Wights claw attack question

[wildoxmoan]

How would you play the wights claw attack that drains a healing surge if the character has no healing surges left?
The damage of the claw attack and no further damage?
The damage of the claw attack plus additional hit point damage equal to what the characters surge would be?
Death...heh heh...just kidding.

 

[chaotix42]

I don't think I'd add any extra damage or anything like that. If the PC the wight is attacking is out of surges I think he's been punished enough! "I HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO GIIIIIIVE!"

 

[James McMurray]

Just the normal damage. There are monsters which do more damage to characters who are out of surges, and they say so in their description.

 

[Mr. Teapot]

Then they would die, and enter the Nega-Realm.


Or more seriously: yeah, if the PCs are out of surges, they're already in enough trouble that you don't need to punish them any more. And if the wights were supposed to do more damage to a surgeless PC, they would say so.

Some other monsters and effects deal extra damage (often equal to the target's level) to characters out of healing surges, if it is an effect that drains surges.