For those who know me, or have been reading this blog since its inception, it comes as no surprise that I’m less than satisfied with the crafting rules of 5e. The good side of them is that even magic items don’t cost XP (because charging XP turns it into something like an in-character currency, and that’s weird), and you don’t have to spend character-build currency (skill proficiencies, feat slots, whatever) on improving a downtime action before you know if the DM will give you time to use those abilities. The bad side… well, there’s nothing to interact with in the system other than ticking one number down and another number up, for what may be an incredibly long time.
To understand where I’m coming from on this, read this post. Back when I wrote it, I had no idea that 5e was… relatively speaking… just around the corner. Well, okay, almost four years off, but whatever.
Let’s look at what’s there in the 5e crafting system, understanding that here I’m only interested in magic item crafting.
To understand where I’m coming from on this, read this post. Back when I wrote it, I had no idea that 5e was… relatively speaking… just around the corner. Well, okay, almost four years off, but whatever.
Let’s look at what’s there in the 5e crafting system, understanding that here I’m only interested in magic item crafting.
Item Crafting Rules for 5e - A complete set of rules for creating both magical and mundane items. This supplemental rule guid provides a complete gui A complete set of rules for creating.
- Items have a creation cost, in gold pieces. This is incidentally the same as their sale price. Creation cost scales based on the item’s rarity.
- That’s kind of a problem, as the d100 roll to determine negotiated sale price is usually less than 100% of the sale price itself. There are World Logic issues here that the game asks you to simply ignore. The game would pay an unacceptable cost in usability and tone if they had attempted to implement a fully consistent magic item economy – 3.x tries, and the results are mixed at best.
- It isn’t explicit here, but I assume that you should halve creation costs for one-shot items like potions and scrolls. I can’t find a rule like that right now, but I think it’s somewhere in the DMG… selling price or something, I dunno.
- Items have a minimum level. Minimum level scales based on the item’s rarity. This is your minimum character level, not your minimum class level in a spellcasting class.
- A little weird, but they kind of address the spellcasting minimum with…
- If the item produces a particular spell effect, it has to come from the spellcaster(s) creating the item. You’re not going to find a lot of items producing spell effects of 6th level or above, other than spell scrolls, but that’s fine. Anyway, this produces a minimum class level requirement.
- If there are spell components for that spell, you pay those either once ever, or once per day of crafting, depending on whether the magic item produces that effect once or more regularly.
- At the DM’s discretion, the crafter may need a formula specific to the item in question.
- This is a lot more data to track, but it’s also a lot more loot to hand out. If you can make PCs happy that they’ve found a formula (along with other loot, presumably), you’re doing well – and this is one of the things that MMOs such as World of Warcraft get very right.
- At the DM’s discretion, there may be additional requirements such as crafting in a particular place.
- I recommend not doing this for the majority of items, because it results in one character’s decision to create a magic item taking over the whole story. If it’s a plot-important magic item, that’s another matter entirely… but then the rest of the magic item creation rules may not be well-suited to that situation.
- The PC(s) work their way from 0 to the item’s creation cost, at 25 gp per person per day.
- The book mentions that you could speed this up if you wanted, just like you could retune the prices for each rarity of item. If you’re at all friendly to the idea of PCs making the more powerful magic items, I’d suggest that you increase the crafting rate, lower the creation costs, or both, because spending 365 days a year for almost five and a half years of in-game time to make a Very Rare item is probably not fun for anyone who isn’t involved in that project… and it’s only fun for those who are because you can fast-forward to the end.
- Multiple characters can work together, but you can only contribute if you meet the prerequisites. If there are no specific spell requirements, the traditional four-character team has two characters who can contribute. The others need to be out there bringing in money to cover living expenses and item-creation expenses.
For this particular idea, I wanted to change as little as possible. Everything in the above breakdown remains true, but also:
- There is a list of component items, which have the same rarity levels as magic items.
