# TTRPG Chase Rules: When to Use One Roll, a Clock, or a Full Scene Published: 2026-10-22 Updated: 2026-10-22 Use the lightest chase method that preserves player choices: one roll, a progress clock, or a full tactical scene. ## Article I use the lightest chase rules that keep player choices meaningful. Before rolling, I state what each side wants, what success means, and what failure costs. - One roll: I resolve one uncertainty, such as whether a character catches a fleeing thief. - Progress clock: I track several choices and mounting pressure, starting with 4 or 6 segments based on the obstacles. - Full scene: I use turns when routes, timing, position, and resources affect what players can do. Quick Comparison What I compare One roll Progress clock Full scene Stakes One defined outcome Progress against a threat Escape, pursuit, or combat Choices One approach A new choice each exchange Repeated tactical decisions Tracking Result and cost Progress and pressure Positions, hazards, and resources My rule: more distance doesn’t mean more rolls. I add detail only when the situation creates new choices, carry earlier results forward, and simplify when those choices stop mattering. If the outcome is certain, I skip the roll. TTRPG Chase Rules: One Roll vs. Clock vs. Full Scene ## 1. Resolve a Chase With One Roll ### Stakes and Consequences Set the exact result before rolling: catch the thief, recover the item, or force a confrontation. Getting the purse back doesn’t have to mean catching the thief. Failure might let them escape or cause a small complication, such as drawing a guard’s attention. Keep the cost in line with the theft. Skip the roll if the outcome is certain or failure has no meaningful cost. ### Decision Density and Player Agency Use one roll when the chase has one decisive uncertainty rather than a series of obstacles. Distance alone doesn’t settle this: a long, uneventful pursuit can still take one roll. Tracking a head start across several blocks or dealing with changing obstacles may call for more detail. Ask how the character pursues before choosing an ability or skill. Sprinting, cutting through a market, and predicting the thief’s route shouldn’t automatically lead to the same check. Let the approach shape the difficulty, risk, or outcome. Call for another roll only when the fiction changes or a new choice opens up, such as asking a guard to block an exit. ### Procedure and Tracking Burden State the goal, ask for the approach, choose the ability and DC, then roll once. Follow your system’s normal difficulty scale. In D&D, base the ability and DC on the obstacle, not the scene’s importance. Track only the item, whether the thief escapes, and any complication. You spot the thief turning into the market. Make a DC 15 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to catch them before they reach the alley. On a success, you recover the purse and catch the thief; on a failure, they escape, and you spot a guild tattoo. If the chase needs multiple beats or mounting pressure, move to a progress clock. ## 2. Track a Chase With Progress Clocks ### Stakes and Consequences Use clocks when a chase needs several meaningful exchanges, but not a full tactical scene. Name the clocks after their outcomes: Reach the Safehouse and Close the Distance. If escape fills first, the quarry reaches safety. If pursuit fills first, the pursuers catch them. End the chase as soon as either clock fills, and agree on a tie rule before rolling. If both fill at once, the quarry might escape while the pursuers wait outside. This follows the [Blades in the Dark](/item/bladesinthedark) SRD’s opposed-clock tie rule. ### Duration and Complexity Start with four segments for a close pursuit through familiar streets with few obstacles. Use six segments when the starting gap is larger, the route branches, or obstacles call for different approaches. Add segments only when the fiction introduces actual obstacles or branching choices - not to stretch the chase. Rather than making both clocks longer, use a separate opposition clock or harsher consequences. ### Decision Density and Player Agency During an extended city escape, give players a different decision in each exchange: Blend into a street festival or push through the crowd; bypass a locked service gate or change routes; cross heavy traffic or take cover at a subway entrance. Explain the trade-offs before players commit. The alley may be faster but risk a dead end; the subway offers cover but exposes the group to security cameras. Each choice should change position, risk, or pressure enough to justify moving a clock. Advance escape when the quarry gains distance or reaches a safer position. Advance pursuit when pursuers close the gap or cut off a route. A roll alone doesn’t earn progress. ### Procedure and Tracking Burden Keep both clocks visible. Before each check, explain the obstacle, possible progress, and consequence. A clean success can add one segment; an outstanding result can add two or more. A failed roll can leave earned