminousPinapple MY CABBAGES!!!!!!

[@empatheticrambo4890]

1:40 advice; 4:25 is abridged, the whole party challenge one roll per member. OR skill challenge, my idea is that spending a spell or ability like misty step, vines, or rogue dashing twice can give you advantage on the roll! Characters with three failures is out, three successes is caught up. SO make a short chase rule, or long chase scene

[@aksel864]

This is actually a good way to do it, i will probably use this in one of my comming sessions! Great advice bro

[@theDMLair]

Thanks, dude!

[@christybeckhouse1042]

I'm running a one shot in a few weeks and there's a chase scene in it and I've been stressing for ages over it. I'm just starting out as a GM and finding the mechanics very overwhelming, but this was broken down in a way that made me feel comfortable and confident. Thank you!

[@CatOnACell]

Personally I like skill and challenge setups. Particularly for rooftop chases where you may be swinging around chimneys or mage handing rags into their face to make their next jump harder.

[@sea_triscuit7980]

Throwing in a few Acrobatics checks and such are always a fun way to keep the chase interesting

[@SteveSwannJr]

Agreed! Colville mentioned this as well. I love it!

[@Mark-ih2wr]

I was running a campaign that called for me to use the Chase deck, and at the end of running this scenario the players felt confused and annoyed so I definitely think this version could be something I'll try in the future! Thanks for the pointers! :)

[@theDMLair]

You are very welcome! Yes, sometimes simple rules are so much better than complex rules, even if some realism is lost.

[@guswoodgate6670]

Thanks man. This is probably the best set of rules I've found for Chase scenes. I'm definitely going to use this

[@theDMLair]

Awesome! Happy to help. Let me know how it works for you.

[@michaelminugh5357]

This is a pretty simple and sweet way to run it for 5e, for those wanting a little more meat I'd recommend checking out the Savage Worlds adventure edition chase rules. It's got a word or two you might need to look up but the basic idea is pretty simple and useful.

[@moritzwinkler7352]

I came up with a similar set of rules myself, but I didn't have a chance to implement them into my campaign yet. This video encourages me to try it out. Thanks

[@theDMLair]

No problem! Happy to help. What are your chase rules?

[@moritzwinkler7352]

I designed them for a spaceship chase, so it is a group effort. Each of the characters can choose what they want to do according to the job they are doing on the Spaceship. There are no turns for the individuals players but there are turns for the spaceships. So the players have to decide simultaneously what their actions will be. There will be checks for their actions and if the group has the needed amount of successes they can catch up or get ahead, depending on the situation.

[@theDMLair]

That's cool. Do you play a Star Wars or Star Trek RPG?

[@moritzwinkler7352]

I homebrew the rules, but I took the players handbook as a guideline. My intention was to make an easy set of rules for my players to understand and for me to remember, because we are all knew to pen and paper in general.

[@HowtoRPG]

You have covered a sensible way to run a chase scene. Great video.

[@Sedr1s]

Love the voices, and this is really good advice, I intend to use these rules when I run Out of the Abyss and the drow catch up to the players while they're traveling.

[@theDMLair]

Cool, thanks! I just used these rules twice last Saturday (the 2nd set of simple ones, though). Went really well. We were playing Dragon Heist.

[@jordanmorack9122]

Using this system in my game tonight! Very flowing easy to run system. Thank you for sharing!

[@ZebraOutpost]

Well with the end of the video I can say it's an easy explanation. With the Wizard shooting firebolt as he runs it can (if in a town) for something to break, giving something quickly climb up but then slide down this rubble, making him be a bit in the lead. Just the DM explaining and etc. I say go crazy with the explanations to make it fun

[@theDMLair]

good point! :)

[@HungryHungryShoggoth]

I LOVE using skill challenges on my players in 5e, 4e introduced a lot of interesting mechanics and I feel doesnt get enough credit for innovating. I steal a lot of 4e stuff for 5e

[@nealpeterson9714]

Terrible DM here, I have never seen the rules for chase scenes and never considered it really. I love your method of doing it. As we are about to do an urban campaign, this will be great introduction. When I implement it I will declare that we are now in a chase and here are the rules so when they do things like throw things or cast spells that they are checks, not so much damage/kill actions. Thank you! Also, unpopular opinion, I liked 4th addition and this sounds like it was inspired by it ;)

[@theDMLair]

Well I can tell you that you're not missing much by not reading the actual chase rules. 😁 Yes, it's inspired by 4e's skill challenges, I believe, though I never played 4e myself.

[@MartinTraXAA]

Tip: If you want to avoid the party just fireballing the poor sod who is fleeing, give them a good reason for not wanting to do that. Perhaps they *need* him alive and unharmed. Perhaps throwing fireballs around in a city is a quick way to get locked up in jail.

[@starrmont4981]

This is a much better approach than the default chase rules. Thanks!

[@EJFF.]

Very helpful video Luke, thanks so much for all you do for the community!

[@pinkskin1998]

Oh my god I've been waiting ages for this kind of house rule. Man, your channel is a gem!

