Page 66 - World of Darkness

the slippery conditions. Climbing to the top of the tree The Speed trait of quarry and pursuer is also a factor
requires a total of six successes (one success per 10 feet) over in determining who is likely to get away or be caught. A
the course of an extended action. If it takes four rolls to human adult isn’t likely to catch a cheetah, for example,
accumulate the required six successes, Miles reaches the top but a cheetah can probably catch a human adult. For ev-
of the tree after 12 minutes. ery three points of difference between competitors’ Speed
traits, the faster one gets a +1 bonus on chase rolls. Re-
Roll Results mainders are rounded down. So, if a pursuer has a Speed
Dramatic Failure: Your character has lost his grip or of 11 and a quarry has a Speed of 8, rolls made for the
footing and falls. It could be fatal depending on the height pursuer get a +1 bonus. If a pursuer has a Speed of 10 and
involved. See the rules on falling, p. 179. a quarry has a Speed of 11, neither party gets a bonus (the
Failure: Your character doesn’t make any headway difference between Speed traits is less than three and is
on his attempted climb. He doesn’t lose altitude, but he rounded down).
doesn’t gain any, either. Example: Katla runs from a would-be attacker. She
Success: Your character reaches the top of the object has 2 Stamina, 4 Athletics and a Speed of 9. The attacker
he wishes to climb (if performed as an instant action), or has 3 Stamina, 1 Athletics and a Speed of 10. The differ-
makes continued headway to the top (in an extended ac- ence between their Speed traits is not sufficient to give either
tion). a bonus (it’s less than three, so is rounded down to zero). Six
Exceptional Success: Your character reaches the top dice are rolled for Katla, and a total of 10 successes must be
with time and energy to spare. If successes gained exceed accumulated for her to get away. Four dice are rolled for the
the amount required to climb the object (whether per- attacker, but he need only accumulate a number of successes
formed as an instant action or exceeding the total required that equals or exceeds what Katla has in any turn. Thus, if
for an extended action), your character may attempt an- she gets one success in the first turn and he gets one or more,
other instant action at the top, such as a flip, at the he catches her right away. If by the fifth turn she has eight
Storyteller’s discretion. successes and he has four, and his total successes from turn
Suggested Equipment: Nylon rope (+1), climbing to turn has never equaled or exceeded her total, she has
cleats (+1), grappling hook (+2), pitons and hammer (+3) always maintained the lead. If by seventh turn Katla has 10
Possible Penalties: Lack of tools (-1 to -5), bad weather successes and her pursuer has eight, she gets away. Her
(-1 to -3), sheer slope (-1), lack of handholds (-3) pursuer runs out of steam or stumbles.
If the quarry of a chase has a head start, she gets a
Foot Chase number of automatic successes at the beginning of the
Dice Pool: Stamina + Athletics + equipment versus chase. Any successes rolled for her throughout the ex-
Stamina + Athletics + equipment tended and contested task are added to that number from
Action: Extended and contested (each roll represents turn to turn, giving the quarry an advantage throughout.
one turn of running) As a rule of thumb, a 10-yard head start is worth one au-
It’s inevitable that your character will chase some- tomatic success. So, if Katla were 30 yards away from her
one (or more likely be chased) in his burgeoning experi- assailant when the chase broke out, she would have a foun-
ences with the supernatural. He may interrupt a creature dation of three successes on which to add her own through-
preying upon a hapless victim and race after the thing, or out the chase. That bonus would make it all the harder
he may stumble upon a scene not meant for his eyes and for her pursuer to accumulate an equal or greater number
suddenly he’s the hunted. than she has in any given turn.
A chase is a matter of endurance, reflexes and fleet- Negative modifiers to rolls due to hazardous terrain
ness of foot. Roll Stamina + Athletics for each partici- or dangerous conditions apply equally to opposing par-
pant. This is not quite the conventional extended and ticipants. A desperate escapee can even intentionally in-
contested task, however. Rolls are made for each partici- cur a negative modifier (leaping a hurdle or navigating a
pant in each stage (in each turn), but the quarry has a construction site) to force her pursuer to cope with the
different goal than the pursuer. The number of successes same conditions.
that must be acquired for the quarry equals the pursuer’s All of a participant’s actions must be dedicated to
Speed. So, if the pursuer has a Speed of 12, successes ac- running in a chase. If someone performs a different action
cumulated for the quarry must reach 12 for him to get in any turn, such as firing a gun, his Stamina + Athletics
away. roll for that turn is forfeit. The character might even per-
The pursuer, however, does not seek to get away. His form another action and travel his Speed, but he loses
goal is much more specific: to stop the quarry from escap- momentum in the race; he adds no successes to his total.
ing. The number of successes that the pursuer needs is Only a character who possesses a supernatural power or a
therefore different. He seeks to tally a number that equals special Merit might maintain a chase and be able to per-
or exceeds the quarry’s current total of successes at any form a separate action in a turn.
point in the chase. If the pursuer gets that number, he The actual distance between quarry and pursuer at
catches up. any point in a chase is based on the difference of total
successes between them. Each success is worth about 10

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PHYSICAL SKILLS- ATHLETICS