progress intact while advancing the opposing clock. For setbacks, remove one segment - or two for a major reversal. Avoid removing progress and advancing opposition at the same time unless the severity warrants both. Set thresholds before play: At halfway on the pursuit clock, pursuers may spot the quarry; with one escape segment left, the safehouse is near. These changes should affect routes, risks, or available actions. Track only the chase clocks and immediate consequences, with each exchange covering one meaningful obstacle. If the chase starts needing route-by-route tactical choices, switch to a full scene. This is why your D&D chase scenes SUCK ## 3. Play Out a Full Chase Scene Run the chase as a full scene when the challenge shifts from tracking progress to choosing routes and tactics. One roll settles a single uncertainty; a clock tracks repeated exchanges; a full scene handles tactical choices. ### Stakes and Consequences Use a full scene when position, timing, and reactions affect escape, capture, or combat. Before play, set each side’s goals, starting positions, and end conditions. Explain whether dangerous actions could lead to separation, injury, equipment loss, or combat. Getting caught triggers the appropriate grapple or combat result - not automatic capture unless you established that outcome beforehand. ### Duration and Complexity Build a route with three to six decision points. Use zones or landmarks unless exact distance matters. Give each obstacle room for a different tactic, and let hazards close off routes. Use initiative when attacks, reactions, or route closures make turn order matter. D&D’s chase procedure uses initiative, movement, actions, and complications. At this scale, the chase becomes a sequence of tactical turns rather than a brief overview. ### Decision Density and Player Agency Make speed compete with other priorities. Dashing gains ground but may cost an action or cause fatigue under the system’s rules. Shortcuts risk injury or separation. Blocking a route costs the blocker their lead, while helping an ally costs movement or an action. Let players trade distance for cover, important equipment, or another clear advantage. Each choice should change the next turn, not just repeat movement. ### Procedure and Tracking Burden Each turn, state the position, hear the action, name the risks, resolve it, and update the chase. Track positions, routes, hazards, injuries, separated characters, and key gear. If a fight starts, carry those facts into combat. Keep running the full scene only while choices matter, and end it as soon as escape or capture is settled. ## Compare Stakes, Choices, and Tracking ### Stakes and Consequences Choose the method based on the decisions at stake, not the danger level. Use the lightest method that still changes what players can do. Compare One Roll Progress Clock Full Scene Prerequisite One uncertainty with defined consequences Measurable progress and an opposing threat Tactical decisions with consequences Success Stated chase outcome Objective completed Escape or capture conditions met Failure Target or opportunity lost; possible new lead More danger; costlier next attempt Consequences based on position, actions, and resources ### Duration and Complexity Elapsed time does not determine the method. Compare One Roll Progress Clock Full Scene Best use Focused pursuit with little variation Extended contest with distinct stages Frequent tactical changes When does it need another roll? New uncertainty - not another attempt at the same check Changed progress or danger - not extra segments alone Timing or position that matters - not predictable movement If route choice, timing, or reactions still determine the outcome, use a full scene. ### Decision Density and Player Agency A mixed result and effect size are different things. Keep them separate. Compare One Roll Progress Clock Full Scene Player input Choose an approach and relevant support Choose how to make progress and which risks to accept Make repeated decisions with immediate effects Character strengths Modify the check through help, preparation, or resources Provide different ways forward Change tactical options Mixed result, if supported Chase resolved at a cost Progress plus a consequence Action resolved with a complication Match the tracking to how many meaningful decisions the chase creates. ### Procedure and Tracking Burden If your system uses effect tiers, map them to progress only when its rules already do so. Compare One Roll Progress Clock Full Scene Before rolling Goal, approach, failure cost Segments, advancement, completion Positions, goals, end conditions Procedure Make the check; apply the result Resolve actions; update trackers Resolve participants’ turns Minimum record Outcome and lasting consequence One or two visible trackers Positions, conditions, resources Tracking check Would more rolls add choices? Does each tracker show meaningful change? Does the detail support tactical choices? ## Trade-Offs and When to Switch Methods Use the lightest