drowning

[Fester]

PHB (under the rules for swimming):

"You can hold your breath for a number of rounds equal to your Constitution score."

DMG (under the drowning description):

"Any character can hold her breath for a number of rounds equal to twice her Constitution score."

I've checked the SRD and it runs with the same contradiction and there is nothing in the errata.

So, is there a ruling on this that anyone knows of? I suspect not, so what would people run with? Checking the rules for suffocating, they also state "...hold her breath for 2 rounds per point of constitution."

Given that a round is 6 seconds, then someone with a 15 Con can either hold their breath for 3 mins or 6 mins, depending on which ruling use use. A diver named Giancarlo Bellingrath recently held his breathe for just under 13 minutes, so since this is a game of epic adventurers, I'm inclined to go for Con x 2.

Any thoughts? Any experiences of running underwater adventures would also be good hear...

 

[KarinsDad]

Given that a round is 6 seconds, then someone with a 15 Con can either hold their breath for 3 mins or 6 mins, depending on which ruling use use. A diver named Giancarlo Bellingrath recently held his breathe for just under 13 minutes, so since this is a game of epic adventurers, I'm inclined to go for Con x 2.

Most people have a CON of 10 and most people also cannot hold their breath for 2 minutes, so one round per point of CON seems realistic.

In the case of divers, they hyperventilate ahead of time. So, my ruling would be two rounds per point of CON if you hyperventilate first, one round per point of CON (most normal situations) otherwise.

Since the rules are not consistent, these "house rules" (which allow both rules to work) are what I would use.


Also in the case of divers, I would suspect that they have a skill that allows them to make the DC save to not go unconscious as easy (if you want to really make it semi-realistic for divers).

Finally, a character who is being active should be able to hold their breath for less time. Possibly having active rounds cost two to one (e.g. Fighter with 18 CON gets hit with gas, he holds his breath but is still fighting, so he can last for 9 rounds before making CON checks, but if he fails the CON check, instead of falling unconscious, he takes a breath and breathes in the gas).

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

I also believe that 2 X Con is when you stay still, while Con is when you are active (ie swimming).

For professionnal divers, IIRC, when you hold your breath, you come to a point where you can't hold it anymore, but at that point, you are FAR from suffering from Carbon Dioxyde intoxication. Divers have mastered their reflex that forces normal people to take a breath after a short time.

AR

 

[Fester]

Thanks for your input, guys. I may just say that those with the endurance feat get their con x2, while everybody else gets just x1.

 

[Norfleet]

I also believe that 2 X Con is when you stay still, while Con is when you are active (ie swimming).

For professionnal divers, IIRC, when you hold your breath, you come to a point where you can't hold it anymore, but at that point, you are FAR from suffering from Carbon Dioxyde intoxication. Divers have mastered their reflex that forces normal people to take a breath after a short time.

AR

The trick divers utilize is the fact that the desire to inhale comes from the buildup of CO2 in the lungs: So if you empty out your lungs entirely, something made much easier when the water pressure wants to squash your lungs flat anyway, you won't experience the same desire to inhale. Meanwhile, the amount of time it will actually take you to asphyxiate is much longer than the amount of time you can voluntarily hold your breath under normal circumstances.

 

[Steverooo]

I would think that the fact that CON x 2 is used two places, and CON x 1 is used once should answer your question.

 

[dcollins]

So, is there a ruling on this that anyone knows of? I suspect not, so what would people run with? Checking the rules for suffocating, they also state "...hold her breath for 2 rounds per point of constitution."

In 3.0 the rule was consistent everywhere that breath-holding was Conx2 rounds. This may be evidence that the 3.5 crew were trying to change it but did a haphazard editing job. Or, it could just be a new 3.5 typo.

That said, I prefer the Conx1 rule and that's what I instituted in my own 3.0 campaign. Conx2 just lasts way too long, gameplay-wise, granted how short most D&D fights are (notwithstanding whether it's "realistic" or not). The 8- or 15-minute breath times by professional divers sounds to me like a special feat just for that (as it is in my house campaign).