Drowning?

[bobcat_grad]

I've poked around, looking for a place where this is addressed, and I can't find it (which might mean I'm just looking in the wrong place).

But how do you handle drowning? Or what's a good way to handle it?

I'm putting together a trap/hazard inspired by the Muck Tentacles, and the 'goal' of the tentacles is to pull the grabbed PC into the lake/pond it's in and hold them underwater to drown them (and subsequently feed on their body).

The tentacles do no damage themselves, but merely try to pull the PCs underwater, but once underwater, they're going to have to pay some sort of penalty for struggling and being unable to breathe.

Anyone have any suggestions, or is just as simple as "if grabbed and in the water, 2d8 damage?" I'd like something a little more urgent than that. Take away healing surges?

 

[Journeymanmage]

PHB-p183 Swim - Fail by 5 or More: Sink 1 square and risk suffocation by drowning (details are in Chapter 9 of the DMG)

--> DMG-Ch9 p159 (Starvation, Thirst, and Suffocation).
It becomes a DC Endurance check
In the situation you describe:
- If you succeed you're all set for that round.
- If you fail you lose 1 healing surge.
The checks get harder and harder as each round goes by ....
Further details can be found in the DMG p159


* Off topic: Also note the PHB-Swim section says >Sink 1 square< ... another bit of evidence that "squares" are not just horizontal (ya ya, it's a very old topic)

 

[bobcat_grad]

--> DMG-Ch9 p159 (Starvation, Thirst, and Suffocation).
It becomes a DC Endurance check
In the situation you describe:
- If you succeed you're all set for that round.
- If you fail you lose 1 healing surge.
The checks get harder and harder as each round goes by ....
Further details can be found in the DMG p159

Son of a... yup. Like I said, I was looking in all the wrong places.

Thanks for the tip.

I'll just use the Endurance check while they're held underwater. I'll even skip it for the first round they're under if they're smart enough to say they take a deep breath prior to getting pulled under...

Wonder if they'll think of that?