D&D 5e Chase Tool Calculator

Use this for chases in 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons. A chase can occur whenever someone decides to flee from combat or as part of the narrative. Instructions.

Complications

Roll for complications after every turn, they affect the creature next in initiative. Can use inspiration to negate.

Urban Complication:
You come upon a pack of dogs fighting over food. Make a DC 10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to get through the pack unimpeded. On a failed check, you are bitten and take 1d4 (2) piercing damage, and the dogs count as 5 feet of difficult terrain.

Wilderness Complication:
You run into a brawl in progress. Make a DC 15 Strength (Athletics), Dexterity (Acrobatics), or Charisma (Intimidation) check (your choice) to get past the brawlers unimpeded. On a failed check, you take 2d4 (6) bludgeoning damage, and the brawlers count as 10 feet of difficult terrain.

Generic Complication:
You are forced to make a sharp turn to avoid colliding with something impassable. Make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw to navigate the turn. On a failed save, you collide with something hard and take 1d4 (2) bludgeoning damage.

Reroll

Instructions

This uses the rules on page 252 of the DMG. Add all your creatures and roll initiative. Set the distance for the quarries to 0 and determine the distance of the pursuers to the nearest quarry, the lowest value will be the lead (marked with crown). Take turns with 1 move+action each, tracking dashes and exhaustion (no opportunity attacks). Reroll and consult complications based on biome each turn.

Creatures can make 3+Con mod Dash actions for free, each additional is a DC 10 con save or +1 exhaustion. A creature loses at 5 exhaustion, restored on short rest.

Each quarry makes a stealth check at the end of each round (after everyone has gone) vs the highest passive perception if they're not in direct line of sight of the closest pursuer. If their stealth check passes, they escape.

Stealth check gains advantage if there are many things to hide behind, are in a crowded or noisy area, etc. Disadvantage if there are few things to hide behind, uncrowded or quiet, the lead pursuer is a ranger or has proficiency in survival, etc.

Variant: Older editions of D&D allowed you to drop coins/gems to stop intelligent enemies from pursuing, or meat for unintelligent/hungry creatures. If you like, you can include this as an optional rule in 5th edition. During a chase, a PC can empty out a pouch (or other container) of coins onto the ground as they're fleeing. A pouch can hold 300 coins, so 300 random coins are lost. The pursuers then have a 50% chance of stopping to collect the coins, ending their pursuit.

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