Forest Chase Scene

[ericthered]

I've got one question that I'm still considering: Is having a -10 to hide at medium range reasonable? This is 20 to 100 yards away, which feels pretty darn far for someone on foot to me, especially if people aren't sprinting it (and multiple chase rounds of sprinting feels wrong). I can some penalty being justified but -10 is really big.

Originally Posted by Pursuivant

Yes. Just as important is the underlying terrain. A forest on a rocky slope will have a whole different set of hazards from a forest in a swampy bottomland.

That's also a great point. We tend to turn our worst land into forests, but I can't imagine that medieval people didn't do that too.

What managed forest means is that you'll have far less deadwood on the ground, especially close to the forest edge, since it's regularly gathered for firewood. Depending on local forest law, that might also mean that low branches have been removed as well along with any fallen trees.

There will also be considerably less "understory" material in the form of shade-loving plants, saplings, etc. due to the predations of free-range pigs and managed deer/elk herds.

Peripherally related, early European explorers described North American forests (managed by the natives for deer using controlled burns, etc.) as being primarily old-growth trees with so little undergrowth, such distance between the trees and such high branches that a man could ride a horse at a gallop through some of them.


The effect might be like trying to hide in a wooded park rather than a forest left to grow naturally.

Thanks.

Edit: Upthread, you said that the chase takes place in high summer (July/August) in a climate reminiscent of Mid-Continental Europe or North America (Southern Cardiel). That means very ripe wheat. If you're very lucky, it's freshly cut stubble which will help to hide tracks (but can be hard on the feet if you're not wearing good shoes). If you're not so lucky, it will be waist- to chest-high relatively dry "amber waves of grain." (Older wheat varieties grew taller since there was a need for wheat straw as a secondary product. Modern varieties are shorter since there's less demand for straw and shorter stalks mean better yields and less problem with ripe wheat stalks falling over.) That means a fairly obvious trail for a human-sized creature.

Thanks.

Once the characters get to the woods, there will be one or two layers of tree canopy. As others have mentioned, it will be incredibly dark, even on a clear moonlit night. Increase Darkness Penalties by -2 or -3 over any Darkness Penalties due to ambient light down to a maximum of -8 or -9. Any pursuers will be incredibly obvious if they are carrying lights.

I dropped it to -7 when they entered the woods.

As for skills, THE most valuable skill for hiding in a woods at night, possibly even moreso than Stealth and Camouflage, is Area Knowledge. Trails and landmarks will be familiar by sight and sound. AK will give you a good idea of where good hiding places might be and where you might be able to find terrain that will confuse tracking dogs. In such conditions, a blind person with good AK might be better at finding their way through the woods than a sighted person not used to using non-visual landmarks.

Neither side has any chance of all at having area knowledge. Thanks for the input.