[@theDMLair]

Wow, thank you. Always happy to help! 😁

[@ACDSdude]

Perfect timing for this video! I've been wanting to implement a chase in my game. Also, great use of the intro/skit characters.

[@theDMLair]

Thanks a lot! :) Always happy to help.

[@toml1652]

I think it is very interesting how many 4th edition features seep into 5th edition, when spicing up combat (tactical challenge) or in this case doing a skill challenge (for narrative benefit)

[@DramakilzU]

I like what Dragon Heist did, which is have the DM roll for possible obstacles that can get in the player’s way during a chase, such as a moving fruit cart or a large fence. These obstacles can create interesting situations for players to use different skill checks and make it feel like a real chase scene.

[@andreaferrini99]

I was thinking about writing some chase scenes for a campaign I will be running in the future, and this video arrived just in time. I took the notebook I use to jolt down notes on worldbuilding and rules I should be using and I never lifted the pencil from the notebook while I was listening to the video!

[@theDMLair]

That's awesome dude! Let me know how your chase scenes turn out!

[@davesloopyboopy6741]

Don’t know why you have such few views; your content is great!

[@theDMLair]

Thanks a lot! Feel free to share on social media -- Twitter, Reddit, and whatnot -- to spread awareness. :D

[@xMEanimations]

With two rogues and a monk in the party this will make chase scenes way more interesting! Will definately deploy this!

[@theDMLair]

It definitely makes things more interesting.

[@jonathanhollenbeak9047]

I like this but I would want to work it both ways. If the wizard is trying to slow him down then the party advances, and if one character wants to surge ahead the move up individually. In the same way you can’t get the crowd to help very easily if they see explosions so you will have to keep that in mind. I suppose it lends to more situational thinking to your very good chase structure.

[@MetisRose95]

I know this is an old video but gonna be trying out these rules in my session today for something a little different. Can't wait!

[@QKtronix]

thanks, it's my first time DMing and I'm totally disoriented on how to run a chase, but this is an easy way, thanks

[@marcussawyer4751]

If the mage would use a fireball during the chase, not only he would kill/injure the guy that he is trying to hit... but also all the civilians, so he would be closer sure... but only to death sentence.

[@theDMLair]

Yes, good point!

[@jiancosta9042]

What if you used a fire ball (or any spell really) to create a obstical that your quarry must get past, allowing you to get closer

[@marcussawyer4751]

@@jiancosta9042 it works only if you are chasing but there is noone else, cause it is an aoe spell it doesn't say "you are a civilian... i won't burn your ass" you can't choose who it hits. While spells that have a single target, can work that way.

[@lawaern3474]

My party's cleric (A Tempus worshipping Tiefling) would like nothing more than to gut his enemy (A grazztian Cambion). But he would also be perfectly satisfied with dying in battle against this guy or his minions. The Cambion knows this, and refuses to give him the satisfaction. Therefore chase scenes are kind of inevitable, and something I have been dreading. Especially considering this is my first campaign. I wanted to thank you for making this video, you have saved me a great deal of head-aches, and the reliance on skill checks allows the cleric's supportive abilities to shine, in the pursuit of his hated enemy.

[@Matt-md5yt]

Flinging fireballs and other projectiles can lead to bad things.

[@theDMLair]

Totally agree! More tension and drama... Lol

[@kontrarien5721]

Ugh. My GMs would alway just run chases using combat rounds, with the end result being that no one and no thing could ever get away - unless of course they had higher move values. For typical humanoids it went something like this: They try to run and move away. Next, the pursuer moves right up next to them and attacks again. Then, they move away again. Next, the pursuer again moves up next to them and attacks again. Finally, the one fleeing realizes that this only ends one way and makes a last stand. Total lack of imagination.

[@theDMLair]

Yep, totally. Fleeing using combat rules just doesn't work.

[@fardreamer1576]

I made the opposite experience. The fleeing one used movement+dash and everyone chasing could either do the same and thus not shorten the distance at all.. or take an action instead of dashing and fall behind significantly on each turn. So there was no way at all to catch someone using combat rules. And I completely agree that combat rules for chasing are pretty useless, I really like the here presented skill challenge.

[@Celebrintal]

@@fardreamer1576 This is exactly the experience that a player is having at my table. And I would like to attend this need of my player, so I investigate alternative rules for chasing.

[@wnabhro]

I was actually planning on using a chase scene in my first game that I will be DMing, I like this way, THANKS!

[@theDMLair]

You're welcome! 😁👊

[@luismagarinos3012]

Im definetly stealing this for my Next one shot. Great idea and video 👍

[@sillyjellyfish2421]

Sorry for being late, just wanted to say, that at my table the DM did pretty much the same thing with one exception - the running person was also rolling and those rolls determined the DC for the round. If they got a low number, they tripped and it was easier for us to close on them. If they got a high number, they knocked out some obstacles for us to get through. That way we really weren't sure what would happen next. But as for what happened after one of us got to the target, we basically entered the fight but instead of initiative, the order of our actions was determined by who failed less/more often and thus got there sooner or later

[@P4D3LL05]

That's a pretty interesting mechanic... I'll try it for sure! Also maybe the quarry could be more interactive and make it harder for the players to maintain the chase

[@theDMLair]

Yes, for sure. The quarry could also be attempting things that could slow the PCs down or make it easier to get away. Maybe the quarry is making skill checks, too!

