NERO® Tracking Playtest
Version 1.0
For NERO Rules: By Jay Miley

Tracking:

This skill allows a character to follow another character or group of characters once those characters have gone beyond line of sight. With each level of Tracking a character possesses, they are able to spend one attempt to follow a character or group.

With one attempt spent, a character may follow a trail set by one character or group that has left at the same time and in the same direction. For example, a PC with 1 level of Tracking may follow a NPC that has fled into the woods. If a group has left a minute or so ahead of him to persue the same NPC, he may follow them as well, so long as the path of the original target and the path of the group remain the same. A character using this ability must state before beginning what creature or group they are attempting to track.

If a group (2 or more) decides to split up in the course of being Tracked, the PC must choose which set of tracks to follow with his 1 use of skill. Should he wish to follow both, he must pick one to continue following, then return and use another level of Tracking to follow the second trail. This would require the character to have at least 2 levels of Tracking total.

Creatures with movement styles, such as Burrow and/or Flight, require an extra level of Tracking be spent in order to keep pace with the unorthodox mode of travel. Creatures with special abilities related to movement, such as Gate, Rift, Non-Corporeal, and/or Shadow Walk may be tracked up to the point where this ability is used, then the trail is lost. At Plot discretion, a creature with this ability might use it in a way to allow a thorough character to find the trail again if its being used haphazardly (an example would be a Shadow Cat randomly going Corporeal and Non-Corporeal within a small area, thus allowing a character to “refind” the trail a few steps away). In regards to Gate, Rift, or Planar Travel, a level of Tracking ends at the point this ability or spell is used. Should the character have a way to follow said creature beyond this point, another level of Tracking must be used. Thus, should a character follow a flying creature who Discourages Tracking, he will need to have 3 levels of Tracking available (one for Tracking, one for a Discouraged trail, and one for Flight).

Discourage Tracking:

With each level of Tracking a character possesses, they also have the choice to hide their trail behind them, thus Discouraging those with Tracking to follow. This counts as a use of the Tracking skill, so 1 level of Tracking will allow either 1 Discourage Tracking attempt, or Tracking attempt, not both. A character must be completely out of line of sight to use this ability.

With one attempt spent, a character may Discourage one trail set behind him. This attempt will keep his trail Discouraged in regard to all who follow him down this one trail. Thus, multiple characters with Tracking will be Discouraged by the fleeing characters’ one attempt, regardless of how many follow his path. However, in the case of multiple groups following a Discouraged trail, a group following behind another may choose to follow the group in front instead of the character setting a Discouraged trail. A use of Discourage Tracking will not affect this. To Track someone using Discourage Tracking, an additional level of Tracking must be used. A character cannot learn if a trail has been Discouraged until after he has declared he is Tracking the character leaving that trail.

(example: Trag the Vile has stolen from the Baroness and has fled into the woods. Trag has 1 level of Tracking, and uses it after his 3-count, disappearing into the woods to Discourage Tracking.. Gabin the Just, a Tracker for the Baroness, declares he is spending a level of Tracking to hunt down Trag the Vile. He is informed by a Marshall that the trail is hard to read and attempts have been made to Discourage being followed. Gabin has 3 levels of Tracking, and uses another level to continue his pursuit .

Moments later, June the Concerned gets up to follow the two when no one has returned. June has 1 level of Tracking , and declares she is following Trag the Vile. The Marshall informs her that the trail is hard to read and attempts have been made to Discourage being followed. June must give up the hunt. Had June stated she was following Gabin the Just, she would be able to continue on, as Gabin’s trail is not Discouraged.)

When a character declares he is Discouraging a trail, he must give the Marshall an indication of when the “trail” will end. This can be a specific area (“the home of the Baroness”) or a general area (“once I’ve run 2 hours north-west into the woods”). A character can choose to change this point in the process of Discouraging a trail, but must inform the Marshall beforehand. When the character has reached the trails’ endpoint, the Discourage Tracking is used up.

A character cannot use Tracking and Discourage Tracking at the same time, even if the character has the appropriate number of levels to do so. Once a character using Discourage Tracking has reached that trails endpoint, he may spend a level of Tracking to follow a trail.

Clarifications:

The level of Tracking represents the amount of physical and mental assertion a character is able to use in a given time to Track or Discourage Tracking. Should a character use up all his level of Tracking for a time, his is simply unable to focus properly to follow a trail. In the case of a character with fewer levels than needed to follow a Discouraged trail, he is simply unable to find the trail through the Discouragement. This keeps the ability to Discourage a trail and Track a character in balance. If a character with 10 levels of Tracking spends his time before Reset following 5 Discouraged Tracks, he simply needs a break before he can properly do anymore.

With regard to races with Scenting, this in no way affects an attempt to Track or Discourage Tracking in and of itself. At Plot discretion, Scenting may help a Tracker with his knowledge of what he learns while he Tracks, but having it does not guarantee a change in results either way.

During a game setting, if a character runs off on a 3-count (example “1 I run into the woods, 2 I run into the woods, etc) and a character chooses to Track it, a Marshall will be needed to run the Tracking attempt. Tracking does not interrupt a 3-count into the woods, nor will someone immediately stating a Tracking attempt change anything. This is done for safety reasons. Once a Tracking attempt is made, the one being followed must tell the Marshall where their trail will end and whether the trail is being Discouraged. If so, the Tracker is then informed and is given the opportunity to spend an extra level of Tracking if needed to follow. If other characters wish to follow along behind the Tracker, they must be with the Tracker BEFORE HE BEGINS TO FOLLOW THE TRAIL. The character being chased may assume that he is being followed, but has NO SURE WAY of knowing .

A full example:

(During a battle with orcs, the Chieftain (NPC) sees the tide turn against him when the last of his soldiers goes down. The Chieftain turns and flees into the woods on a 3-count. The Elf scout leader (PC) runs to where the Chieftain fled, and declares that he is Tracking the Chieftain. The Marshall goes over to the NPC and asks where the trail will end and if it’s being Discouraged. The NPC states the Chieftain will flee to the orc encampment, and that the trail is Discouraged. The Marshall returns to the PC and informs him the trail is unclear and attempts have been made to Discourage the trail. The PC states that he will spend an extra level of Tracking to follow. At this point, 3 people from the battle state they will be with the scout leader as he follows them. When all PC’s going have made this known, the scout leader begins following the trail.

The Marshall leads them through a storyline (“The trail leads deeper into the woods, you sometimes find the trail completely gone, only to find it again beneath brush or leaves covering them.”) until the Elf scout leader leads the PC’s to the Orc encampment, as the Chieftain never changed his trail endpoint. At this point, the Elf scout leader’s use of Tracking is finished, and the Chieftain’s use of Discourage Tracking is used.

Should the Chieftain, upon seeing Elves in his encampment, decide to flee again, this must be roleplayed out, giving the PC’s a chance to stop him before he runs out on a 3-count again. Should the Chieftain again make it into the woods on a 3-count, another trail is set and everything begins again.)

Fighter	Rogue	Scholar	Templar
4	4	4	4