As part of @twwombat‘s Winter is Coming Blog Festival I have written a winter time chase that can be dropped into most suburban settings. This chase is based on the chase rules presented in the Pathfinder GameMastery Guide or from the Pathfinder PRD. A few subtle tweaks would allow it to work in a wider variety of situations. What leads up to Obstacle One is up to the GM. If the person being pursued makes it to the end before the pursuing party reaches him the GM can certainly develop a final zone for some sort of showdown!
Obstacle One: To the Roof!
Catching sight of the pursued cresting the roofline of a near two story stone building the party finds themselves at the foot of the building.
Scale the Wall (Climb DC15): The stonework of the building make climbing a reasonable option to reach the roof.
Find Recessed Ladder (Perception DC15): At the far corner there is a recessed, iron ladder that leads to the top of the building. A perception check allows one to find it and easily ascend to the roof.
Obstacle Two: Back to the Streets.
After crossing the roof of a building or two, the row of buildings end at a gap. There appear to be two ways down from here.
Jump into Snow bank (Acrobatics DC15): A large snow bank lies below to soften the jump from this height. An Acrobatics check is required to leap successfully into the snow bank without risk of injury. Failure results in 1d6 damage and loss of the next round’s action to recover from the fall.
Descend the icy wall (Climb DC20): The wall on this side is quite icy making the climb down difficult. Failure on the check by 5 or more results in 1d6 damage and the loss of the next round’s action to recover from the fall.
Obstacle Three: Crowd by bonfire.
After reaching the ground again the party is able to follow the pursued through an alley back to the main street. Upon turning the corner the party encounters a large crowd near a big bonfire. The crowd is thick and not parting easily as the group rounds the corner.
Talk your way through (Diplomacy DC15): Party members can try to talk their way through to both gain confirmation the pursued came through this way and to get the crowd to more easily allow them through.
Bully your way through (Intimidate DC15): Party members can also try to intimidate the crown into letting them pass through unhindered.
Obstacle Four: Massive Snow bank
Once through the crowd the pursued heads towards the outskirts of the town through a side entrance. Just outside the town is a massive snow bank from the winter winds that stands six to eight feet tall.
Plow through snow bank (Strength Check DC15): Party members can try to push their way through the deep snow bank with a strength check.
Spot the tunnel in the shadows (Perception Check DC15): Some children have dug a small tunnel through the base of the snow bank. A successful perception check allows a party member to find the tunnel and allow passage through the base of the snow bank.
Obstacle Five: Frozen Stream
Once past the snow bank the chase runs through the area outside town for a short distance until reaching a frozen stream that the pursued appears to have crossed.
Move Across Ice (Acrobatics DC20): Move across the ice requires an acrobatics check to do so successfully.
Low Hanging Branch (Climb DC15): A large tree limb from a near tree provides a means to climb the tree and cross via the limb to the other side of the frozen stream.
