Minimal Chase Rules that Retain a Small Variety of Outcomes

I've been rewriting rules for chases for a long time. I don't really want to use anything else I've ever read, but I like this. I haven't been able to playtest them yet, but Luka Rejec is planning to try them out soon, and I hope to do so in my game in a week. They borrow heavily from Gus L's Appolyon  Player's Guide Part 1, which is a document I've returned to again and again, always gaining inspiration.

If you'd like to have a look at other good chase rules, here are my recommendations:

• Crazy board game chase rules by James Young.
• If you'd like a chase to be more of an alternate battle sequence with a goal of escape, try John Bell's rules which I borrowed slightly from. They're great for that.
• Or you could use Chris McDowall's wonderfully simple rule: "Fleeing to safety under pursuit requires a DEX save and somewhere to run to."

Highlights

• Fast.
• Not a minigame.
• Allows a round of missile fire in some chases.

Chases

1. Determine how far the Chased move away from the location of the original encounter: 1D4: 1. near. 2. far. 3. very far. 4. distant. *
2. To flee or to chase the party rolls 1D6+modifier of slowest party member (-6 to +6. See chart below.) 
• The slowest party member may drop an item held in their hands to +1 to this roll. 
• If the party is far before they begin to flee, +1 to this roll.
3. The non-player party rolls 1D6+modifier (-6 to +6 according the referee's discretion - see chart below.)
4. Compare the results.
   
   • If both roll results are the same, each side may exchange a round of missile fire. Then return to step 1 of this procedure.
   • If the Chased roll result is higher, check the enemy's Morale to determine whether they search for the player party. If the Chased dropped something the Chasers desire, add 2 to this Morale roll.
   • If the Chasers's roll result is higher, they catch up to the chased and gain Initiative in the resulting encounter.

Chase bonus	Creature
-2	Injured or Encumbered
0	Heavy armor wearer
+1	Medium armor wearer
+2	Light armor wearer
+4	Unarmored/Unarmed
+5	Cheetah
+6	Ghost

* Define these distances however you like. You may wish to make them less abstract by using a multiple of 10' for each, for example. In a dungeon, I would define far as 30'