method that keeps meaningful choices intact. Each method trades detail for speed. Method Advantages Disadvantages Poor-fit signals One roll Fastest; least bookkeeping Compresses teamwork and tactical choices Several players need separate decisions Progress clock Makes momentum clear Needs clear triggers; less precise than a scene Players need exact timing, or segment changes feel arbitrary Full scene Best for tactics and reversals Takes the most time and tracking Turns become repeated movement with no new choices Switch only when the fiction changes. Add a clock when a new complication creates lasting pressure. Move into a full scene when position or initiative decides the outcome. Explain what changed before changing the procedure. Keep everything the earlier method established. A capture stays a capture, an advantage stays an advantage, and injuries or spent resources carry over. Switching methods doesn't reset the situation. Once choices stop changing, compress what remains into one clock update or one final roll - but only if uncertainty remains. The next section turns these trade-offs into a single rule. ## Conclusion: Use the Lightest Rules That Keep Choices Meaningful Use one roll for a brief pickpocket pursuit, a progress clock for an extended city escape, and a full scene when routes, obstacles, resources, and protecting allies can change the outcome. Define those outcomes before the first roll. State what each side wants and what happens if they succeed or fail. Spell out partial success when the system supports it. Failure should lead to the next decision - not end the chase. At the table, cut anything that doesn’t affect a decision. Use the least detail that keeps player choices and their consequences meaningful. ## FAQs ### How do I handle a split party during a chase? Give each group or character a progress clock to track their path, progress, or complications. Cut between scenes to keep the pace moving. If the split changes the story enough to involve multiple objectives and tactical decisions, use a full scene instead of a single roll or simple clock. Keep pressure on both groups through shared consequences, such as a hazard or time limit that affects them wherever they are. ### How do I balance chases with different character speeds? Don’t focus only on raw movement values. Add obstacles, such as crumbling walls or rising water, that make players choose between speed and safety. If faster characters keep outpacing the group, use guard patrols, closing doors, or hazards that require the whole party to get involved. Give the party goals beyond movement, like rescuing an ally or reaching a specific location. That way, differences in speed become part of the party’s planning. ### How should magic affect chase obstacles? Use magic to make chase obstacles change and grow harder as the scene unfolds. Fading magical traces put players on the clock, while runes or elemental patterns present puzzles they must solve during the pursuit. Changes in the magical surroundings - such as a ritual nearing completion - can make the chase harder or force players to decide how to bypass barriers. Give these effects a role in the scene and let them evolve, rather than using them as simple roadblocks. {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How do I handle a split party during a chase?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Give each group or character a progress clock to track their path, progress, or complications. Cut between scenes to keep the pace moving. If the split changes the story enough to involve multiple objectives and tactical decisions, use a full scene instead of a single roll or simple clock. Keep pressure on both groups through shared consequences, such as a hazard or time limit that affects them wherever they are."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How do I balance chases with different character speeds?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Don’t focus only on raw movement values. Add obstacles, such as crumbling walls or rising water, that make players choose between speed and safety. If faster characters keep outpacing the group, use guard patrols, closing doors, or hazards that require the whole party to get involved. Give the party goals beyond movement, like rescuing an ally or reaching a specific location. That way, differences in speed become part of the party’s planning."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How should magic affect chase obstacles?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Use magic to make chase obstacles change and grow harder as the scene unfolds. Fading magical traces put players on the clock, while runes or elemental patterns present puzzles they must solve during the pursuit. Changes in the magical surroundings - such as a ritual nearing completion - can make the chase harder or force players to decide how to bypass barriers. Give these effects a role in the scene and let them evolve, rather than using them as simple roadblocks."}}]}