- I’ve skipped Common, though, because there’s not much need to add interest to the four-or-so Common items in the game.
- Component items are not required for crafting. Instead, they alter the crafting process in one of two ways:
- by replacing gold piece cost (for example, this hanged man’s tongue – an uncommon component – replaces 150 gp of the creation cost of an amulet of proof against detection and location), or
- by accelerating the daily progress (for example, this eagle stone triples daily progress for three days on bracers of archery).
- Replacing gold piece cost does not, in itself, accelerate progress. It generally takes five to ten components to replace 100% of the cost.
- Each item has one component that replaces a large amount of cost, one component that replaces about half that amount of cost, and one component that accelerates progress by (multiplier) for (number of days).
- A component’s effect is idiosyncratic to the magic item you’re making. That is, an eagle stone might accelerate progress on one item, replace gold piece cost on another, and replace a different amount of cost on a third.
- The point of this is to muddy the waters when it comes to pricing the components. I specifically don’t want players to look at it as a molecule-thin mask on the existing creation cost – I’m trying to accomplish something else here.
- The primary way to obtain components is from the same adventuring activities you’re otherwise performing. The thing I’m changing to bring this about is the randomized treasure tables.
- If components are replacing a magic item you would otherwise receive, you get a decent number of components of the same rarity as the item you would have received. Probably 3-5 components.
- If components are in addition to receiving magic items and cash, you gain fewer of them, but they’re a pure bonus, so who cares?
- There is also a treasure table for when you’re handing out loot that isn’t otherwise randomized.
- The point here is that if the DM chooses the components PCs receive (other than times when you’ve gone out of your way to seek whatever-it-is), it influences their choices of what to make, or seems to indicate that the DM wants them to make one thing or another. This is one of the few areas of the game where I think it’s best to remove DM agency.
- You can sometimes buy components in the open market. There’s a treasure table for that, too, giving you both the specific items available for sale and what the merchants want for them. There may be some directives on how long it takes the merchants to cycle out their stock.
- Some components can be transmuted or refined into other components, to make sure that lower-grade components remain interesting and to add another layer of player influence over what they make. If at first you don’t get the right components to make what you want, you can either keep trying your luck (on adventures, traveling to distant markets, and maybe other means), or you can use a spot of alchemy.
The downside of this is that it does add a certain amount of bookkeeping – lists of components you’ve acquired, notes on what you can do with them, and notes on how where things are in consuming them to make magic items.
This is all a work in progress; the data-generation alone is about 5% complete, to say nothing of ironing out bugs. I’m hoping that when it’s done, I can publish a PDF that adds incentives to use the crafting system and gives the players intriguing pieces of treasure along the way – so that DMs can hand out rewards that feel like rewards, but aren’t ever-larger piles of currency or new magic items. Comments welcome!
This is all a work in progress; the data-generation alone is about 5% complete, to say nothing of ironing out bugs. I’m hoping that when it’s done, I can publish a PDF that adds incentives to use the crafting system and gives the players intriguing pieces of treasure along the way – so that DMs can hand out rewards that feel like rewards, but aren’t ever-larger piles of currency or new magic items. Comments welcome!
You can buy my recent work, Ki Unleashed, online today.
The Myriad Pathways of KiKi is so much more than a monk’s personal reservoir of power. Its nature defies definition and comprehension. For some, it reconnects the dead with the living. Others use it to armor themselves against the powers of dream and nightmare or emulate the instinct and ferocity of wild animals. The monastic traditions herein describe those approaches to ki and the search for enlightenment.![Dnd Dnd](/uploads/1/2/5/8/125846481/552123717.png)
Is it just me, or do chases not really work in 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons?
Mapping a chase out as an extension of combat quickly turns into a farce, as either the fleeing party is faster and the pursuer has zero chance of catching up, or the pursuer is the same speed or faster, leading to them wearing down their quarry with a tedious series of opportunity attacks.
Sometimes it’s better to run…. (Artwork by Grosnez).