[@poetry3652]

I was thinking that maybe if the quarry succeeds then the chasers get disadvantage maybe on their next roll? I really like this mechanic so I am going to be thinking about it alot! For example, the classic move of pushing stacked boxes into the way of your pursuers, hence giving them disadvantage.

[@colinoneill3659]

Round 1: thief heads down a crowded street. Advantage for the halfling. Round 2: the thief drops down into the sewers and slogs through the the wet filthy darkness DC 12Con save or disadvantage. Adv for the elf’s dark vision. Round 3: the thief has slithered through a small gap in the sewer grate....

[@okamiseele8614]

I'm totally stealing this for my campaign! Last session ended with two monks chasing after some goons... needless to say they're going to catch up in one round so hopefully this will slow them all down a little!

[@SyverReborn]

I going try this out with my players and see how we feel about it as a group, thanks mate

[@themanwithnoplan9707]

Thank you DmLair I have been trying to figure out how to run chase scenes as a DM!

[@theDMLair]

Happy to help! 😁

[@emraldboof8244]

I am running a sci-fi fantasy mixed campaign and we have an encounter coming up where a player and Nov are racing vehichles and the winner takes the losers vehichle. I had very little idea how I would make this work but this video has helped a lot

[@skeletalwither]

I assume you use the same system if the players are being chased, just that they gain distance away from their opponents instead of closing it.

[@jordanbeard6687]

I like how you did this, but offer the way I have done chase scenes in the past as an alternative. The DC is flexible, but only known the the DM. All modifiers are applied to the DC, not the skill side of things to speed up play (only the DM is doing the weird math). Start the chase by explaining to all the players, this delays the start of the scene but speeds the play during it. I always start the target (the thing they are chasing) at about 4 spaces away (using minis like shown in your video) and have the players select their "move skill" (acrobatics, or just their Dex stat bonus, whatever they choose) and have them use it every round. I then make the scene fluid like a crowd in the way increases the DC, a clear path decreases it, but throw in description to what is happening (The apple cart vendor pulling out into your path, a little old woman turns and slowly crosses the road, suddenly an opening appears, etc). Based on their successes they close distance, failures increase it like you showed. Once within 5 ft they may attempt to attack, grab, push their target and make them stop. My goal in a chase is to create tension. Make it move fast. Don't let the players step out of character at all. And put them on a timer (I just count off on my fingers) to make them select an action quickly. This builds a rapid fire chase with everyone rolling rapidly and I find the players even start to try to talk faster during it as they get caught up in the accelerated play. Afterwards there is the normal combat scene or maybe they caught their target and interrogate them or whatever they choose to do. But this burst of rapid action can make a big difference in the tone of the game session that carries over into other parts of play.

[@theDMLair]

That sounds cool. I especially like how you keep it moving fast to create an atmosphere of tension. A slow chase scene is ho-hum boring, IMO.

[@jordanbeard6687]

@@theDMLair 100% agree. The two ways you mentioned, or mine, or really anything that keeps it moving faster are all better systems than the ones in the rule books. I've been using this system since 2e and it works great for me. Find something that moves the action along, allows you to craft a narrative and make it interesting and more fun. The rules are a guideline in this case I think.

[@CharleswoodSpudzyofficial]

I ran a chase scene once and I really liked how I did it. It was similar to your method, but it involved the players having to get creative to catch the thief. For example, the thief decided to climb a building, one of the players did the same passing a DC, then the thief ran across a line bridging the two buildings together. the player fails the DC and falls down. FInally a second line to the city wall. The gate was closed so the players decided to climb the wall. Passed the DC and the thief tries to do the same but fails. The thief laying on the ground gets ambushed by the players and is unable to escape. I can imagine this as being a more cinematic and interactive approach to a skill check. Try it out sometime!

[@minecraftkid2136]

thanks for making this cool video man, i'll try some of this out

[@blazetheplaneswalker]

would definitely give this a try

[@vodostar9134]

I normally wouldn't comment on a video this old, but this just came up in our game yesterday. Our second level party was fleeing a hag with an army of ghouls and zombies. The DM ran it as a group skill challenge as Luke describes here and it worked brilliantly. What could easily either taken three sessions to play out or ended in a quick TPK turned into a fun 2 hours - yeah it was a long chase. We only lost our NPC guide right at the end.

[@AAAuser1]

That’s much simpler than what the Dm guide says, thanks!

[@theDMLair]

No problem. The DMG chase rules are practically unusable IMO and make what should be an exciting adrenaline filled chase into a slow rules heavy bore fest.

[@Jpteryx]

I think I'd just run a chase exactly like combat, only instead of keeping track of positions, we'd just have to keep track of each character's distance from the fleeing quarry. Plus maybe a complication at the start of each round after the first that causes you to start falling behind if you fail (The rogue runs straight into the crowds of the market street, how are you going to keep up with him?). That way it would reward both characters with fast movement and creative use of skills.

