Mass Increase = Falling Damage Increase

[Geocorona]

Falling damage should escalate with size classification:

Fine 1d4 per 10 ft., 10d4 max.
Diminutive 1d4 per 10 ft., 12d4 max.
Tiny 1d4 per 10 ft., 15d4 max.
Small 1d6 per 10 ft., 17d6 max.
Medium-sized 1d6 per 10 ft., 20d6 max.
Large 1d8 per 10 ft., 25d8 max.
Huge 1d8 per 10 ft., 30d8 max.
Gargantuan 1d10 per 10 ft., 35d10 max.
Colossal 1d12 per 10 ft., 40d12 max.

The death from massive damage rule (50 pt. forces saving throw) applies.

Gliding creatures (injured flyers, flat or air-resistant creatures) take half damage.

This doesn't reflect reality, but reality would disallow most D&D events. This is a compromise between real physics and the flat falling damage of the DMG.

 

[Jasperak]

I disagree, if anything it should be the way originally intended.

1d6 up to 10' (+1d6)
3d6 to 20' (+2d6)
6d6 to 30' (+3d6)
10d6 to 40' (+4d6)

Or however that factoral thing works.

Some other ideas to ponder:

Fig1 has an avg of 10 hp.
Fig5 has an avg of 32 hp.
Fig10 has an avg of 60 hp.

(I will check the Core Rulebook II to find the actual averages for fighters at these levels once I get home.)

By the core rules, 1d6/10':

Falling 30'
ex: Fig1 falls 30' and takes 3-18 hp of damage with avg of 10.5
ex: Fig5 falls 30' and takes 3-18 hp of damage with avg of 10.5
ex: Fig10 falls 30' and takes 3-18 hp of damage with avg of 10.5

Falling 100'
ex: Fig1 falls 100' and takes 10-60 hp of damage with avg of 35
ex: Fig5 falls 100' and takes 10-60 hp of damage with avg of 35
ex: Fig10 falls 100' and takes 10-60 hp of damage with avg of 35

Or maybe: 1 pt/character level or hit dice/10' fallen

Falling 30'
ex: Fig1 falls 30' and takes 3 hp of damage
ex: Fig5 falls 30' and takes 15 hp of damage
ex: Fig10 falls 30' and takes 30 hp of damage

Falling 100'
ex: Fig1 falls 100' and takes 10 hp of damage
ex: Fig5 falls 100' and takes 50 hp of damage
ex: Fig10 falls 100' and takes 100 hp of damage

Or the factoral way: 3!d6

Falling 30'
ex: Fig1 falls 30' and takes 6-36 hp of damage with avg of 21
ex: Fig5 falls 30' and takes 6-36 hp of damage with avg of 21
ex: Fig10 falls 30' and takes 6-36 hp of damage with avg of 21

Falling 100'
ex: Fig1 falls 100' and takes 55d6 hp of damage (55-330 hp with avg of 192.5)
ex: Fig5 falls 100' and takes 55d6 hp of damage (55-330 hp with avg of 192.5)
ex: Fig10 falls 100' and takes 55d6 hp of damage (55-330 hp with avg of 192.5)

Or a combined way: (distance fallen/10)!*(1hp/character level or hit dice)

Falling 30'
ex: Fig1 falls 30' and takes 3!*1 or 6 hp of damage
ex: Fig5 falls 30' and takes 3!*5 or 30 hp of damage
ex: Fig10 falls 30' and takes 3!*10 or 60 hp of damage

Falling 100'
ex: Fig1 falls 100' and takes 10!(55)*1 of 55 hp of damage
ex: Fig5 falls 100' and takes 10!(55)*5 of 275 hp of damage
ex: Fig10 falls 100' and takes 10!(55)*10 of 550 hp of damage

Here is a little test we can all run.
Step 1: Go to your nearest building (with eight floors or more.)
Step 2: Open up any window on the eighth floor (should be around 96 feet.)
Step 3: Jump out and aim for the sidewalk.

In my reality there is no way that anyone survives a fall from a height of 100' and lives. There are exceptions of course, but we are not talking about landing in a bed of straw or swimming pool.
In my reality, if you fall from that height and hit something hard, you die.

Until the rules take that into account, I have nothing more to say.

edit: spelling, and to add space to make a little more readable. I am the edit king.

 

[Jasperak]

Now enough of me being rude...

I see where you are going with this. Smaller creatures have less hit points than larger creatures and you are looking into a way that takes that into account, no?

I have always wondered about basing it off of hit dice or levels, but never bothered to look into it too much, since I don't like the way the rule works anyway (refer to above post.)

Your idea may make some minor changes but not enough in my opinion to warrant more consideration.

I am most partial to the combined factoral! way, although in my games we treat falling a little less hollywood and a little more grim and gritty (is that a trademark infringement?)

 

[Geocorona]

Actually, I was thinking about mass rather than hit points.

The physics formula is:

FORCE (which is what does damage) = MASS (the weight of the falling creature) * ACCELERATION (which is how gravity is expressed)

So even though objects fall at the same rate of acceleration (minus friction), they impact with an amount of force proportional to their weight.

3E/D20 rules, while being so convolutedly complicated making combat more realistic, completely ignore this, and dole out an even 1d6/10ft. no matter how heavy the falling creature is.

So in D&D cats can't survive 2-storey falls but elephants can fall off cliffs and walk away.

 

[Jasperak]

Point, although changing the base damage dice will still not kill the elephant. Your change only amounts to ~+1 hp damage per ten feet fallen.

When elephants fall off a cliff and take 300 points of damage I will be happy.

I noticed no one is touching this thread with a ten foot pole. Can someone please direct to past thread/s if this has been discussed before.