Rules for tracking down a character? (besides "Track")

[FaradayCage]

I'm wondering if anyone has come across rules (either in the accessory books or as a respectable home brew post) for cat-and-mousing between NPCs and PCs.

Example: The PC group stepped on the toes of a powerful figure who in turn dispatched an assassin to track down and kill one or all of them. If the PCs are aware of this, they may try to maintain a low profile as they stop in towns, or they might travel off the main roads. The assassin in turn tries to determine their whereabouts via Gather Information, Intimidate, Magic, and Track (assuming he reaches a place he knows the PCs were at not long ago). Does the assassin succeed or do the PCs elude him? Or do the PCs manage to gather counter-intelligence so they can launch a pre-emptive strike?: "A bald man with a dead eye came in here asking about you guys an hour earlier. I told him I couldn't recall the last time you all were in town, but he left a pretty generous tip 'in case my memory decides to improve'. Thought you might wanna know."

If no one's come across something, I'll start charting up some rules. It seems like the divinations I'm thinking of wouldn't short-circuit much of this (at least until the (very) high levels).

Suggestions are welcome!

[KnightOfV]

This sounds like what skill challenges should have been like. Gather Info would be primary for finding someone in a city, but there are a lot of things you can let the players do. Players can try to oppose the other side's Gather Info with Knowledge: Local to find low-key places to hideout and trustworthy contacts. Diplomacy to get someone to voluntarily pass along false information "the guys you're looking for left town yesterday!" or Disguise as someone else then Bluff to pass false rumors around the local social scene. Then the seeker would have to use Sense motive to figure out which rumors are false.

I would play it something like this:

So the Seeker can use Gather info (opposed role- Knowledge Local if the Hider is aware he is being pursued and taking pains not to leave a trail). Success means the Seeker finds 1d4 people who know a building the Hider frequents. Whether the people cooperate or not depends on the NPC's attitude towards the Hider. Failure, unable to locate anyone and must make a new check the next day.

If the Seeker passes his Gather Info check, then he may have to use a Sense motive check to determine if his sources have the right info, or if it is a rumor. The Sense Motive can be opposed by the Bluff check when the PC's made the rumor.

If the Hider got someone to lie on their behalf, then the Seeker uses his Sense Motive vs the NPC's Bluff. If successful, then Intimidate/ Diplomacy to get the NPC to reveal the correct info.

I'll be interested if you come up with any more rules for this

[whibla]

Check out the Urban Tracking (General) feat on page 56. of the UA. Doesn't cover all the possible countermoves, but seems like a good place to start for determining the base success of your assassin.

[Novawurmson]

I seem to remember the Eberron Campaign Setting and Sharn: City of Towers having more comprehensive rules on tracking people down in an urban setting...

[Urpriest]

The DMG II has some decent guidelines for setting up a chase starting on page 57. It's less for tracking someone down over a long period of time and more for a stereotypical "chase scene" but it's still got some fairly good advice.

I've got the impression that a few Dungeon magazines had the sorts of rules you're looking for, but I don't have any recollection as to which.

[FaradayCage]

Check out the Urban Tracking (General) feat on page 56. of the UA. Doesn't cover all the possible countermoves, but seems like a good place to start for determining the base success of your assassin.

Thanks, this is a great starting point.

I'm working on some rules for countering and handling the case of parties that travel outside city limits. I'll post them here when/if they reach fruition.

[Slipperychicken]

Thanks, this is a great starting point.

I'm working on some rules for countering and handling the case of parties that travel outside city limits. I'll post them here when/if they reach fruition.

If the PCs pass through small towns, Gather Info vs. X to determine their direction. If they're sticking to the woods, normal Tracking rules. If the Assassin is high enough level, he might be able to get a move speed advantage via a Wizard buddy who knows Phantom Steed. Also, Divinations like Locate Object can be nice if the PCs wear anything special and get too close.

Maybe three consecutive successes by either side means "victory"? If the Assassin succeeds three times, he catches up and gets an opportunity to strike. If the PCs succeed three times, they lose the Assassin. If the PCs do something flashy, noticable, or stupid, the Assassin gets a +10 on his next Gather Info, maybe for two in a row if it was really dumb.