Chases

Tweaked Chase rules for Savage Worlds. I'll use words like car and driver; but these rules apply to other types of chases.

Zones

Your position in the chase is abstracted to "zones". So you might be "2 zones ahead" or "1 zone behind". A chase might be over a certain amount of zones (usually 10) with the adversary escaping if they aren't stopped before the end of the zones or it could be a chase that goes on indefinitely until one side or the other is stopped.

Range Modifiers: The GM sets a range modifier per zone. This reflects both distance, intervening cover, and the ability to participants to stay in sight of each other. If there is little cover in the way, each zone might be a number of squares.

Examples: A boat chase on open water might be -1 per zone, a car chase in a busy city being -2 per zone, a foot chase through a jungle -3 per zone, etc. Chasing an airplane down an open runway, each zone might be 12 squares.

Same Zone: Vehicles in the same zone are NOT next to each other. There is still a little distance between them as they jockey for position. There is no range modifier, but melee attacks are not possible. See the Get Close action if you want to make a melee attack.

I Don't Move?!: It's possible during a chase that you won't move a zone. This doesn't mean you don't move - it's just that you haven't gained or are falling behind in the chase.

Initiative

Initiative in a chase is determined as normal with initiative edges applying.

Complication: If you end up with a club in initiative, you receive a complication that has to be dealt with before taking your turn.

Actions

Chase Skill: Some of the actions require you to roll the Chase Skill. The GM determines which skill this is for the chase: Driving, Boating, Piloting, Agility for a foot chase, Climbing for a rooftop chase, etc.

Any Chase Skill check is modified by wounds of the driver and wounds on the vehicle. Chase Skill checks get an additional -2 if the vehicle has the Out of Control condition.

Taking Actions: On your turn in initiative, you can do all of the normal things you normally do - cast spells, shoot a gun, hold, etc. Additionally there are a few special actions you can take in a chase detailed below. All of these special actions incur multi-action penalties as normal. You can combine actions in any order as normal. You can combine normal and special actions.

Zone Movement: You attempt to move from one zone to another with a Chase Skill check. On a success, you can move forward 1 zone; on a raise you can move 2 zones. The GM might apply additional modifiers to this roll for faster/more maneuverable vehicles, edges or hindrances that come into play (obese and flat-footed for a foot chase), or other special circumstances.

During Zone Movement, you can elect to Push It and do something potentially dangerous. This grants a a +2 on this roll, but you have to make a Control Check afterwards.

Get Close: If you're in the same zone as another vehicle, you can attempt the Get Close action with a Chase Skill. On a success, the vehicles are next to each other and occupants can make melee attacks or jump from one vehicle to another, The vehicles remain Close until one vehicle or the other succeeds at moving at least 1 zone during Zone Movement. There is no withdrawal attack when the vehicle moves away.

Ram: If you're in the same zone, you can use your vehicle to ram another vehicle. Make opposed Chase Skill checks. If you beat the opponent, they make an immediate Control Check. For each raise, the Control Check is at a cumulative -2.

If you roll a 1 on the Skill die and don't win the check, then you have to make a Control Check instead. A Critical Failure causes a Control Check at -2.

Block: Attempt to stop any vehicle from moving beyond your zone or from taking a special action in your zone. You have to go on hold with this action to use it. For any vehicle that gets a result to move past you, make opposed Chase Skill checks. On a success, you stop them from moving past you. On a raise, you stop them from moving past you and they have to make a Control Check..

If you lose the check by a raise, you have to make a Control Check instead of them.

You can attempt to block multiple vehicles a round. Each successive block is at a cumulative -2.

Regain Control: If a vehicle receives damage, it can be Out of Control. The driver can attempt to remove this condition with a successful Chase Skill check. This IS an action, but it doesn't take the Out of Control penalty.

This Way!: You help the people behind you with their movement. On a successful smarts roll, all allies that are a zone father back in the chase get +2 on their Zone Movement action on their next turn.

Hide: If the people chasing you are at least three zones back, you can attempt to hide from them to escape the escape the chase. Make an opposed Stealth (+2 for each zone beyond 3 your are ahead) Vs Notice (+1 for each pursuer after the first). On a success, you have successfully hidden and have escaped the chase. On a failure, move yourself back into the zone of the closest pursuer.

Vehicle Combat & Damage

Damage: Any damage done to a vehicle that equals or exceeds the vehicle toughness causes the driver to make a Control Check.

For each raise above the toughness, the vehicle takes one wound. Apply this wound before resolving any Control Check. We don't bother with vehicle locations or damaging part of a vehicle since that is not FFF.

Control Check: The driver makes a Chase Skill check. On a success, the driver remains in control. On a failure, the vehicle makes a second Chase Skill check with the same modifiers, gains the Out of Control condition, and the result is checked to see what happens: If this roll fails, you hit a hard obstacle; on a success, you hit a soft obstacle; on a raise there is no further consequences other than gaining Out of Control.

Out of Control: When a vehicle is Out of Control, the driver takes a -2 on any Chase Skill check. The driver can use the Regain Control action to get back in control.

Hitting Obstacles: When a vehicle hits an obstacle, it takes damage equal to it's Top Speed / 5 in d6's. If it's a soft obstacle, divide the d6s in half. If the vehicle was Out of Control before the collision, add an extra d6 to the result. For each raise the damage exceeds the vehicle's toughness, the vehicle gains a wound.

The driver can spend a benny to soak this damage. They make a Chase Skill check and soak 1 wound for each success and raise.

If the vehicle takes a wound from hitting an obstacle, all occupants have to roll to see if they are damaged. Each occupant makes a Vigor check at -2 for each wound the vehicle took in this crash. Those wearing seatbelts get a +2. On a raise, they take no damage; on a success, they gain fatigue; on a failure gain a wound; on a critical failure, gain 2 wounds. These wounds can be soaked as normal.

Foot Chases

A few tweaks to these rules for foot chases (or chases without vehicles):

- The Skill Check is generally Agility, though it might be climbing for a rooftop chase or Survival for a mutli-day chase through a swamp.
- Get Close: You've closed to melee range and all normal melee rules apply (gang up, withdrawing, etc.)
- Ram: Use Push rules instead. The attacker has always assumed to have moved 3" and gets the +2.
- Damage: Use normal SWD rules. People don't go Out of Control. They get Shaken instead.
- Hitting Obstacles: Default damage for this is 2d6. No seatbelts. No occupants. Apply damage as normal SWD.