Drowning

[Spindel]

Is the rule for this right? We encountered a situation when a player had hold person cast on them and fell into some water, which one would assume would almost certainly be their demise, but according to the rules (I think it's in the DMG) a play can hold their breath for as many rounds as TWICE their constitution.

Does this seem excessive to anyone? That means the average peasant (con 10) can swim under water for 2 minutes without gagging once! Apparently, your not supposed to draw parellels to the real world (which is impossible), but I'm hard pressed to hold my breath for 30 seconds, so does that mean I have a con of 2 1/2?!

I guess I'll be creating a house rule around this one (half your con), 'cause the current rule kills a lot of the fear/apprehension of deeling with deep (enough to drown you) water.

I've checked the errata's and found nothing. Surely it's I'm not the first person to have come across this?

 

[Crothian]

I haven't had any problems with the holding your breath rule. REmeber, you can use circumstaqnce modifiers, so if the person would already be breathing hard from combat or not have time to properly prepare themselves.

 

[dcollins]

Does this seem excessive to anyone?

I completely agree with you -- but found very few who thought likewise last time I brought this up. It is certainly the standing rule according to the core materials. My main grief with it is that the combats in my games just never last nearly that long to make it a peril mid-melee.

My house rule is (in rounds prior to Con checks):
- Con x2 if taking no actions
- Con x1 if taking only single move-equivalent actions.
- Con x1/2 if taking standard or full actions.
Also, I drafted a feat to allow an additional doubling of the time.

www.superdan.net/housrule.html

 

[Xarlen]

It is insanely large, yeah.

 

[kreynolds]

I'm hard pressed to hold my breath for 30 seconds, so does that mean I have a con of 2 1/2?!

I can hold my breath for about 90 seconds...and I smoke...a lot.

 

[Xarlen]

Re: Re: Drowning

I can hold my breath for about 90 seconds...and I smoke...a lot.

That'll kill you... Unless you have a good winter coat.

 

[kreynolds]

Re: Re: Re: Drowning

That'll kill you... Unless you have a good winter coat.

Winter coat?

 

[Xarlen]

Yeah. Because places won't let you smoke inside, you're forced outside. Where you'll freeze. If you don't have a winter coat.

 

[kreynolds]

Yeah. Because places won't let you smoke inside, you're forced outside. Where you'll freeze. If you don't have a winter coat.

Cold weather? You forget. I live in Texas. Actually, there are still plenty of places to smoke inside. Many public establishments have finally reopened their smoking sections. Texas isn't as snooty as California.

 

[Xarlen]

Eek, Texas!

Yeah, California is snoody. They won't let you smoke on the beach. The BEACH, man. The beach IS an ash tray.*

*This post does not condone the use of tobacco products, or living along the California beach. All opinons expressed herein are null and void. Do not pass go, do not collect $200 dollars.