The Dungeon Master’s Guide attempts to come to the rescue (p.252), and while it does introduce some fun “chase complications”, it forgets to give us any mechanics to determine the chase’s outcome, other than a) waiting for one side to drop dead of exhaustion or b) having the quarry make a successful Stealth contest to hide, and thereby escape. Which would be fine, but (as the authors themselves state) the quarry can only do when they are out of sight… and how they gain enough ground to get out of sight is not covered. 🤔
Shall we have a go at fixing this mess!?
Hell, why not…
Running a Chase: Hipster’s Rules Variant
In my revised rules, I’m going to run chases as a series of contests between participants. A success for the quarry over any given pursuer represents putting one level of separation (henceforth know as ‘gaps’) between the two of them. A success for a pursuer means the quarry is not able to open up any distance between them, while a success by 5 means that the pursuer actually closes 1 gap on the quarry.
[Note: depending on how testing goes, it may that the the quarry should have to win by 5 to open up a gap. A draw being a contest in which neither party is able to win by 5].
Here is a crib sheet for how to run this variant:
1) Establish that a chase has started.
A chase starts when a creature uses both its move action and the dash action to flee, and at least one other creature decides to pursue it, using both their move and the dash action in an attempt to keep up (in order to be on an even footing, it should do so before the start of the fleeing party’s next turn). When that happens the pursuer triggers a chase contest, and both the quarry and the pursuer roll. Any further pursuers also partake in the contest, following initiative order, comparing their roll to the quarry’s original roll.
2) Establish the appropriate skill for the contest
As the DM, determine which skill you want to use as the base of the chase contest. I suggest Strength (Athletics) for a chase taking place in relatively open terrain, like a field or hilltop, or Dexterity (Acrobatics) for a chase in obstacle-rich terrain, such as dense forest or winding/crowded city streets.
(If you don’t want to punish NPCs and monsters who don’t tend to have as many proficiencies as PCs you could opt for a straight Strength / Dexterity contest. And if you want something between Strength and Dexterity you could opt for a crossover skills check… Dexterity (Athletics), for example).
3) Establish each creature’s chase modifier
We need to reflect the fact that some creatures are faster than others, and some – like rogues with their cunning action ability – have added mobility. We can do this by applying additional “chase modifiers” to the contest.
For every 5 feet of movement above 30 feet a creature has add +4 to their chase contest modifier, for every 5 feet less, use a -4 modifier. (In other words a creature with a speed of 40 feet adds +8 to their chase contest, while a creature with 25 feet speed has a -4 modifier).
Creatures who use an ability, such as the rogue’s cunning action, to take the dash action twice in one round, gain advantage on their chase contest roll.
4) Determine the success of any pursuers
Determine if a pursuer loses 1 gap, maintains distance, or closes 1 gap on the quarry, by comparing their rolls to that of the quarry.
Any pursuer that ends their turn with zero gaps between them and the quarry may take an Attack action directed at the quarry (hint: they may want to select grapple in a bid to end the chase).
As with the rules in the DMG, we are doing away with opportunity attacks once the chase is underway, so if the quarry is still alive, and not grappled, it may continue running away without provoking further attacks.
5) Escaping / Ending the Chase
When the chase begins, as the DM, determine how many gaps the quarry must open up between itself and its closest pursuer to escape and finish the chase. I would suggest between 3 or 4 gaps for an urban chase, or 4 or 5 for a more open chase.
As an option you could give the quarry a chance to end the chase 1 gap earlier than the gaps required to outrun the pursuers, by contesting a Dexterity (Stealth) check against the Wisdom (Perception) of any pursuers. On a success they have outfoxed their hunters, finding a hiding place, or slipping away under cover. On a failure, as the DM, you will have to decide if the quarry is now cornered or in a position to dart off and start the chase again.
You can run, and you can hide… (Artwork by Czepeku).
Those 5 steps should give you a solid outline of a useable chase mechanic.
