Chases and Pursuit

Operators have a habit of chasing after others and being chased in turn. The specific rules used vary depending on whether it’s a foot chase or vehicle pursuit.

Foot Chases

The group member in the fleeing party with the best Dex/Exert or Con/Exert total rolls a skill check. Their result is the fleeing group’s pace, as they help and encourage the slower members.

Other fleeing group members then hinder pursuit in whatever ways they think are helpful. Sometimes a skill check is needed, while other times a GM will simply decide it works. Each successful effort adds a +1 bonus to the pace, up to +3 maximum. Botched efforts are either unhelpful or apply a -1 penalty if they’re actively harmful. If the fleeing group is made up of NPCs, it’s the GM’s judgment as to whether any of them try to do something clever to stall the PCs.

The pursuing group then makes a single Dex/Exert or Con/Exert skill check, modified by the table below. If they beat the fleeing group’s total they catch up to them, and if they tie or roll less the fleeing party has escaped immediate pursuit.

Situation	Modifier
There are more pursuers than pursued	-1
The pursued have no head start at all	+2
The pursued have one round’s head start	+1
The pursued have less than a minute’s head start	+0
The pursued have more than a minute’s head start	-2
Who knows the local terrain better?	-2 to +2
The pursuit is half-hearted or obligatory	-1
The pursuers are enraged or vengeful	+1

Vehicle Chases

For vehicle chases, the fleeing driver makes a Drive skill check, usually modified by Dexterity. This is the fleeing vehicle’s pace. The vehicle’s passengers may think of something useful to do to hinder pursuit, just as with a foot chase.

Each pursuing vehicle then makes its own Dex/Drive skill check to catch up with the quarry, modified by the table below. Any of them who don’t equal or exceed the fleeing vehicle’s pace fall behind and are lost from the pursuit. Any of them who do make the roll catch up to the vehicle, and it usually becomes a matter of vehicle combat until the quarry can make another escape attempt or win the ensuing battle.

Situation	Modifier
The pursuer can’t directly see the pursued	-2
The pursuer is flying but the pursued isn’t	+3
The pursued is flying but the pursuer isn’t	-3
A spotter is relaying the target’s position	+1
Who knows the local terrain better?	-2 to +2
The pursuit is half-hearted or obligatory	-1
The pursuers are enraged or vengeful	+1