[@MartinTraXAA]

If running it like combat, add in that the chaser has to not just catch up to but have enough movement to get PAST their quarry before they can try to grapple\attack him. If not you'll just have several tedious rounds of combat where you catch up to the quarry and hit him, he runs away. You catch up to the quarry and hit him, he runs away. Ad nauseam. This way your characters will still need to do some thinking on how to finally catch up to the guy they're chasing.

[@jillianh7565]

My group did a drive by shooting on castle Ravenloft at level 3. The fighters spent time gathering weapons and hiring the best driver they could find. We took Van Richten’s carriage up to castle Ravenloft and the fighters shot fire arrows (flaming arrows) into the wine cellar. A few minutes later Strahd sent a bunch of wolves and other creatures after our carriage. Combat ensued and we were using whatever we could to fight off the creatures while the carriage was moving down the road. A few enemies flanked the carriage but we defeated them. It was awesome!

[@DonaldSimsProduction]

Interesting thoughts. Thanks for sharing them.

[@solosmoke7330]

For that fireball, I'd have them actually roll a ranged attack against the BBEG with an increased AC (explaining briefly that it's going to play out like this so are they sure they want to risk the spell slot) - the fireball would either miss (so describe the destruction) or hit (causing the damage to the BBEG's hit points AND destruction) but either way, I'd have them do the Arcana check to gain/lose ground on them. If they loose an arrow, ranged attack against increased AC to hit/miss and sleight of hand to see if they can shoot and still gain ground. A failed tackle/grapple declaration would be followed a DEX save of 15+ to stay on their feet otherwise they fall out of the chase until someone catches up or they escape.

[@mihaisereanu9455]

Pretty easy way to make sense of the Firebolt: give advantage on further checks made by people actually closing in on the target. The wizard would still be out after 3 failures like everybody else, but doesn't move any "closer" to the target. That way, they can still contribute, just that they probably won't catch the target themselves.

[@yogsothoth7594]

I'm pretty late to the video and all but i do feel like the relative movement speeds should probably play something into this? Like i feel even if the chase isn't about speed alone it should factor in. Particularly if the players combine their abilities and buffs so maybe a totem barbarian level 5 uses the elk buff and then the bard castes long strider and wizard hastes haste on them. They might still have to weave through the crowd but it seems right to reward the players for giving the characters the speed for said barbarian to sprint down down the open stretches and be able to come rushing in and rugby tacking the target.

[@chloeburge5353]

Oh this is great! How fun for something different to add into a game! Thanks!

[@jakubb6094]

This is brilliant. The only thing I wish it did is incorporate movement speed. So I'm thinking that movement speed can factor into the skill check's DC. As a DM, here's what I will attempt at my session tomorrow: Subtract the pursuer's movement speed from the quarry's speed, multiply that by .3, and add the result to 10. This is your DC. So, for example, a gnome (movement speed 25) is pursing a Hill Giant (movement speed 40). 40 - 25 = 15 15 x .3 = 4.5 10 + 4 (rounded down) = 14 DC = 14 If the gnome happened to be pursing a Rat (movement speed 20) the DC would be 9. 20 - 25 = -5 -5 X .3 = -1.5 10 + (-1)= 9 DC = 9 I realize that I am introducing another layer of complexity, but I want movement speed to count for something and I figure it might as well factor into the DC check. I'm not sure whether multiplying the difference in movement speeds by .3 is the right metric, but that can be fine tuned as we play. Thanks for an awesome approach to chases!

[@Voduchyld]

To me this is kinda like a homebrewed skill challenge. And i like it!

[@skyguy713]

Do I roll for the quarry, to see if they can fiddle with modifiers for certain tasks the players can do? Like a stealth check to fall into a crowd for a small time, gaining some ground, or failing a strength check to knock over some barrels, losing him some valuable time. Also, would moving the number of consecutive successful moves be good for making faster characters, letting every, say 10ft of movespeed them have faster than the target give them an less needed, and every 10ft less an extra check they need to complete? That way the shifter human in no armor can catch up faster than the heavy armor dwarf paladin. Loved the video, and I'm glad this popped up for me to see.

[@Mr_Maiq_The_Liar]

Put figurines on a table, do skill checks to move figurines in each direction from both all the players and the person. To simulate moving forward occasionally put something you can interact with like a wagon that moves behind you in a turn. Or have corners to round. Rulers are pretty on fly, you can make athletics checks with disadvantaged every turn to move forward the amount rolled relative to the person you’re chasing. And you can forgo disadvantage to sprint if you’re doing nothing else. When he rolls everyone moves back instead to represent him getting away. It’s pretty on spot ruling “roll a 15 move 15 feet forward. He got a 20 so you’re all 20 feet further away” It’s like combat if the speed you moved was an athletics check with disadvantage.

