dave2008
Legend
Interesting, I assume you mean +1d6 etc. per 10 feet? Also, shouldn't that hit a wall at some point - terminal velocity and all.
D&D 5E Request for thoughts on falling damage change
Interesting, I assume you mean +1d6 etc. per 10 feet? Also, shouldn't that hit a wall at some point - terminal velocity and all.
iserith
Magic Wordsmith
Rather than make up or modify existing rules - or go down the road of thinking the rules are a simulation of game reality - consider that the rules are just tools to resolve uncertainty. They serve you, the DM.
Therefore, if you as DM think that a particular fall is fatal, then it simply is. If a character falls, they die. No damage dice necessary. It just happens unless the character has some tricks up its sleeve.
The thing with this is it can't be a surprise. If you include such a hazard, point at it before anything kicks off and say "Fall off and you die - no roll." Then it's a fair challenge because the players know the risks going in.
Therefore, if you as DM think that a particular fall is fatal, then it simply is. If a character falls, they die. No damage dice necessary. It just happens unless the character has some tricks up its sleeve.
The thing with this is it can't be a surprise. If you include such a hazard, point at it before anything kicks off and say "Fall off and you die - no roll." Then it's a fair challenge because the players know the risks going in.
Falling Damage.
You can jump/fall a maximum of 10' + Str. or Dex. modifier (whichever is higher) without sustaining damage.
For another 10' beyond, you take half damage. No, not a roll. Half of your existing HP disappear. You take HALF of your remaining HP in damage.
After another 10', you take another half damage (down to 0 HP).
Falls beyond 30(ish)' result in automatic elimination of all HP (barring some kind of magical assistance or special class ability that mitigates the damage/fall, e.g. Featherfall, a monk's Slow Fall ability, successful Acrobatics check, etc...), 0 HP + 1 automatically failed Death save for each 10' beyond 30.
Falls of 60 or more feet, without some kind of slowing/mitigation, are automatic death and utter destruction of the physical body requiring nothing less than a Resurrection (True Resurrection, Wish/Miracle, etc..) to restore.
You can jump/fall a maximum of 10' + Str. or Dex. modifier (whichever is higher) without sustaining damage.
For another 10' beyond, you take half damage. No, not a roll. Half of your existing HP disappear. You take HALF of your remaining HP in damage.
After another 10', you take another half damage (down to 0 HP).
Falls beyond 30(ish)' result in automatic elimination of all HP (barring some kind of magical assistance or special class ability that mitigates the damage/fall, e.g. Featherfall, a monk's Slow Fall ability, successful Acrobatics check, etc...), 0 HP + 1 automatically failed Death save for each 10' beyond 30.
Falls of 60 or more feet, without some kind of slowing/mitigation, are automatic death and utter destruction of the physical body requiring nothing less than a Resurrection (True Resurrection, Wish/Miracle, etc..) to restore.
Last edited:
I don't think I am looking for realism so much as some strange sort of system that almost anyone can survive a short fall and a 20th level PC with 20 constitution at full health could just barely get up from an excessively long fall because terminal velocity keeps it from getting worse. I would just be interested in the damage capping closer to 170 than 70.
Even with these changes a PC with 90 hit points would not die instantly from a maximum fall, but someone would need to get to them to save them from 3 death saving throw failures. Even a level 1 wizard wouldn't die instantly from a 10 foot fall, but they might need a little help from their friends.
Even with these changes a PC with 90 hit points would not die instantly from a maximum fall, but someone would need to get to them to save them from 3 death saving throw failures. Even a level 1 wizard wouldn't die instantly from a 10 foot fall, but they might need a little help from their friends.
Last edited:
dave2008
Legend
As a DM that just feels like to much DM fiat for me. I like to part of the story and let it unfolded, not be the supreme dictator of the story.
S
Sunseeker
Guest
No, I just forgot to edit off the +'s.
10=0
20=1d6
30=2d6
40=4d6
50=8d6
60=16d6
70=32d6
and so on.
Yeah it hits a wall, but terminal velocity of a human on earth's gravity requires about 1500 feet. So, that's 1490 feet of falling and 149 instances of doubling, in an exponential system like this that's 1.2e^71. So you'd be taking an average 4.1^71 damage.
I like this idea, but with the keeping of high fantasy heroic characters - I'd like to see an option for mitigating damage. Perhaps if you deliberately jump you have a DC 10 + #of dice acrobatic check to take half damage. So a deliberate 50' jump would be DC 18 for half damage. Maybe disadvantage with heavy armor? Maybe stunned for 1d# of dice upon landing. Maybe you have to have proficiency in acrobatics to get half damage otherwise it is 3/4 damage - just throwing out some ideas here.
This would make a 50' deliberate jump on average 28 HP for a failed save and 14 for a successful one for those with proficiency in acrobatics and 21 HP for those without - with a result of being stunned for 1d8 rounds upon landing.
As an aside to this discussion - how do people handle helping those who fall? How quickly can other characters react and cast fly, feather fall, etc?
Sent from my iPad using EN World mobile app
Horwath
Legend
Falling damage:
1d6 per 5ft
Deliberate jump down reduces damage rolled by 1d6(anyone can jump down from 5 ft without any risk, yet getting dropped on your head from 5ft could be deadly for some).
reduce damage from falling half the roll of athletics or acrobatics. So for an average person jumping down from 10 ft on purpose would deal 1d6-5 damage(5 reduction for roll of 10/2). 1 damage in 1 of 6 cases.
Yet falling from 10 story tower(100ft) would on average deal 70 damage(20d6) before any reductions.
1d6 per 5ft
Deliberate jump down reduces damage rolled by 1d6(anyone can jump down from 5 ft without any risk, yet getting dropped on your head from 5ft could be deadly for some).
reduce damage from falling half the roll of athletics or acrobatics. So for an average person jumping down from 10 ft on purpose would deal 1d6-5 damage(5 reduction for roll of 10/2). 1 damage in 1 of 6 cases.
Yet falling from 10 story tower(100ft) would on average deal 70 damage(20d6) before any reductions.
dave2008
Legend
So yes actually. Perhaps you misundertstood what I was implying, but your table increases every 10 feet as I suggested you had forgot to mention in your previous post. This is exactly what I meant.
Yep, that is a pretty unrealistic amount of damage. I prefer the OP to this.
Thank you for sharing though.
iserith
Magic Wordsmith
Fiat's part of the job. As DMs, we're doing it every time we say something has a certain outcome which is a great deal of the interactions in the game. This is no different.
Edit: To be clear, fine not to like what I suggested. I just think the reason is weird.
Last edited:
