Ranks: 3
XP Cost: 7
Learn Time: 8
Skill Point Cost: Varies
Self-Teach :No
Pre-Requisite: –
Debarment: –
Limitation: –
Rarity: Uncommon
Description:
Tracking someone can be difficult, but not as much with this skill. Characters with the Tracking skill are able to follow the trail of creatures and characters across most types of outdoors terrain.
To track a creature, the character must first find the trail. Indoors, the tracker must have seen the creature in the last three minutes and must begin tracking from the place last seen. Outdoors, the tracker must either have seen the creature, have eyewitness reports of its recent movement, or must have obvious evidence that the creature is in the area. If these conditions are met, a skill bid is made. Success means a trail has been found. Failure means no trail is found. Another attempt cannot be made until the above conditions are met again under different circumstances.
At Rank 1, the Tracker can bid up to 10 Skill Points, and each subsequent rank allows for an additional 10 Skill Points bid.
Each Rank of Survival in the area in which the character is tracking gives a 2SP bonus to the Skill Point bid, to a maximum of 6SP. So, if a character with Tracking R1 and Survival R2: Forest was tracking a wolf pack through the woods of South Kinsley, and they could bid a maximum of 10SP, and are given a bonus of 4SP. Their total bid would be 14SP.
It is important to note that the difficultly of tracking a creature or character varies heavily on the environment and the abilities of said creature or character. Tracking on cobblestone on a dry day is nigh impossible, whereas tracking through freshly fallen snow is considerably easier.
For the tracking to succeed, the creature tracked must leave some type of trail. Thus it is virtually impossible to track flying or non-corporeal creatures. The marshal may allow rare instances, but he should also assign substantial penalties to the attempt.