[@marvinhubregtse5776]

huh thats actually an intresting way to do it ... ill suggest this to my dm next week

[@marvinhubregtse5776]

also i think a similar thing to this was used on critical role a while back ( to be fair the pc's were the ones being chased but they also implemented RP and skill checks(harder checks for the people with lower speed))

[@theDMLair]

Interesting... So CR is taking my ideas, are they? LOL

[@fullmetaldovahkiin]

I started a campaign with a chase scene once and it was one of the most exciting encounters I think I have ever done. The players were framed for a crime they didn't do and were thrown in jail. They had a choice to fight in a combat arena for their freedom or try to escape and find out who framed them or seek aid from another town. They decided to try to break out and make a run for the next town over. Starting as a stealth mission and eventually failing upon reaching the city streets, I then did my best to have a mental image of the map of the city as a whole. Taking into consideration that the entire legion of guards were after them AND commoners that got in their way with out meaning too. Basically to some it up I set an average group speed for the party and this determined how many rounds/how many successful checks they needed to escape. Then with every round I thought "anything that can go wrong will go wrong" from there I just determined on the fly where these 3rd party factors were coming from. What helped the most was thinking of this as a STORY FIRST and a GAME SECOND. Tell what problems are happening in the story and the players will tell you how they want to interact. Sorry for the novel of a post.

[@FuriousFurg]

Great video! keep them coming and ill keep watching!

[@polvotierno]

Here is an idea for chases... First establish how many rounds it would take the quarry to reach safe haven (hideout, cave, church, etc.) Let's say 8 rounds. So the PCs have 8 rounds to catch the quarry. As you say in the video, set a fixed DC like 12 for low tier players. So the base DC for each pursuer to catch the quarry is 8x12=96. This base DC is adjusted for speed for each pursuer. Each 5 foot of speed difference adjusts the DC. So if the quarry has speed 25, and the PC has speed 30, the base DC to catch the quarry is 96-5=91. Now if anything during the chase would slow the quarry down like a spell or ranged damage, each time the base DC is lowered by 5. Any natural 1 rolled would raise the base DC by 5. Any natural 20 rolled would lower the base DC by 5. Any PC chasing the quarry begins to roll each round, adding together the rolls to reach the adjusted DC within 8 rounds. To physically chase the quarry, PC rolls a a combination of endurance, athletics and acrobatics, maybe even animal handing if on a mount or Perception to not lose the quarry around corners or through bushes. This system works really well and the roleplay dialogue follows the success of the rolls.

[@alsitte]

this is exactly what ive been looking for some great flavor and you can determine how long the chase is for be it 3 checks or 5 checks to make the chase seem longer more difficult.

[@theDMLair]

Happy to help! :-)

[@LichfiendRazool]

I had something similar when I was doing a chase scene where I kept a mark of how close to the runner they were not by feet but just by marking them in a score of 1 to 5 for myself. 1 being way behind, 5 being right on their tail *literally cause it was a tabaxi*. However whilst I allowed them to approach in their own ways, I also enjoyed adding things to throw them off. The runner throws a bead from his necklace of fireballs at a crowd of civilians. The players on their next checks could continue chasing & ignore the threat or attempt to save them which put the ones who help back. In the end one of my players ended up stopping to take a quick shot with a high AC to try and at least shoot the bead away from the crowd or set it off before it reached them. It hit a shop but saved a lot of people.

[@MonsteroftheMW]

0:40 "Doo doo". (Thanks for the vids, man! They're are a tremendous help!)

[@theDMLair]

You're very welcome! 👊

[@MonsteroftheMW]

@@theDMLair Inversely, would you use this same mechanic if your party is being chased?

[@theDMLair]

I would probably have the PCs make skill checks to ESCAPE. So basically just the same rules in reverse.

[@brycerichardson3687]

Oooh I just did one of these with my group last Sunday. . . . in reverse. They were running from this swarm of magic Morganite bees with a psychic connection and were trying all sorts of things to get them off their trail before realizing the bee they'd captured was transmitting it's location to the others. They eventually got back to the village that hired them by going through an underground aqueduct system that an NPC had told them about earlier lead all around the villages various locations. They had to collapse the entrances, but they kept failing to so some of them had to "sacrifice" themselves to the swarm (Since the entrance wasn't huge only a few could get through they had to fight off as they were collapsing the entrance.)

[@RoninRaconteur]

I do my chase scenes as roll vs roll. If a wizard was attempting to chase someone down It would be the same skill, but if they tried to shoot on the run it would be an attack roll with disadvantage. With every 100ft...if it goes that long, they would do Con checks to see if they were tired. Anything is possible though. If the rogue started knocking things over the monk may parkour easily over it with a acrobatics check while the barbarian runs through it with a nasty straight Strength or Athletics check. The ranger may choose not to run but track a better route and get ahead so there's other options, but in a straight chase its roll vs roll...works for mounted chases as well

