Urban Tracking [Archive] - Wizards Community

Urban Tracking [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
MakeUse
10-15-07, 12:05 AM I am playing an Urban Ranger, and I have the Urban Tracking feat (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#urbanTrackin g).

Our group is playing in a city-based campaign where finding specific people and information is very important.

I am having trouble determining when the feat Urban Tracking can be used.

1. Can you track anyone? What sort of information must you have before you can properly track someone?

2. When is Gather Information used instead of Urban Tracking? How are they different?

Thanks for the help.

-MakeUse
DX2052
10-15-07, 12:25 AM for the 2nd i'd go with Info=Gather information and People=Urban tracking
MakeUse
10-15-07, 12:36 AM for the 2nd i'd go with Info=Gather information and People=Urban tracking

I agree.

But I'm still confused about the 1st question...:confused:
Fireclave
10-15-07, 12:40 AM 1. Can you track anyone? What sort of information must you have before you can properly track someone?
Given the feats's description, it seem that, yes, you could track anyone. As for how much information you need to properly track someone, I'd say enough information to identify the person (age, height, hair color, prominent scars or tattoos, clothing, ect). So long as you know who you are looking for and can relay that information to the people you are talking to, you probably have enough information to track said person.

2. When is Gather Information used instead of Urban Tracking? How are they different?
Where you would use Gather Information to learn information about a particular subject, Urban Tracking allows a special, extended use of the skill which allows you to trail someone in an urban area, which is something you can't normally do with Gather Information. This is similar to how the Track feat extends the use of the Survival skill and allows you to tail and follow creatures in the wild.

If you simply want to learn about a person/group, that would be a normal Gather Information check. If you wanted to tail, follow, and/or locate that person/group, especially if that person/group is on the move and doesn't want to be found, that's when Urban Tracking comes in.
InkBlot
10-16-07, 10:00 AM 1. Can you track anyone? What sort of information must you have before you can properly track someone?
You can try to track anyone. If you don't have much information on a person then it just takes longer. You'll have to make more Gather Information checks just to find out who you're looking for, then make Gather Information checks to actually find where that person is hiding out.

For example, let's say your a police detective in a large town and a little old lady comes to you saying she was mugged this morning while walking down Main Street. She can't remember the mugger's face. So you go down to Main Street and you ask around to find a witness (make a Gather Information check to find out what the mugger looked like). If that's successful, then you go back to the station to see if you have any records of this guy (make a Search check to find the records of anybody who looks like him). If you find some guys who fit the bill, you then go out and track them down for questioning (make a Gather Information check to use Urban Tracking to find these mooks). If you don't find anybody in your records who matches the description, then you go out and try track the guy down anyway (make a Gather Information check, with a penalty, to use Urban Tracking to find this guy).

So in the above example, that was two Gather Information checks and a Search check, which would take about 8 hours. If you had seen the mugging first hand then you could have started tracking right away, and it would have only taken about 3 hours.

2. When is Gather Information used instead of Urban Tracking? How are they different?
Urban Tracking is Gather Information. It's just a special use of the skill that you need to take a feat for. If you have the feat, then you can use Gather Information to get news, rumors, gossip, a specific item, a specific piece of information, or to find the location of a person.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
MakeUse 10-15-07, 12:05 AM	I am playing an Urban Ranger, and I have the Urban Tracking feat (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#urbanTrackin g). Our group is playing in a city-based campaign where finding specific people and information is very important. I am having trouble determining when the feat Urban Tracking can be used. 1. Can you track anyone? What sort of information must you have before you can properly track someone? 2. When is Gather Information used instead of Urban Tracking? How are they different? Thanks for the help. -MakeUse
DX2052 10-15-07, 12:25 AM	for the 2nd i'd go with Info=Gather information and People=Urban tracking
MakeUse 10-15-07, 12:36 AM	for the 2nd i'd go with Info=Gather information and People=Urban tracking I agree. But I'm still confused about the 1st question...:confused:
Fireclave 10-15-07, 12:40 AM	1. Can you track anyone? What sort of information must you have before you can properly track someone? Given the feats's description, it seem that, yes, you could track anyone. As for how much information you need to properly track someone, I'd say enough information to identify the person (age, height, hair color, prominent scars or tattoos, clothing, ect). So long as you know who you are looking for and can relay that information to the people you are talking to, you probably have enough information to track said person. 2. When is Gather Information used instead of Urban Tracking? How are they different? Where you would use Gather Information to learn information about a particular subject, Urban Tracking allows a special, extended use of the skill which allows you to trail someone in an urban area, which is something you can't normally do with Gather Information. This is similar to how the Track feat extends the use of the Survival skill and allows you to tail and follow creatures in the wild. If you simply want to learn about a person/group, that would be a normal Gather Information check. If you wanted to tail, follow, and/or locate that person/group, especially if that person/group is on the move and doesn't want to be found, that's when Urban Tracking comes in.
InkBlot 10-16-07, 10:00 AM	1. Can you track anyone? What sort of information must you have before you can properly track someone? You can try to track anyone. If you don't have much information on a person then it just takes longer. You'll have to make more Gather Information checks just to find out who you're looking for, then make Gather Information checks to actually find where that person is hiding out. For example, let's say your a police detective in a large town and a little old lady comes to you saying she was mugged this morning while walking down Main Street. She can't remember the mugger's face. So you go down to Main Street and you ask around to find a witness (make a Gather Information check to find out what the mugger looked like). If that's successful, then you go back to the station to see if you have any records of this guy (make a Search check to find the records of anybody who looks like him). If you find some guys who fit the bill, you then go out and track them down for questioning (make a Gather Information check to use Urban Tracking to find these mooks). If you don't find anybody in your records who matches the description, then you go out and try track the guy down anyway (make a Gather Information check, with a penalty, to use Urban Tracking to find this guy). So in the above example, that was two Gather Information checks and a Search check, which would take about 8 hours. If you had seen the mugging first hand then you could have started tracking right away, and it would have only taken about 3 hours. 2. When is Gather Information used instead of Urban Tracking? How are they different? Urban Tracking is Gather Information. It's just a special use of the skill that you need to take a feat for. If you have the feat, then you can use Gather Information to get news, rumors, gossip, a specific item, a specific piece of information, or to find the location of a person.