Tracking (Cyberpunk RED)

Skills

Definition

Tracking is following someone who left. That means physical sign in the Badlands (tire ruts, disturbed ground, a fuel trail) and it means the urban version too: which exit they used, which vehicle was missing afterwards, which direction the blood goes. At the table Tracking is what stops a scene ending when the target runs. Cyberpunk RED campaigns produce a lot of people who get away: a courier who bolted, a witness who moved, a vehicle that left the scene. Without Tracking the crew has to start over with Streetwise and Library Search; with it, the chase continues. It keys off INT because the skill is reading evidence, not walking fast.

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How it works

**Linked Stat**: INT **Category**: Awareness **Resolution**: 1d10 plus INT plus skill level against a DV set by the age of the trail, the surface, and whether the target was trying to hide it. A natural 10 adds another roll, a natural 1 subtracts one. **What makes it hard**: Time and traffic. A fresh trail on soft ground is straightforward, while a day-old route across pavement in a city of millions climbs toward the top of the ladder. A target with training will actively break their own trail.

Tips

**Best for**: Nomads, Lawmen, and any crew whose jobs involve finding a specific person rather than a specific building. **Character concepts**: A Badlands scout, a bounty hunter, a Lawman working a manhunt, a Nomad reading a convoy's route from what it left behind. **Synergies**: Perception spots the first sign and Tracking follows it. Local Expert tells you where a trail in your own district is likely to lead, and Drive Land Vehicle keeps you with the trail once it leaves on wheels.

Frequently asked questions

Does Tracking work in the city?

Yes, but it changes shape. Instead of footprints you are reading exits, vehicles, cameras, and the physical mess people leave. Urban DVs tend to run higher because traffic destroys sign quickly.

How is Tracking different from Streetwise?

Tracking follows the trail somebody physically left. Streetwise asks people who saw them go. They answer the same question from opposite directions, and a crew that has both rarely loses a target.

Can a target defeat Tracking?

A trained one can, by using vehicles, hard surfaces, water, and crowds. Most GMs treat a deliberate effort to break a trail as a large DV increase rather than an automatic block.

Tracking (Cyberpunk RED)

Definition

How it works

Tips

Frequently asked questions

Further Reading