Stalk command

Stalk
Follow a creature or player as it moves while remaining in hiding, setting up sneak attacks and training Stealth.
STALK <creature> You see: You are convinced that your stalking went unobserved.   You move into position to stalk <creature> when it moves.   Roundtime: 4 sec. Others see: (nothing) STALK <person> You see: You slowly work your way toward <person> to follow <him/her> silently.   ...a few seconds later...   You move into position to stalk <person> when <he/she> moves.   You are convinced that your stalking went unobserved. Others see: (nothing) STALK <person> (spotted) Target sees: You notice <Name> trying to slip in behind you. Others see: You notice <Name> trying to slip in behind <person>. STALK <self> (tailed races) You see: You spin around and around trying to catch your tail!   Unfortunately, it eludes your grasp. Others see: <Name> spins around quickly, attempting to catch <his/her> tail!   However, it craftily eludes <his/her> grasp. STALK <self> (no tail) You see: You wistfully wish you had a tail so that you could stalk it around in circles. Others see: <Name> sighs wistfully with a glance at <his/her> backside. STOP STALK You see: You stop stalking.

Syntax

• STALK

Stalks the creature you are currently facing.

• STALK <CREATURE>

Moves into position to follow the creature as it moves. Resolves immediately.

• STALK <PLAYER>

Begins working your way toward the player. The stalk completes a few seconds later, on its own.

• STALK <SELF>

Chases your own tail. See below.

• STALK HELP

Displays the helpfile.

• STALK INFO

Displays sample messaging for each form.

• STOP STALK

Ends the current stalk.

Game Helpfile

The STALK verb allows you to follow a creature or player as it moves about.  It is
useful for setting up sneak attacks.  You must be hidden first in order to stalk
something or someone, and you may be detected in your attempt by perceptive
individuals.

Syntax:
  STALK <CREATURE>
  STALK <PLAYER>

STALK INFO will provide more detailed examples with sample messages.

STALK INFO adds:

Examples:

STALK <CREATURE>:
You move into position to stalk <creature> when it moves.

STALK <PLAYER>:
You move into position to stalk <player> when <he/she> moves.

Usage

You must be HIDDEN or invisible before you can stalk, and you must be on your feet. Stalking runs on the core stealth system, so every bonus and penalty that applies to Stealth applies here, and a successful stalk trains Stealth much as HIDE does. Heavy armor can prevent it outright.

Stalking carries a roundtime that trains down with skill, from 6 seconds at no effective ranks to 2 seconds at 160. Each attempt is contested against the Perception of anyone who might notice, and the game reports how well you think you did:

• You are convinced that your stalking went unobserved.
• You are unsure whether anyone noticed you stalking.
• You cannot shake the feeling that you drew attention to yourself.
• You are certain you drew some attention to yourself.

Stalking a second target shifts your mark rather than stacking, and stalking a creature while you have an approach pending on a player abandons the approach:

• You shift your mark to <person>.
• You shift your mark and slip into position to stalk <creature> instead.
• You stop stalking <creature>.

Those with the Slip ability slip into hiding automatically rather than being refused: You quickly slip into hiding to prepare to stalk.

Failures

• Stalk what? — no target, preceded by There is nothing else to face! or I could not find what you were referring to.
• Stalking is an inherently stealthy endeavor, try being out of sight. — you are neither hidden nor invisible.
• It's hard to stalk if you aren't in a position to move around. — you are sitting, kneeling or prone.
• You can't stalk in all this armor! — your armor hinders you so much that none of your Stealth is usable, and a 3 second roundtime follows. This is the same gate that produces You can't hide in all this armor!, and it is rarely seen, because armor that heavy stops you at HIDE before you can reach STALK.
• You're not in any condition to be stalking anyone! — you are too badly wounded.
• You're already stalking <target>! — the mark is already set.
• Stealth and speed are a bad mix. Just give it a second. — an approach to that target is already in flight.
• I don't think <target> is going anywhere of <his/her> own accord. Try something ambulatory? — the target is dead or otherwise immobile.
• You really can't stalk <creature>. — that creature cannot be stalked.
• You can't do that here! — the room does not allow stalking.

While Stalking

Once the mark is set, the stalk is maintained as your target moves, and the game reports on it:

• You move along to follow your mark.
• You'll need to stand up to continue stalking.
• You must be hidden first!
• You can't very well stalk while not on your feet can you?
• It'll be too hard to follow your mark.
• You've lost your mark.
• It seems you lost track of <person>.
• You can't seem to follow your target.

STOP STALK ends it deliberately, replying You stop stalking. or, if there was nothing to stop, You're not stalking anything though.

Grouping

Successfully stalking a player places you in that player's group. If your attempt is revealed at the moment it completes, you are ejected instead:

Since you were revealed, you are unable to stay in <person>'s group.
[Roundtime: 5 sec]

and the target sees:

With <Name>'s stalking attempt revealed, you stop <him/her> from joining you.

Because the stalker is considered part of the stalkee's group, STALK can be used to avoid the effects of powers that don't affect groupmates, such as Bard songs or Barbarian Roars.

Stalking a creature does not remove you from your current group, so a stealther can stalk while hunting with others.

Chasing Your Tail

Stalking yourself is purely cosmetic. It depends on whether your character has a tail, which among playable races means S'Kra Mur and Prydaen. It breaks hiding and invisibility first:

• You waver into view. / <Name> wavers into view.
• You come out of hiding. / <Name> comes out of hiding.

Both open the same way:

You spin around and around trying to catch your tail!
<Name> spins around quickly, attempting to catch <his/her> tail!

The outcome is random. On a miss:

Unfortunately, it eludes your grasp.
However, it craftily eludes <his/her> grasp.

On a catch, S'Kra Mur get their own version:

Growling, you manage to grab the end of your tail in your jaws.  With a slightly foolish grin on your face, you shortly let go.
Growling ferociously, <Name> grabs the end of <his/her> tail in <his/her> jaws.  <Name> seems to suddenly realize how foolish <he/she> looks, grinning as <he/she> lets it drop back toward the ground.

while a Prydaen sees:

Unsurprisingly, you manage to catch it, but quickly let go.
<Name> manages the colossal feat of catching <his/her> own tail, but quickly lets go.

Characters without a tail get:

You wistfully wish you had a tail so that you could stalk it around in circles.
<Name> sighs wistfully with a glance at <his/her> backside.

In a silenced room the whole thing is refused with You shouldn't disturb the area with this.

See Also

• HIDE
• SNEAK
• STOP
• BACKSTAB
• AMBUSH
• Stealth skill
• Slip

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