[@dumbghost3109]

my party had a chase scene where we were the runners. the dm had allowed us to use athetics or acrobatics (our choice) depending on our individual tactic, in addition to any abilities we had, but we could only use the dash action so many times each. We were running across rooftops to get over the city wall towards the end of the chase, and we were all level 9. our land druid had turned herself into a hawk and flew ahead with my inkling familiar to prepare a safe way to jump over the wall (none of us had feather fall) our bloodhunter and barbarian were a bit ahead because of their athetics proficiency our ranger was using her drake mount to bound across the rooftops our owlin lunar sorcerer was flying above us and casting cantrips to try and slow the guards chasing us down (he was almost out of spellslots) and our kobold Artilerist was falling behind because he recently had gotten a minor leg injury from nearly falling off the roof tops because of my unreasonably high dex (i had rolled well on stats and had 17 dex as my second highest) I, the parties most versate spellcaster( i was playtesting my own homebrew class, a magister using a shadow magic subclass) stopped running to let everyone pass me and cast telekinesis on a fabric awning and used it to engulf the guards, before using one of my subclass features to step into the shadow from a chimney nearby and teleport back to catch up. our druid casted plant growth on 2 trees near the wall, allowing me and the sorcerer to both cast web to make a double layered net between us and the ground to catch us.

[@alanthomasgramont]

As someone who has been playing roleplay games since 1984, I still find useful information from watching videos like this. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I'm not certain why, but for some reason Seth can get away with dropping into characters but yours come across as jarring. I think your videos would play better without them. This is great advice in a chase scene. I'm going to give it a try.

[@derpderpington8331]

You see I’m a Tabaxi rogue, how would you implement people with enhanced movement speed such as feline agility and double dash or a mounted character?

[@InShortSight]

On a case by case basis hand out advantage or reduce the target dc. In certain situations it is also perfectly fine to just let the players bypass the skill challenge. The beauty of skill challenges, and ability checks in general, is that once you understand how they work you can basically just do what makes sense and feels right. There's no need to ask a player to roll a check to climb a cliff if their character can fly.

[@patheronaetherson2860]

Okay, but Halfling Monk (for Halfling Nimbleness so that they can run through the space(s) of medium or larger sized creatures with the Mobile and Squat Nimbleness feats as well as Longstrider and Haste cast on them with ki to burn on Step of the Wind for an insanely high movement speed. If Boots of Speed are added into the mix then it becomes even higher.

[@skow7620]

When something affects a PC that gives an advantage in the chase, give them additional checks in a turn and count multiple successes or 1 failure. If it is disadvantageous, use additional checks and count 1 failure if the PC fails any check or 1 success if the checks all succeed. If something (like a fireball or the longstrider spell) affects the pursued, raise or lower the number of successes the PC's need to succeed. If a PC uses a way to completely avoid challenges (flight, teleportation, etc.), reward them with an automatic success. For Dash, the DMG's method uses a saving throw that increases with each use to succeed. So you could just raise the dc on the check for dash each time it is used and treat it as an advantage for the PC.

[@TheHushedsilence]

What I like to do is put down sticky notes in a pyramid, each sticky note has underneath it a specific trigger, I let the player tell me how they're handling it, a successful check lets them get closer, a failure lags them behind, the players try to get to the top of the pyramid within a set number (I usually do best 3 out of 5)

[@eliasvernieri]

The best chase mechanic i had. i ruled like a secuence of scenes with oposite checks . (more like a cinematographic scene) the party was chasing an assesine, thru a city. the asesine had the advantaje so he was 2 "chase rounds" away at the start. the assesine made a check each turn, and that was the "DC" for al the others. the first scene was just a "run", so every one in the party make an atletic check against the "rogue check". the second one, the rogue was making havock in the city to hinder the chase. he made an acrobatic check and that was the dificulty, the third he tryed to stealth with bonus for each "chase round" he had. against perception or investigation. this time he ended with a check stealth +15 and then the party losed him... the same guy atempted that again but the wizard casted haste on a paladin. and the chase ended in the first scene.

[@darbizzlebacon]

I'm not sure if you have listened to the podcast, "Critical Hit" (not critical role), but they were playing 4E in the beginning of the series, and they had pretty interesting rules for skills challenges, that I would like to implement into 5E. They would go as normal, for the most part, where the player would choose a skill on their turn, but could not choose the same skill twice in a row, however, the next player would also not be allowed to choose the same skill as the previous player. It created a lot of moments that would force the players to get creative, and I think could work quite well in 5E.

[@theDMLair]

Sounds similar to what I do. I think it works fairly well.

[@inkognitonoori9486]

The fireball action can easily let the mage catch up, either by doing a so called fireball jump, where the wizards uses the explosion to propel himself forward or let the rogue evade/change course. Thats easily narrated. The rest depend on the enviroment, cant really persuade people to stop your quarry in the wilderness but maybe you can motivate your teammates (which would speak for a team check system) However, its way easier to get three sucesses as a group in comparison to a specific player, as the group of players will have more boni to their rolls (as everyone will start with their strong roles, they profit from bless easier etc) so you would need to increase the dc or the amount of sucesses needed.

[@raffaelecolombi6524]

Thanks for the alternative idea for a chase! I think I will merge the concept with some of the random stuff proposed in the DMG to spice things up. My only question is: what if a player just attacks the quarry? like ranged weapon or spell... do you actually apply roll for damage etc, or use that as a skill check as well?

