D&D 5E Why is there a limit to falling damage?

[pogre]

A fall from a great height is one of the most common hazards facing an adventurer. At the end of a fall, a creature takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet it fell, to a maximum of 20d6.

The answer is not terminal velocity. That happens a considerable distance after this.

This came up in game when a player whose PC was a barbarian came to gorge 1,500' deep and said, "Yeah, I'll just step off."

I asked if they were committing suicide, because this was going to kill the PC. "Nope," the player replied, "The barbarian will survive the fall."

I stated unequivocally the PC would die - yes, I was aware of the rule - yes, I guess this is a ruling outside the rules, and therefore, a house rule that was unannounced. However, I countered, the player was exploiting player knowledge of the rules to benefit his PC.

So, that's where this question comes from - what purpose does the limit on falling damage serve? What am I missing?

I do remember the falling damage rules debates from the early Dragons and the subsequent ban on articles and letters on falling damage. Just reviving an old D&D tradition: Let's debate falling damage!

 

[Retreater]

I have to assume the limit is based on the number of dice owned by the designers or their adding ability?
For me, I would just do something like 4 x every ten feet fallen. No dice rolling, just flatten out the math a bit.

 

[Fanaelialae]

The answer is not terminal velocity. That happens a considerable distance after this.

This came up in game when a player whose PC was a barbarian came to gorge 1,500' deep and said, "Yeah, I'll just step off."

I asked if they were committing suicide, because this was going to kill the PC. "Nope," the player replied, "The barbarian will survive the fall."

I stated unequivocally the PC would die - yes, I was aware of the rule - yes, I guess this is a ruling outside the rules, and therefore, a house rule that was unannounced. However, I countered, the player was exploiting player knowledge of the rules to benefit his PC.

So, that's where this question comes from - what purpose does the limit on falling damage serve? What am I missing?

I do remember the falling damage rules debates from the early Dragons and the subsequent ban on articles and letters on falling damage. Just reviving an old D&D tradition: Let's debate falling damage!

FWIW, I agree with your ruling.

That said, I think it has to do with a cinematic/literary approach to falling. Most characters who fall in movies and stories don't die. Capping falling damage at 20d6 allows higher level characters to "age out" of dying from falls (assuming they have full hp).

That said, I agree it isn't meant to allow the players to game the system by taking a "shortcut" off a 1500' cliff.

 

[jgsugden]

Falling damage doesn't make sense, overall. Force from falling would not be linear at d6 per 10'. Also, smaller and larger creatures should take different amounts of damage for falling, generally. Force = mass * Acceleration, and the acceleration due to gravity is exponential. Accurate rules for falling damage would be cumbersome. The easiest thing to do would be to have sizes and distance and rolls to make to determine damage, but even then it would be awkward to look up and subject to arguments like crazy. In the end, you'd end up with the dragon killing move to be knocking them prone in the sky and letting the fall kill them... kind of non-heroic.

 

[Hriston]

Maybe ask the player how the barbarian goes about surviving a fall from such a height? It might give them the opportunity to narrate something cool.

 

[pogre]

Maybe ask the player how the barbarian goes about surviving a fall from such a height? It might give them the opportunity to narrate something cool.

Not a bad idea most of the time, but with this particular player it might be something like, "I'm half-Bumble."

 

[aco175]

Maybe ask the player how the barbarian goes about surviving a fall from such a height? It might give them the opportunity to narrate something cool.

The way Bugs Bunny does in when crashing in an elevator, he just steps out at the last moment.

Doesn't lava deal 20d6 as well. I smell conspiracy.

 

[commandercrud]

20d6 falling damage used to be a lot deadlier in old editions. They keep pumping up player survivability and not increasing the damage from things like this.

 

[Raaron]

Up the dice type to d8 or d10?

 

[aco175]

5e no longer has system shock or massive damage saves. Not sure if that is a point to think about