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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dausuul" data-source="post: 6504959" data-attributes="member: 58197">Wikipedia has a nice little bit on the subject: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminal_velocity" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminal_velocity</a>"Based on wind resistance, for example, the terminal velocity of a skydiver in a belly-to-earth (i.e., face down) free-fall position is about 195 km/h (122 mph or 54 m/s).[2] This velocity is the asymptotic limiting value of the acceleration process, because the effective forces on the body balance each other more and more closely as the terminal velocity is approached. In this example, a speed of 50% of terminal velocity is reached after only about 3 seconds, while it takes 8 seconds to reach 90%, 15 seconds to reach 99% and so on."It then goes on to discuss how speed divers can angle themselves to increase their terminal velocity, but since your falling D&D character is probably not trying to hit the ground as hard as possible, let's go with the belly-to-ground figures. 54 meters per second works out to a shade over 1,000 feet per round, and you'll be just about there by the time you reach 12 seconds (2 rounds). Elsewhere in Wikipedia, near the end of the article on free fall, it says a falling human will fall about 1,500 feet in 12 seconds. Based on all that, I recommend the following falling times as "sufficiently realistic to satisfy my inner science geek while also being easy to remember and use at the table":1st round: 500 feetEach additional round: +1,000 feetMost of the time, of course, you're not going to be falling anywhere near that far, and the fall is effectively instantaneous. You probably have a second or so of clawing at the edge before you go over; plenty of time for anybody with a reaction open to use that reaction and do something. You won't get a chance to take a full turn in the air, though, unless you're falling a long, long way.</blockquote>

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