Don't fall!

[Dark Dragon]

After endless discussions with some players (and no result): Who can clarify the rules of falling creatures to me?

Most important point: When starts a creature to fall? (And cover the rules this situation?)

Example: A flying wizard is targeted by a Dispel Magic and his Fly spell is dispelled (House Rule Note: Fly does not fade out after it was dispelled!). He falls, but when? Immediately? At the beginning of his turn (before he can cast a second Fly)? At the end of his turn? Or...?

 

[Felix]

You fall immediately, and unless you have some effect like Featherfall working, you fall the whole way.

 

[Shellman]

Falling damage is calculated at 1d6 per 10 ft.

Hence it is something like this:

Falling distance = 100 ft.
Falling Damage = 1d6/ 10 ft.

100 ft / 10 ft = 10 x 1d6 = 10d6 falling damage

If the PC has tumble he can make a tumble check to make the fall 10 ft shorter. But check the rules for falling.

 

[rushlight]

Felix has it.

Also, here are some suggestions for falls from very high distances. To approximate distance over time and terminal velocity, we use the rule that you fall a maximum distance of 150 feet in the first round (6 seconds) and 300 feet a round after that. It's not precise or anything, but it's close enough for a game. Also, you aren't allowed an action during the first 150 feet, but you are allowed a standard action in subsequent rounds - assuming that you fall the entire 300 feet without going *splat*.

Also note that we use a more deadly falling variant. In addition to the damage from falling (30d6 maximum, as the rule above) you must make a Fortitude save or die - DC of 2 per 10 feet fallen - maximum of DC 60. Even a fall of 10 feet provokes a DC 2 Fort or die save, which sadly one party NPC failed... This change was made because it's entirely possible for higher level characters (especially fighters and barbarians) to survive 30d6 points of damage - that's only 105 points of damage on average. However, it would take extraordinary measures for even some epic characters to survive a DC 60 Fort save.

We do use the "open-ended dice roll" variant where if you roll a natural 20 you can roll the die again, adding the new roll to the previous - and so on if you keep rolling 20s. That means a character with a Fort save of +20 will have a 0.25% chance of surviving a fall which has resulted in reaching terminal velocity. A character with a +0 Fort save has a 0.0125% chance - that means roughly one person in ten thousand will survive a fall from such a height, not counting damage. Possible, but exceedingly rare.

Needless to say, falling hurts.

 

[Psimancer]

We have always played it at the start of the falling character's round. Whether or not this is correct, I'm not 100% sure; but I will try and find out.

EDIT: I can't find anything in the SRD that says either way. I guess it all depends on if you want to be a Rat B@stard DM or not.

If you have a character fall immediately, there is virtually no chance of recovery. If you want to give at least a chance, go with 'at the start of their round'.

Regardless, from Skip's All about Movement (Part 5) article - Stalling and Freefalling:

A nonflyer (or flyer falling through the air) freefalls rather than stalls. A creature in freefall drops 500 feet the first round and 1,000 feet each round thereafter. While in freefall, a creature can attempt a single action each round. It must make a Dexterity or Strength check (creature's choice, DC 15) to avoid dropping any item it tries to use. Spellcasting is possible, but doing so requires a Concentration check (DC 15 + spell level) and if the spell has a material component, the creature must first check to see if it drops the component.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Here's the thing. If I jump, and the distance I am trying to jump is greater than the distance remaining in my movement for the turn, I end my turn suspended in midair, and continue the jump on my next turn.

Extrapolating from that rule, flying creatures who fall, fall on their own turn.

Action: None. A Jump check is included in your movement, so it is part of a move action. If you run out of movement mid-jump, your next action (either on this turn or, if necessary, on your next turn) must be a move action to complete the jump.

 

[Philip]

Extrapolating from that rule, flying creatures who fall, fall on their own turn.

And extrapolating further, creatures who should drop to the ground because they died, drop on their turn.

Effectively disabling Cleave.

And falling on your own turn enables someone to postpone their fall indefinitely by delaying (and waiting until someone pulls them back after being bull rushed over the cliff)

Falling occurs immediately...

 

[Quinnman]

If we don´t take the wind into account a char will fall a distance of:

dist = ½*g*t^2

where

g = acceleration (~10 m/s^2 on earth)
t = time

The falling distance for a round (which is 6 sec) gives:

dist = ½*10*6^2 = 180 m (~570 feet!)

So... I don´t think it unreasonable to rule that falling occurs immediately and all the way! (Unless we are talking >extreme< falling distances... but let´s face it - that doesn´t happen very often )
Ruling this way also makes everything so much easier...

 

[cmanos]

fall immadiately, this isn't a Road Runner cartroon

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

And extrapolating further, creatures who should drop to the ground because they died, drop on their turn.

Effectively disabling Cleave.

Where, in the Cleave description, does it mention that "drop" - as in "If you deal a creature enough damage to make it drop (typically by dropping it to below 0 hit points or killing it)," - means "drop to the ground" or infers "when it drops"?

You have 10 hit points. I hit you for 11 damage. Is that enough to make you drop? Typically, yes. Therefore, Cleave happens.