[@covildosdragoes5753]

I employ mostly the same tactics as in the video, but if some player wants to make a ranged attack, I let them roll. It's a bit loosey goosey, but a ranged weapon should have disadvantage, for the trouble of aiming/knocking an arrow mid-run. The character might choose to stop and shoot to not have disadvantage, considering range. Hit or miss, if he does that, he's a round behind. A thrown weapon rolls normally, considering range. Is good to remember that an attack roll behaves much like a skill roll. It's a d20 + a stat modifier + proficiency, if appliable. I ask for a concentration saving throw DC10 to cast any spell mid-run. The character might stop sprinting to avoid making the saving throw, with similar results as above. The quarry has advantage on dex saving throws, for being on the run. Damage applies normally, and any doubts about weird spells or weapons should be easy enough to cover.

[@theDMLair]

Makes sense. Running and shooting an arrow probably isn't as easy as shooting while still.

[@Fangoros]

From a roleplay perspective: I don't see how succesfully slowing down the Rogue would make it so that you catch up as just ONE player and not the whole party. I mean the wizard could/ should technically stand still while casting, slowing the rogue, so the barbarian would catch up even more, but not necessary the wizard...

[@99sonder]

I guess there's nothing stopping characters from casting spells while walking or running in the rules of D&D, maybe you'd get disadvantage as it's more difficult to speak the invocation for the verbal component while you're breathing more heavily since you're running. But yes, I agree, if a character does something that slows the target down, it only makes sense that the rest of the party gets a stage closer

[@RobKinneySouthpaw]

I've had good success with the three or four chases that I've run with the basic chase rules. I might try one that's a skill challenge like this and use the chase complication roll once per side. Like roll a complication at the start of the round for something that might affect the party, And after their turns roll one that might affect the chasee.

[@syrupchugger421]

Group snill check to make rhe chase more efficient and action based soinds like a great idea. Thank you

[@kallofkthuluz5922]

Great suggestion. Thanks

[@RobKinneySouthpaw]

The other thing I'm not sure I like about the basic chase rules is that the rogue in your party can only dash as an action Just like everyone else, since there's no bonus actions. So when I have used the Chase rules and someone chooses to flee, I let one round and go tactical speed in case someone wants to use their cool class/multiclass features to cover a ridiculous amount of distance. Action surge plus dash plus rogue dip bonus action dash, or action surge dash plus charger tackle. Or misty step plus a grapple attempt. If the quarry is able to evade past that then I'll go into a chase

[@Mythotix]

Man I wish I had this video a month ago when I had to do a chase scene on the fly and had absolutely no clue what I was doing 😂

[@theDMLair]

Well at least now you have it for next time! 😁

[@Cxdfc]

I like your individual chase better than the team chase. I’d combine yours and the DMG, have an initiative, and in init. Count 20, still roll on those nice lists of hazards.

[@unmog4223]

This is actually how I've done chases~ but nice way to break it down. Tho, important oversight, chases only work if the characters have the same run speeds. Stuff like a monk or barbarians increased speed makes it hard for them to lose someone slower than them. Or different feats, something that increases their speed. Or like, the ability to fly, etc.

[@MartinTraXAA]

A spell or something that gives you additional speed could be counted as two successes (but require a skill check so the haste spell doesn't have you fly through a store-window like Captain America in his first chase) while having a higher base speed (even if it's just +5 feet) could be counted as starting with an initial success. This means they still have to put some effort into it without negating their abilities and skills.

[@unmog4223]

Yea, I guess that'd be a fair way to do it too. The point remains tho, if you have a significant speed advantage it wouldn't really need a chase. :p

[@MartinTraXAA]

@@unmog4223 Well, being fast is only part of the equation. Ingenuity, quick thinking and rapid reactions can play into it a lot as well not just from the person chasing but also the person being chased. "That guy is catching up to me, better slow him down!"

[@unmog4223]

@@MartinTraXAA It plays a big part tho :p

[@Volvandese]

On Saturday I have a session opening with a chase, and I'm going to try this approach. (Update) It went really well, the players had fun, and we got some good memes in our group Discord out of it. I'm definitely going to use this again.

[@heroniusnapalmv6990]

do you have a favouite class that while dming and is it different to when you play?

[@theDMLair]

When I'm DMing, my favorite classes are mind flayers, hands down. As a player, I love rogues. So much fun and they're good in almost any game situation: combat, exploration, social interaction -- rogues can do it all.

[@heroniusnapalmv6990]

@@theDMLair i was more thinking classes you are happy to see at your table but i can appreciate mindflayers (as someone who does not DM) kiling them is more fun than alot of monsters.

[@theDMLair]

I like all classes equally as a DM. Except for paladins. There are extreme balance issues with paladins at higher levels.

[@Draeckon]

@@theDMLair Out of curiosity: balance in favor of or against the Paladin? I admit I don't examine the late-game end of D&D all that often... mostly because I don't think I've had a campaign make it past, like, level 12?

