[Homebrew] D&D 5e: Alternative Chase Rules

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The DMG provides rules for having a pursuer chase a quarry, but not with a final objective in sight. These rules give you a way to run a high-paced chase to get out of a collapsing cavern, reach a castle gate or catch a train leaving the station with enemies hot on your heels

1. Areas

When you are sprinting to a distant target, you may be unsure of the fastest way there. There may be a variety of obstacles to overcome beyond a straight sprint. You may even have to move step-by-step, picking your next objective based what you know and what you learn along the way. Whether making a bee-line for your target or dodging left and right, you will pass through one or more areas.

Each area has its own traits and will pose unique challenges and opportunities to your group. If you succeed in an area, you reach your objective and may be able to use what you have learned on the way to pick your next target.

There are two basic types of areas: chases and challenges.

A Note on Timing

You’re players are on the run and being chased. They have to be quick or they will get caught, so make sure they feel the pressure to make decisions quickly!

2. Chase Area

This are is a straight foot raceto the next area, while enemies are trying to kill you or at least slow you down. The chase is shown on a chase track with five sections. Participants within a single section are assumed to be within 5 ft. of each other:

  1. Front: The ‘head’ of the race, where you generally want to be. There is always at least one combatant here.
  2. Point-Blank: The combatants immediately behind the Front are at Point-Blank range. They may make melee weapon or spell attacks against combatants in the Front with disadvantage unless the weapon has the reach property.
  3. Short Range: Combatants in this section are 30 ft. behind the Front and Point-Blank sections.
  4. Medium Range: Combatants in Medium Range are 60 ft. behind Short Range (90 ft. behind the Front)
  5. Long Range: Combatants in Long Range are 60 ft. behind Medium Range (150 ft. behind the Front)

Combatants who fall beyond Long Range are out of the chase. If they are still able to move and know where the chase is headed, they may continue moving towards that goal, but they will arrive long after everybody else. If a player falls behind, surely there will be consequences for them!

To reach the next area, the players need to achieve a movement objective, either making a number (e.g. five) of successful move checks in the Front section or simply survive for a number of rounds based on the group moving 60ft per round

Chase Steps

1. Move DC

Calculate your Move DC = 22 - (Speed / 5)

2. Roll Initiative

3. On Your Turn

  1. Obstruction Roll 2d10 for possible obstructions that spring up in front of you. These may result in disadvantage on your Move Check.

  2. Action: Take any action/bonus action as usual. You can attack other combatants or take further actions that may provide you some other advantage in the chase.

    Dash: Taking the dash action gives you advantage on your Move Check. You can dash up to your Constitution modified + 3 times before taking a short rest. After that, after each Dash action you must make a Constitution Saving Throw vs DC 10. If you fail, you gain a level of exhaustion.

  3. Move Check: Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) against your Move DC. If you have less than half your base speed left, you have disadvantage. If you have no movement left, you automatically fail

  • Success: if you succeed by five or more, you move one section forward. Otherwise, you maintain your position.
  • Failure: you fall back one section.

All combatants are assumed to be running continuously, so attacks of opportunity are not possible.

3. Challenge Area

Any area that is not handled as a chase is a skill challenge. The nature of the possible challenges depends on the nature of the area as well as the actions taken by the players.

In a marketplace, players might blend into the crowd and sneak through. In a quiet corridor, they might toss a stone to deceive pursuers or cast a spell to aid in their escape.

Since your primary objective is still to move through the area, the target Skill DC is the same as the Move DC in the previous section: Skill DC = 22 - (Speed / 5)

The criteria for completing the area depends on its difficulty:

  • Easy: 5 Successes before 3 Failures
  • Medium: 7 Successes before 3 Failures
  • Hard: 9 Successes before 3 Failures

Credits

These chase rules are heavily based on the chase rules designed by MrJohz, available here.