The Five-Stage Structure

The Most Exciting Way to Run a Chase in D&D and other TTRPGs

By Chris @DragonSol

Chases! They are a pain point in most Table Top Role-Playing Games (TTRPG).  Many game systems have a rule set for running a chase, and most tables run them. Chases are a core element in any action-oriented adventure afterall.  Yet these chases lack the excitement…the intensity…the fun a chase should deliver.

There is a better way!.

We’ve all had the wrong idea about chases for a long time.  You see a chase isn’t an encounter, it is not an event, it isn’t really even a chase.  We all think a chase is about time, distance, speed, and who gets someplace first.  We’re all wrong.  A chase has absolutely nothing to do with movement.  

A chase is about quick decisions with incomplete understanding of the outcomes, tension riding on the edge of disaster, and a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart.  In the game a chase is a cinematic element used to build tension and drive the story forward.  And there is a secret to running chases that’s been hiding in plain sight, the Five-Stage Chase structure.

The Five-Stage Chase Structure

I’ve done the research and I’ve dissected all of the great chases from cinema we all want to emulate around the game table.  And what I’ve discovered is what screen writers and directors have been hiding from us.  All chases follow the same formula…five simple stages.  

If you break down chases from your favorite action movies you’d most likely find that they are made up of these five stages:

1. Initiating Event/Start

2. Trap/Puzzle/Terrain

3. Impasse/Role-Play Challenge

4. Battle/Conflict/Climax

5. Last Gasp or Last Grasp/Twist

Stage 1: Start/Initiating Event

The first stage is the reason to begin the chase, the motivation to move, the impetus for action.

Sometimes a chase just starts, usually because one side spots the other side and both sides are aware the chase is on.  Other times the chase needs to an initiating event, a trigger that starts the action.

In either case that opening scene helps define the consequences of the chase.  This drives the narrative through the actions of the chase and sets up the tension.

With a start you are just getting the action moving.  With an initiating event there might be a way for the players to take advantage of what is occurring or sabotage the opponents at the get go.  Of course if the event is not correctly assessed by the players their action may not be beneficial or could even be detrimental.

With a start it is usually just all ‘go’.  With an initiating event there is intent to the action.

Stage 2: Trap/Puzzle/Terrain

Stage two inserts a difficulty into the path of the chase. 

A trap or puzzle forces the party to take an action other than ‘run’ or ‘dash’.  And since a chase isn’t about movement it helps to show this to the players right out of the gate. 

It’s not about just moving through the difficulty, it's about solving the stage in a way that benefits the players or deters the opposition. If the trap or puzzle isn’t solved then the player is impacted negatively.

Based on the location or the particulars of the chase, it may make more sense for this difficulty to be based on the terrain.  This could be difficult terrain that you don’t want to be slowed in, such as sinking mud or a gelatinous cube.  Or this could be dangerous and hazardous terrain, like a mudslide or thin, cracking ice.

Stage 3: Impasse/Role-Play Challenge

The third stage is more than just a difficulty placed into the path of the chase.  It is a blockade that must be overcome. 

An impasse is a game world element that blocks progress.  Physically it could be a wall or a waterfall.  Mentally it could be your greatest fear.  Strategically it could be the lack of the key or access card needed to unlock the door.  Whatever the impasse is, there is a way past it, it’s just not easy.

A role-play challenge is an impasse caused by NPCs. It could be something like not having the proper credentials or an invite to the ball.  Or perhaps the PCs bumped into the gang they had a tavern brawl with the night before.  Maybe they come face to face with the rival crawlers who are bent on keeping them from moving forward.

Resolving a role-play challenge is not as simple as talking your way past the bouncer.  These NPCs are on guard and not affected by simple persuasion.  They may even be actively working against the PCs.

Stage 4: Battle/Conflict/Climax

Stage four sets up the culmination of the chase. 

A battle is coming to blows with NPCs or creatures.  These don’t need to be the other party in the chase.  They may be working in concert with them or just working against the PCs, but they don’t have to be the opposition.

Conflict is some type of non-battle consternation.  It could be environmental, dealing with the bystanders, issues with your vehicle/animal, or the PCs struggling with acting against their personal code, alignment, or oath.

This can be played out as a secondary objective that causes the players to make a choice. Do they take an action to further their chase or do they go for the secondary objective instead.

A climax is something that seems like it is the end of the chase.  And it might actually be the end of the chase up to this point.  But then it just sets up a last grasp or twist. Such as escaping the collapsing building, the PCs get a brief respite, only to find the scaffolding they are on is going to fall as well.

Stage 5: Last Gasp/Grasp or Twist

The fifth stage is the heart-stopping action in the chase.  And once the heart starts beating again the chase is over, the PCs are safe, and the consequences of what just happened become a reality.

The last gasp is the classic end to a chase where the PCs are facing a chasm they normally could not overcome, but they throw themselves into their action with everything they have, allowing them to make it…barely…by their fingertips…as long as something doesn’t break!  Much like with an impasse, the chasm faced isn’t necessarily physical.  It can be mental, emotional, social, or mystical.