[@theDMLair]

When there is a paladin in the group, I make the adventures more challenging. I increase save DCs for instance. Harder monsters. More monsters. I get that some may challenge this saying I'm invalidating someone's character, but the alternative is to have the party steamroll everything and not be challenged in the least. At late levels paladins are game changers NOT because they do tons of DPS, but because of how survivable and resistant to spells and magical effects they make EVERYONE in the party. So the entire group gets a huge power boost with a paladin in the party.

[@DANTVSVERGIL]

Chase scenes are fun when they happen less frequently. I did have a chase scene when my players were protecting a legendary sword in a museum. Sadly the wizard instantly died after getting hit over the head. But our rogue got 2 nat 20s when the person they were chasing, called the Okami threw 2 black eggs at him. He caught them and threw them back. I had my players roll acrobatic and athletic checks since they were running on rooftops. Some fell of the roofs and had to push through crowds of people. At the end the Okami and one other “wolf” ended up escaping into the woods.

[@jm-nf8xf]

Great video, very interesting idea defiently want to try it out sometime. Also a quick question: one of my pcs only cares about gold and treasure and is not willing to do anything that doesn't pay him well. How do I make interesting plothooks with a pc like him?

[@theDMLair]

Thanks a lot! I had at least a couple players like that myself. Basically what I did was motivate them according to what motivates them. That means I had the NTC Quest givers offering them monetary Rewards. Or telling them that X dungeon is full of treasure and that anything they find is Theirs to keep. There's some characters who are a mercenary type and so I don't think it's unreasonable for NPC's in the world to appeal to those mercenaries on terms that they will understand. I would just try doing that and see how it goes.

[@ebony79]

Bit of a baby DM here making her life difficult with wanting a chase scene pretty early on - this was a really cool idea thank you!

[@aeoneternal5193]

also, how do you deal with characters that can dash more than once?, like rogues and monks? do they get more chances for success/failure?

[@padalan2504]

What if the caster uses teleportation spells? misty step etc. Is monk's extra movement speed useless? maybe I should give them advantage

[@dearcastiel4667]

Depends how rule-heavy you want to be, but I'd say these special class bonus/skills/feats/spells are already represented by the skill bonus of the skill the player chosed to use. What I mean is that a monk will have ranks and bonuses in athletics, representing his higher movement speed in this situation. Same goes for the mage and teleportation, he should be well skilled into arcana, but can't end the chase as he takes time to cast the spell and can't be sure where the targuet will exactly be for exemple. Honnestly if it's just for a simple chasse scene I wouldn't bother with too much rules. Basically the players can use whatever their characters have to stop the guy from starting the chase, but once the chase "mini-game" has begun they have to finish it, they can't stop it like if it was regular gameplay.

[@padalan2504]

@@dearcastiel4667 You don't have to pick that skill as monk and most people don't. they get the ability to climb the walls and run fast anyway, so picking it is more of a character detail. I wouldn't want to implement something that is all about speed, yet the fastest character in the group won't benefit from his speed in this situation. It's not about being mechanic heavy, more about acknowledging what the characters can do in the situation.

[@theDMLair]

I'd run it as a straight skill challenge. Once you start taking special abilities into account you're once again building out a complicated rule set. The beauty is in the simplicity, not the realism.

[@CPL.van7]

I did something like this not too long ago, but it was the opposite, NPC's were chasing a PC from a rival gang. They chased him out of the city with gunfire & musket fire & into the nearby forest.

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

Adopted out of the more Gurpsian side of things, movement(s) were calculated differently during character generation from D&D... and since it made "better sense" in the Gurps mechanics, we just kept that... Generally for chasing, while not entirely authentic "moving combat"... Scores for movement could be advanced based on skill-checks... PROVIDED a Player adequately argued the purpose of that skill advancing the move score in such a manner... like acrobatics checks for tumbling over/through a snow-drift to avoid the disadvantage of sinking up to one's knees (or higher) in the stuff... "Full blown" chases (minus any vehicular or mobile combat outright) were done in "legs" sufficient to allow everyone's move-scores (space wise) and by rounds we settled with "contested checks" to avoid a lot of battle-mat antics... It was simply assumed (theater of mind style) that the "mat represented moving terrain" if we used mini's... It's actually not far different from your basic premise here, so only the move calculations (based on dex and str with height modifier I recall?) and that we give contested rolls for a fair chunk of the dice-related stuff... Obviously, this style of doing things calls on Players to advocate their character's desired goals (whether getting away or catching an enemy), so there's room for meta-chat involved... BUT over-all, we enjoy refining our skills for creative problem solving around the Table. ;o)

[@Exisist5151]

I like the rules in the DMG because it’s a hidden buff for rangers that makes sense.

[@michaelaltawil]

Some questions, so they need three wins overall. What if he wins, fails, wins, fails, wins, he technically catches up to the quarry? Can they never repeat the skill check, or only the one from before. So for example, sprint, intimidate, can he sprint again?

[@benjamindavis3871]

I like the 3 failures version, but instead of having a team roll, have each character roll individually. Say each character falls behind but one who catches the target. Combat then begins as a one on one and the other players come into it 1,2 or 3 turns later as they catch up.

[@DannyDog27]

Is that not what he described with the demonstration?