A few more things to bear in mind…
More Chase Mechanics…
6) Measuring Distances / Variable Starting Points
One gap is not meant to represent an exact distance, but, when you need to, you can consider a gap as around 30 feet. That means when a creature starts 60 feet away from an adversary which turns and flees, the chase starts with 2 gaps between the quarry and its pursuer, even before the first contest is rolled.
In the scenario when one creature flees in combat, and is pursued by not only the creature it was fighting, but by a second creature who was slightly further away on the combat grid, then the second creature suffers a -2 modifier for every 5 feet it was away from the quarry (before the quarry fled) on its initial chase contest. Obviously if it was 30 feet away simply start with 1 gap between them, before the first contest begins. (If it was 40 feet, start with 1 gap and a -4 modifier on the first contest roll).
Optional Rule: If someone wants to chase and still use their action (to cast a spell etc.), then you can let them automatically lose 1 gap on the quarry and roll the usual contest to potentially lose a second. In this case remove the chance of closing one gap, even if they roll 5 above the quarry in the chase contest.
Someone that uses neither their move, nor their action to dash, automatically loses 2 gaps on the quarry. (This might occur if someone chooses to do something first before entering the chase).
7) Consider Introducing Exhaustion
I wouldn’t bother introducing exhaustion checks within chases to begin with, as they will slow the whole scene down further, which is about the last thing you want during a high speed chase. But once you’ve got a good handle on these mechanics, I think there’s some realism and merit to the rules in the DMG (p.252).
To summarise: a creature can use the dash action in a successive numbers of rounds a number of times equal to 3 plus their Constitution modifier. After that they must make a DC 10 Constitution check or suffer one level of exhaustion. (Exhaustion levels gained during the chase can be removed by a simple short rest).
8) Obstacles / Complications
Navigating obstacles is baked into this chase rules variant system, in that success and or failure in the chase contest rolls is effectively about how well or badly a creature deals with things like low hanging branches, tree roots, divots, ditches, or in an urban chase, crowds, carriages, tight corners, piles of detritus etc…
However there’s nothing to stop you adding in the flavourful chase complications from the DMG (p.254), once you’ve got the basic mechanics running smoothly. Just use common sense to adjust the result for this system. If the quarry slips and falls prone for example, every pursuer might gain 1 gap automatically (if they themselves do not fall prey to the same obstacle!).
Another way you could handle obstacles or changing scenery in a chase would be to switch the skill used for the contest for one round. For example, if you’ve been using Dexterity (Acrobatics) to contest a chase through the narrow back allies of Waterdeep, you could switch to Strength (Athletics) when the chase opens out onto a long stretch of main road. This is also a bit quicker than consulting a table, which can slow things down.
Narrating A Chase
It’s all too easy for a potentially breathtaking chase in Dungeons & Dragons to turn into a slog of tedious dice rolls, whether you’re using my system, or the RAW (Rules As Written).
A die roll to establish or close a gap, without any descriptive context, is yawn-inspiringly dry and dull. A die roll to determine how deftly a PC manages to leap over falling barrels and then skirt around a sharp corner is immersive and fun.
![Dnd 5e weapon crafting Dnd 5e weapon crafting](/uploads/1/2/5/8/125846481/271689377.png)
In other words, the success of a chase scene in D&D is more down to how you describe it than the mechanics, so give yourself plenty of permission to improvise and have fun.
Bring the players in on it too, by describing the scenery of the chase but having them narrate how their character navigates the stacked chicken coops, tumbling barrels of oil, panicky flock of sheep etc., using their dice roll to narrate the appropriate amount of success.
So there you go! I’m looking forward to giving these a go in my next Dragon Heist session (until now I’ve been a bit lost in chase situations, so this is my concerted attempt to fix that!)… let me know how you get on with them in the comments section if you choose to try them out.
I’m going to leave you with probably the best foot chase in cinematic history for a bit of inspiration…