Are there rules as written for counter tracking?

Question

I recall running a pre-generated mod years ago, where the NPCs were performing tracking (survival) checks to make their tracks more obscure to the party hunting them. I have been using this since then when it came up both as a judge and as a player (as GM allows), however, the other day I realized that I am not sure what the actual source/rule was. In pre-generated, it is extremely difficult to figure out the difference between author off the cuff stuff and actual rules unless they cite...even if I still had the mod to reference. I checked survival in the SRD and it does not mention anything about this. EDIT: As noted below, I did find that you can make a track check to add +5 to the DC of people following you. What I recall was more a versus DC however, where a ranger with a +20 to survival would be better at counter-tracking than a ranger with +3.

Are there (further) known rules as written for counter tracking?

Cited passages are cool, but I have a lot of books, so if it's a bunch of time to type stuff up, book references (maybe with brief concepts) are also appreciated and I can hopefully reference myself. Thanks!

Answer 1

There are a lot of modifiers to Track checks. The RAW way to hide your tracks is not just to use the 'hide your tracks' modifier but to make use of as many positive modifiers and as few negative modifiers as you can.

There is, unfortunately, no rule for making opposed survival checks like you are talking about.

Pass Without Trace is a first level spell that makes tracking impossible. Anyone who isn't completely destitute can access such magic quite easily, so if hiding tracks is particularly important in a given case and the person being tracked was aware of it they probably can't be found.

Pass without Trace sources:

• a casting from a level 1 druid: cost 10 gp
• a scroll: cost 25 gp
• a potion: cost 50 gp
• custom item of at-will Pass Without Trace: cost ~2000 gp
• Boots of the Winterlands (over snow only): cost 2500 gp
• Staff of Woodlands (doesn't cost charges or require casting ability): 101 250 gp

a single casting of Pass Without Trace lasts 1 hour at CL 1.

You can also use dust of tracelessness, costing 250 gp, to boost the DC by 20 for a small section of tracks, but this is a waste of money and completely pointless since you can just use Pass Without Trace for less money and a longer and better effect.

Answer 2

I will edit my question slightly above, but I did find in the Track Feat (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#track), it gives +5 difficulty to the survival (track) DC. This is not the rule I recall from the module however.