Track (Draw Steel)
Skills
Definition
Track is trailcraft: picking up a set of prints at the treeline, judging how many passed and how long ago, telling a walking pace from a running one, noticing where a trail was deliberately confused. It is an Intuition skill because it is pattern reading in a landscape that is always being erased. It comes up in pursuits, in hunts, when a party member goes missing, and whenever the party must find out where something went after it left the scene.
How it works
**Characteristic**: Intuition. **Skill group**: Intuition skills. **Test**: 2d10 + Intuition; 11 or lower is tier 1, 12 to 16 tier 2, 17 or higher tier 3. Training grants a benefit and unlocks attempts untrained heroes cannot make. **How it is used**: Tier 3 follows the trail and reads the story in it: numbers, timing, condition. Tier 2 keeps the trail with delays. Tier 1 loses it, and following the wrong sign can lead into an ambush. **Edges and banes**: Soft ground, fresh sign, daylight, and a known quarry grant an edge (+2). Rain, stone, crowds, a trail that has been covered on purpose, and a flying or incorporeal quarry impose a bane (-2).
Tips
**Best for**: Hunting parties and any campaign built around pursuit rather than dungeon crawling. **Character concepts**: Laborer career trapper, wilderness culture hunter, a Shadow trained to follow a mark through a city. **Synergies**: Nature for the ground and creatures leaving the sign, Monsters to identify an unfamiliar print, Navigate to keep your bearings during a long chase.
Frequently asked questions
Can I track through a city?
Yes, with a bane in busy areas. Crowds erase sign quickly, and Gather Rumors is often faster than reading the pavement.
Do I roll once or repeatedly?
The Director usually calls for one test per stage of the pursuit, with new tests when the terrain or conditions change.