Encounter-a-Day

The following is a system for running foot races in 4th edition, using athletics and endurance checks (and, optionally, acrobatics checks if hurdles are utilized).

Setup & Goal: First, you’ll need to keep track of two values for each competitor: their distance traveled, and their current penalty. You also need to assign a goal distance, and you may want to place hurdles along the way. For example, for a short sprint you might have a target distance of 100 yards and you might place hurdles at 50 yards and 70 yards.

Penalty: Everyone’s penalty starts off at half their level. This has the effect of keeping competitors of varying levels on roughly even footing, and allows for example a level 1 peasant to outrun a portly, out of shape wizard who just happens to be level 30.

Running the Race The race proceeds in rounds, and each round every competitor gets a turn. Turns are taken in order by distance traveled, with the person who’s traveled the farthest going first. In case of a tie, everyone’s turns happen simultaneously.

Round order

1. You may choose to push yourself this round. If you do, add -2 to your penalty. You may not push yourself on the first round or if you tripped over a hurdle last round. Pushing yourself makes you move farther (see below).
2. Make an athletics check, applying your current penalty. This is the distance you move this round, in yards. If you pushed yourself, increase the result by half. If your normal speed (in squares) is greater than 6, you get a +2 bonus for each extra point of speed beyond 6. Similarly, you take a -2 penalty for each point lower than 6.
3. Make a DC 10 endurance check, applying your current penalty. If you fail this check, add -2 to your penalty. If you fail this check by 5 or more, you move half as many yards next round and cannot push yourself that round either.
4. If you’ve passed a hurdle this round, make a DC 15 acrobatics check, applying your penalty. If you fail this check, you lose any distance gained beyond the hurdle and cannot push yourself next round. For example, if your athletic check moves you from 42 to 60, but there’s a hurdle at 50, you must make an acrobatics check. If you fail this check, your distance is set at 50. A competitor need only ever roll against each hurdle once (e.g. you don’t roll again against it next round), but if you pass multiple hurdles in a single move you must roll against each in turn and stop at the first one you fail (if any).

Winning: The first person to reach the target distance is the winner. In case of a tie for distance, the tied competitors turns occur simultaneously; if several would win at the same time, the winner is the person who went the farthest. If they went an equal distance, the race is a tie!

Strategy: Going first in later rounds is advantageous, as it increases your chances to win. For example, if the goal is 100, you’re at 95, and your opponent is at 94, either of you would probably reach the goal with just one more turn. Since you’re ahead, though, you get to go first so you would win (unless you roll terribly!).

A 100-yard race takes about 4-5 turns, on average, and doesn’t punish you as much for pushing yourself and/or failing endurance checks. A 200-yard race, on the other hand, might take 10-15 rounds, since not only is it twice as long but competitors must also be more conservative when it comes to pushing themselves.