After this action concludes, the PCs are out of breath, out of resources, and out of their minds, but they are out of danger…probably.

The last grasp is when whatever the PCs are intent on escaping with or keeping safe is pulled from their possession by the opposition just as they think they are safe.  Their actions carry them to safety and out of reach of their opposition, but also keeps them from retrieving what they lost at this moment.  The PCs are safe, not in danger of life, liberty, or further pursuit, but they have lost something important.

A twist is when whatever the PCs thought they were doing, or why they thought they were doing it, is changed.  The rug is pulled out from under them metaphorically, or literally if that works better.  This can be done as a monologue by the opposition as the PCs float away safely out of reach.  It can also be revealed when the PCs finally get to look at the treasure they just risked everything for, only to realize it leads to more questions than answers.

The end of Stage 5 should lead into the next part of the game/narrative.  Ending a chase is not about winning.  It is about surviving long enough to figure out what to do next.

The Five-Stage Chase in Cinema

Here is an example of how the Five-Stage Chase structure is used in one of the greatest chase scenes in one of the movies of all time, The Princess Bride.  Spoiler alert!

Stage 1: Start

The chase for Princess Buttercup starts almost tranquilly. Fezzik and Inigo have just finished a delightful game of rhymes when Inigo notices another ship sailing behind them.  Buttercup then jumps into the water and must be rescued from the screaming eels.

Stage 2: Terrain

Vizzini’s escape plan included climbing the Cliffs of Insanity, terrain so difficult only Fezzik is strong enough to climb.  The masked man starts climbing after them only for Vinzzini to cut the rope, forcing the masked man to climb without it.  Inigo drops down the rope to help the masked man up so they can get to their duel.

Stage 3: Battle

Stage 4 and stage 3 are swapped in this chase as the battle comes before the impasse.  This is the duel between Westley, the masked man, and Inigo.  Not only is one of the greatest sword fights ever recorded, it also provides incredible depth into the characters.

Stage 4: Impasse

After besting Inigo, Westly continues after Buttercup only to be stopped by Fezzik.  Fezik is an impasse.  Westley cannot hope to best Fezzik in a fight, even though that is exactly what Fezzik invites.  Instead of a battle, Fezzik is a strategic impasse requiring Westley to out-think him.

Stage 5: Twist

In the famed Battle of Wits between Westley and Vinzzini the two face off in a challenge to the death for the Princess Buttercup.  The audience is led to believe that Vinzinni has pulled one over on Westley by switching the goblets before they drink.  Westley proclaims that Vinzinni has chosen wrong, implying the poison was in Vinzinni’z goblet.  Vinzinni then reveals he has switched goblets and then abruptly dies.  Buttercup then realizes that the poison was actually in Westley’s goblet the entire time.

In a twist, Westley reveals he poisoned both goblets and has spent the last several years building up a resistance to that poison.

With the Five-Stage Chase structure you can run a chase with that much cinematic drama and excitement at your table.  Well maybe not as great as that masterpiece, but at least it’ll be pretty good and much better than moving tokens one ‘dash’ at a time.  More examples can be found in Races, Chases, and Standoffs or Just Chases (the free preview).

Using the Five-Stage Chase in Your Game

The Five-Stage Chase distills the essence of those heart-pounding, pulse-racing, cinematic chase scenes we all love into a simple framework you can use to plan out chase scenes, adapt them on the fly, or even create them organically during play.  You can apply this structure to chases, races between multiple parties, standoffs between opposing forces, and even skill challenges if you want.

To prepare a chase, develop the five-stages, but keep them simple.  Just come up with a single line for each stage.  Don’t plan it too deeply.  You’ll need to keep things flexible to respond to the players’ actions.  Be ready to adlib on the fly if things go too far awry.

You can also switch the order of Stage 2 and 3 freely.  You can move the order of Stage 4 as well, but do so cautiously.  Stage 4 often builds up the tension the most, leading to the culmination.  If you move it, try to make sure whatever Stage 4 is builds to the highest moment of tension.

Races, Chases, and Standoffs is a supplement that provides simple mechanics to run chases using the Five-Stage Chase structure.  These simple steps excite the players and get their adrenaline pumping just as much as the characters are in the game.

Players do not need to know any mechanics ahead of time.  The chase can develop organically in the middle of the game or you can plan out the five-stages ahead of time.  There are also tables a game master can use to run a chase on the fly without a problem.

Quick decision making and opposing dice pools create the tension in the game play with little effort on the GM’s part.  The GM and the players will be rowdy, excited, and loud.  And when they breathe a sigh of relief at the end of the chase, they will finally know that a chase in a TTRPG can be fun and exciting.

Most adventures from Dragon Sol will include a chase table for the five stages, along with an optional obstacle, if a race, chase, or standoff is likely.

» Check out the free 28 page preview with Just Chases

» Check out Races, Chases, and Standoffs: Using the Five-Stage Structure to Bring Drama and Excitement to Your Game