Wagon Chase - Suggestions

[chipmafia]

I'm DMing tonight, and the party will likely be chased as they drive a wagon full of supplies.

I would like for there to be some sort of skill check associated with having to drive the wagon under attack, or possibly making attacks while driving (and thus limiting the PCs ability to hold the reins)

Anyway, I thought about just a simple Strength check, but I'd like to hear your thoughts.

I've read the rules in AV 1 concerning the wagon, and I'd like to add a bit more, just to heighten the tension.

Thanks

 

[Jester David]

Nature to calm the animals.
Athletics to hold onto the reigns and turn.
Perception to see hazards ahead.
Endurance to keep holding on.
Acrobatics to avoid being bounced off.

For a wagon chase like this, I'd recommend something different than a standard battlemap. Make some mobile terrain (trees, big rocks, bumps, etc) and put those on the path. Instead of moving the wagons along a path, move the path towards the wagons. So the wagons just go from side to side.

 

[Quickleaf]

I'm DMing tonight, and the party will likely be chased as they drive a wagon full of supplies.

I would like for there to be some sort of skill check associated with having to drive the wagon under attack, or possibly making attacks while driving (and thus limiting the PCs ability to hold the reins)

Anyway, I thought about just a simple Strength check, but I'd like to hear your thoughts.

I've read the rules in AV 1 concerning the wagon, and I'd like to add a bit more, just to heighten the tension.

Thanks

Welcome to ENWorld!

My favorite chase rules are http://geek-related.com/2009/12/13/life-in-the-big-city-chase-rules/. The most work is creating a table of obstacles, but it's a sweet system.

If you don't intend there to be a chase element to the scene, then just sticking with the AV rules works best.

 

[chipmafia]

It's a group of novice players, so I'm hesitant to make a big production, but I do want there to be an element o tension. Here is what I came up with:

Notes: A least one member of the party must drive, and must make an Athletics check (12) to keep hold of the reins. If the party member loses control, the wagon will carene out of control for 2 rounds before stopping. If it is out of control, each party member must make a balance check (10), and must make another more difficult balance check (15) if the wagon comes to a stop. The party member may regain control by making a successful Athletics check (15).

If a party member falls or is thrown from the wagon, he takes 2d10 damage. The same for the enemy.

For this encounter, all enemies are on horseback unless they decide to mount the wagon, at which case they must make a Strength check of 12.

 

[sabrinathecat]

"Well, did anyone take the mounted combat feat? No? Oh. I guess we have to do this the hard way."
Jester pointed out some good ideas.
Come up with some decent failure options.
Someone who fails the acrobatics isn't thrown from the wagon, but is off-balance and granting Combat Advantage.
Failed perception checks lead to either property damage or the enemy closing the distance
Failed Endurance checks mean the character(s) is(are) saddlesore and slowed until they take an extended rest (OK, maybe save ends, but that seems too easy)
Failed Acrobatics mean the character is off-balance, and the enemy has cover/concealment +2 to defenses.
Crit checks can result in benefits: the enemy wagon can't make the turn and loses ground, the enemy wagon is slowed by debris (or crowds of people)

Whatever system you go with, good luck and may the dice smile on you.

 

[GMMichael]

There will be two opponents in a chase like this: the chasing wagon, and the road. The wagon driver will be in charge of making fast turns, avoiding obstacles, and keeping horses under control. A series of Driver or Ride checks would work for this. Everyone else on the wagon will need to make checks based on how well the driver does.

Do not use Pass/Fail on these checks. Use Degrees-of-Success. The more successfully (?) that the driver negotiates a turn, the easier the Balance checks of the passengers.

Give the driver the ability to choose obstacles. If he negotiates a difficult obstacle, then he should be rewarded by watching the chasing wagon negotiate the same difficult obstacle. If the tailing wagon doesn't make checks as well as the PC driver, reward the PCs by letting them get away.

 

[Neonchameleon]

This sort of thing is what the skill challenge rules were designed for (although the descriptions of skill challenges in the books are terrible). The fundamental rule of skill challenges is never mention the worlds "Skill Challenge" at the table - and instead let the players tell you what they are doing.

Describe the scene and ask them what they are doing - as narrative (don't let them mention skills at this point). When they describe something challenging, ask them for whatever roll you think would be relevant (it will probably end up looking like Jester Canuk's list). You decide whether it's easy, medium, or hard for the DC, and have them roll.

If they succeed, describe them succeeding - and mark one under the success column of the skill challenge. If they fail, describe what goes wrong (someone half falls off the wagon, you start losing the cargo, one of the horses gets tired, you go the wrong way). Six (or however many) successes and they succeed. Three fails and the wagon loses a wheel/crashes/has one of the animals go lame/whatever the consequence of the failed rolls is. (That can't be predicted from here - you'll add a new factor with each of the first two fails). Chase lost, wagon crashed, supplies ... in trouble.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

I THINK the way I would structure this is as an SC where success indicates that the PCs continue to fight on relatively favorable terms (whatever that means). For instance if the PCs have reasonable ranged attacks then success indicates that the wagon continues under control down the path and the PCs are able to maintain some distance from the enemy (perhaps failures might indicate an enemy manages to jump aboard). If the PCs would be more advantaged by getting in close and doing the boarding/close fighting then in general just let them position their vehicle as they see fit relative to the other vehicles. Ultimate failure of the SC would probably indicate that the PC's vehicle crashes, the PCs suffer some sort of conditions etc (IE lose an HS and knocked prone, make an Acrobatics check to avoid being dazed). Individual failures during the challenge would impose some minor condition on whomever failed. I wouldn't try to catalog every possibility, let the players narrate the sorts of things they will try, and toss in various elements like a log blocking the road which requires the driver to veer (fail forces everyone to make an Acrobatics check or else be knocked prone). The players will of course also come up with other things to try. Some of those might result in advantage (IE cutting the enemy vehicles' harness might remove a failure, etc). Use of daily powers should generally grant successes in most cases, using AP's could grant an advantage, etc.