Swallow whole weirdness

[juliaromero]

So, my players keep asking me bizarre questions, mostly to be obnoxious, though one of them actually came up in play. I've making on the spot rulings, but wondered if there were actual rules, or in lieu of that opinions, on what should be done in the following situations:

A summoned big monster thingy swallows somone whole. While the person is in the stomach and still very much alive and active, the spell ends/is dispelled. What happnes to the person?

Related, what happens if said summoned monster eats a magic item, what happens to the magic item in its stomach when it disappears? What about other stuff it eats.

If someone Shapechanges or some similar effect into a big monster and swallows someone whole, what happens if they then shapechange into a pixie?

etc.

 

[Jack Simth]

So, my players keep asking me bizarre questions, mostly to be obnoxious, though one of them actually came up in play. I've making on the spot rulings, but wondered if there were actual rules, or in lieu of that opinions, on what should be done in the following situations:

Don't know of any specific, hard rules, but my own personal calls....

A summoned big monster thingy swallows somone whole. While the person is in the stomach and still very much alive and active, the spell ends/is dispelled. What happnes to the person?
Related, what happens if said summoned monster eats a magic item, what happens to the magic item in its stomach when it disappears? What about other stuff it eats.

Summoned (not called!) critters aren't really there - it's a form of force magic that pretends to be the critter. When it goes away, anything it's carrying (by any means) drops. Of course, it may have taken damage in the interum.

If someone Shapechanges or some similar effect into a big monster and swallows someone whole, what happens if they then shapechange into a pixie?

etc.

If the shapechanger thinks about it, he can take a little extra time (e.g., moving a free action to a move action, or a move/standard to full round, as appropriet) in the shapechange to eject the swallowed and avoid getting a very, very bad tummy ache . If he doesn't, opposed Fort saves - Winner's fine, loser takes 3d6 damage and is either shapechanged to the eqivalent meal for a pixie for the duration of his confinement (doesn't know about it, until he hacks his way out, at which point the change wears off), or can't change shape (for swallowed, or swollower, respectively). Then again, I may just be nice to my players....

 

[the Jester]

These are great questions!

Oooh... I'd better not speak up until I have a chance to mull this over more thoroughly, cuz my initial thoughts involve the fiendish beastie carrying the swallowed victim back to the lower planes with it.

Summoned creatures certainly are really there; they just don't really die if 'killed' while summoned. I'm not sure where Jack got the idea that they aren't; my PH says that "a summoning spell instantly brings a creature or object to a place you designate." Nowhere does it say anything about the creature not actually being there, at least that I can find.

 

[shilsen]

My take:

A summoned big monster thingy swallows somone whole. While the person is in the stomach and still very much alive and active, the spell ends/is dispelled. What happnes to the person?

The monster disappears, leaving the swallowed person behind.

Related, what happens if said summoned monster eats a magic item, what happens to the magic item in its stomach when it disappears? What about other stuff it eats.

The monster disappears, leaving the swallowed item(s) behind.

If someone Shapechanges or some similar effect into a big monster and swallows someone whole, what happens if they then shapechange into a pixie?

The swallowed person appears in the space next to the pixie.

 

[juliaromero]

Yeah, I ruled pretty much like you Shilsen, with the exception of the inanimate objects ... I ruled that those disappeared (going by the theory that you can pretty much do what you want to unattended items in the game).

 

[ElectricDragon]

Summoned monsters can't take anything with them when they go. Called monsters can.

The theory being that one calls up a beastie and equips it. And later summons up that beastie with all the equipment. Said equipment goes away with the beastie when it dies or the spell ends. Voila: your kobold with +2 plate mail and +2 short sword doesn't ever lose his equipment!

Ciao
Dave

 

[shilsen]

Yeah, I ruled pretty much like you Shilsen, with the exception of the inanimate objects ... I ruled that those disappeared (going by the theory that you can pretty much do what you want to unattended items in the game).

As ElectricDragon mentioned, summoned monsters can't take anything back with them, so I ruled the way I mentioned. For a specific reference, check the DMG pg. 37, last paragraph of the "Variant: Summoning Individual Monsters" sidebar.

 

[Celebrim]

So, my players keep asking me bizarre questions, mostly to be obnoxious, though one of them actually came up in play. I've making on the spot rulings, but wondered if there were actual rules, or in lieu of that opinions, on what should be done in the following situations:

I have a probably well deserved reputation as a harsh DM. Looking over your responces, I'm reminded of that"

A summoned big monster thingy swallows somone whole. While the person is in the stomach and still very much alive and active, the spell ends/is dispelled. What happnes to the person?

I would rule that anything that has been swallowed has effectively become part of the creature for the purposes of spell effects. Therefore, they are carried back to the plane from which the creature was summoned, still within the belly of the best.

Related, what happens if said summoned monster eats a magic item, what happens to the magic item in its stomach when it disappears? What about other stuff it eats.

The same thing.

If someone Shapechanges or some similar effect into a big monster and swallows someone whole, what happens if they then shapechange into a pixie?

The thing (and everything) inside them shapechanges right along with them, just as anything else in their digestive tract would. This may actually result in the person or item becoming magically trapped inside the body of the shapechanger, in that it is there but in a form which renders it inaccessible. A Wish or Freedom spell may be necessary to recover the object. However, if the thing swallowed is itself a natural shapechanger, changing into a form otherwise not intended to contain an object before that shapechanger is digested or otherwise neutralized is potentially fatal. If the swallowed shapechanger changes to a form which the new form could not contain, then it bursts out of the containing shapechanger, dropping the containing shapchanger to 0 hitpoints and forcing the containing shapechanger to make DC 30 fortitude save or die immediately.

The above decisions are snap decisions based on the situation. I've not tested them. They are made not just out of a desire to protect my reputation, but because I prefer them for dramatic reasons. If the PC's summon up a fiendish purple worm (or whatever), when the thing swallows the bad guy, normally that's a cinematically dramatic ending and I want it to be over. Cut. Print it. Congradulations. Nice days work. I do not want the fiendish purple worm to disappear and leave behind the bad guy in its place. An observer watching the movie isn't going to understand that. It's just not emotionally satisfying for anyone involved - the PC's, me, or 'the audience'. Plus, the above answers are better story hooks. They are wonderfully strange answers that create crazy situations.

 

[juliaromero]

As ElectricDragon mentioned, summoned monsters can't take anything back with them, so I ruled the way I mentioned. For a specific reference, check the DMG pg. 37, last paragraph of the "Variant: Summoning Individual Monsters" sidebar.

So, I guess that means whenever you play and a summon monster eats someone or even takes a bite of someone and then disappears, you describe the mess of fluids and blood and digested material that is lying around on the ground afterwards? Seems a bit out of theme to me, as that blood on the the monster's teeth should now be considered part of the monster. But that's just me.

 

[frankthedm]

Summoned critters would leave all bits and snits behind when they leave. yes it is messy.

Changing shape to a smaller size with something alive inside you is a quick way to die or be rendered a helpless skinsack when i run a game.

If a size increasing effect ENDS with a large object inside you, there is no magic to shrink the object and death is assured.