[Basic] Skill of the week: Tracking

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by (E)

It gets some use as a pseudo/low tech/complementary forensic skill as well.

Humperdinck: There was a mighty duel -- it ranged all over. They were both masters.

Rugen: Who won? How did it end?

Humperdinck: [looking down in the position where Inigo fell unconscious] The loser ran off alone. [points in the direction Vizzini and FEZZIK took] The winner followed those footprints toward Guilder!

Originally Posted by (E)

I treated the break point for the bonus to be if the person being tracked wore shoes and clothes. i.e things that made them less cautious about touching their environment.

Ditto. To me it's not "sapience" but "civilization" that imparts the +3.

Also it really is harder to walk without leaving ptrints if you're wearing hard boots. Soft soled boots (like old fashioned moccasions) make it easier, but you'll still leave far more distinct an impression on soft ground than a barefoot person.

[vicky_molokh]

There's also the fact that humans apparently smell different enough than other animals that this is one of the big identification factors.

[kdtipa]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

There's also the fact that humans apparently smell different enough than other animals that this is one of the big identification factors.

Our diets are so unnatural that it comes out of our pores. We do smell different. And a person who lives off the land will smell different than us city folk.

[Kraydak]

Originally Posted by evileeyore

Also it really is harder to walk without leaving ptrints if you're wearing hard boots. Soft soled boots (like old fashioned moccasions) make it easier, but you'll still leave far more distinct an impression on soft ground than a barefoot person.

Outside of hobnails, which will be harder than anything they encounter, is footwear likely to be harder than hooves? The only reason I can see to have a +3 for tracking men is that humans are really big compared with most animals. On the other hand, tracking doesn't seem to care about SM, an oversight?

[lwcamp]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

There's also the fact that humans apparently smell different enough than other animals that this is one of the big identification factors.

Of course, animals don't smell like other animals, either. Deer smell different than coyotes, which smell different than bears, which smell different than ducks, which smell different than weasels. I'm sure just about everyone here can ID a dog by smell alone, and many could ID a horse or cow by their distinctive odor.

Luke

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by lwcamp

Of course, animals don't smell like other animals, either. Deer smell different than coyotes, which smell different than bears, which smell different than ducks, which smell different than weasels. I'm sure just about everyone here can ID a dog by smell alone, and many could ID a horse or cow by their distinctive odor.

Luke

Even if you've never smelled a particular species, you could probably guess order or at least class. I knew immediately when I encountered the den of an animal that it was a sweaty mammal. No idea if it was a mole, gopher, etc. as I'd never been up close to any.
Many things have odors that most people don't seem to realize do. There's even a distinctive scent that sleeping or recently awakened animals give off.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by lwcamp

Of course, animals don't smell like other animals, either. Deer smell different than coyotes, which smell different than bears, which smell different than ducks, which smell different than weasels. I'm sure just about everyone here can ID a dog by smell alone, and many could ID a horse or cow by their distinctive odor.

Luke

I meant the difference between humans and 'the rest of the forest' seems to be quite distinct. (Not personal experience - I'm semi-anosmic.)

[dripton]

Tracking is a skill that helps the GM as much as the players. "The interesting stuff went that-a-way." The DF dungeon I've been running is chock full of tracking opportunities, but none of the PCs have the skill (no Scout), so they miss all of those and just blunder around at random.

So, for my next game, I will put Tracking on the recommended skill list.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

I don't think there's any indication anywhere that Tracking should substitute for a Request for Information use of Influence skills.

I don't think that's the point of the question. Is urban tracking based exclusively on physical traces like wilderness tracking? Or does it incorporate social traces? If it doesn't incorporate social traces what should you use for that? Rolling individual influence attempts to get 'which way did he go' results from a crowded street seems like a less than happy approach.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

I meant the difference between humans and 'the rest of the forest' seems to be quite distinct. (Not personal experience - I'm semi-anosmic.)

Artificial scents are in all soaps, colognes, perfumes, dyes, etc. along with all sorts of unusual fabrics. Those smell distinct. But if you wear cotton or wool with minimal dyeing, and remain clean but soap free, you'd just smell like any other primate of the forest, I think.
And of course eat local foods, no hot spices or too much meat. Heavy meat eaters can be smelled a very long way off.

Scent free product does NOT mean lacking in odor or even lacking artificial odor. It just means less overt and not intentionally perfumed.