Questions about Tracking and Trackless Step

[Tenshi no Shi]

My question is fairly straight forward. Simply is there a way for a tracker to track someone that possess Trackless Step. I am designing a campaign which will be largely survival based, and wish to have a point where the group is being tracked by a larger and more powerful foe. I just wanted to see if there are any ways in which a character can track another character that has trackless step.

This is more then likely going to be a non-issue for me, as at this point the party would be around level 2, so even if there is a druid, they would not possess trackless step. So really it is more for curiosity sake.

[Speaker for the Dead]

Someone using Scent ability. Divination type spells. Standing on top of a hill and watching them with a telescope. Or, if you're Mantracker, pay attention to your horse :-)

[Tenshi no Shi]

So Scent supersedes Trackless Step? That helps, I am guessing that I can then use another druid with an animal companion to track those with trackless step. I just have never read anything saying that Scent makes creatures able to track druids.

Yes I know there a lot of things I can use, I am just wondering if there are any solid rules about this. I know that the skill system is pretty full of holes though.

[King of Vrock]

Scent cannot be used to Track a creature with trackless step as the ability says it cannot be tracked, i.e. any derivitive use of the Survival skill used to track a creature.

If the PC with trackless step were trying to hide within a creatures scent range however you could use it perceive them as that would be a Perception vs Stealth not tracking per se.

You'd need to use divination spells to find that character or creature. It companions however are fair game!

--School of Vrock

[Speaker for the Dead]

Trackless Step says you can't be tracked and by doesn't exclude anything from the description so by RAW I guess you're right. Personally, I wouldn't think it would prevent the Scent ability from working though.

[Kayerloth]

Quote:

a druid leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked

This is RAW then no you can not track them using the Survival skill or a Ranger or similar ability to "Track" using Survival.

If one foe (larger and more powerful) is tracking the party then the only real concern for the foe is if the character with trackless step separates off alone to do something important to the foe. Otherwise the easiest way is to simply track whoever normally travels with the character with trackless step as it does nothing to hide the trail of any other character. This can be riding or pack animals, familiars, hirelings, etc..

Keep in mind it must be natural surroundings. Usually this means any area where the terrain has been worked by the inhabitants then you cannot use trackless step.

Pass without Trace is going to give you at least as much trouble as Trackless Step. If used by the party of course. So that's the first step if possible don't let the party become aware they are being followed and give them reason to use it.

Aerial surveillance - A familiar could be used for this.
Plant a spy - If the party hires anyone, you could certainly set it up so the spy themselves is easier to follow.
Divination - A lot of this is either relatively high level (Prying Eyes, Greater Prying Eyes, Discern Location), intermittent (Scry, Clairaudience/Clairvoyance), or requires relatively close proximity (Locate Object) or some combination of these factors. The spells in parenthesis are examples, not the 'complete' list of such spells.

[Tenshi no Shi]

Okay thanks for all the suggestions. Like I said this will be low level, but I did not think about Pass without Trace, being a first level spell.

It will be a jungle setting, so that covers the natural, though i will be a reclaimed area, meaning a city that the jungle took back.

I like the idea of aerial surveillance, as well as tracking the rest of the party. Both will work well. I just needed ideas to cover my bases for this campaign. It would not do to make a scenario which evokes a sense of danger, if the danger is easily avoided.