D&D General How Do You Handle Falling Damage?

[greymist]

My current house rule:

• 10 ft. (3) 1d6
• 20 ft. (7) 2d6
• 30 ft. (14) 4d6
• 40 ft. (24) 7d6
• 50 ft. (38) 11d6
• 60 ft. (56) 16d6
• 70 ft. (77) 22d6
• 80 ft. (101) 29d6
• 90 ft. (129) 37d6
• 100 ft. (161) 46d6

I’ve been playing long enough to remember high level fighters purposely jumping off cliffs knowing they would not die. My progression generally ensures death at 80 ft plus which seems reasonable.

 

[MuhVerisimilitude]

My current house rule:

• 10 ft. (3) 1d6
• 20 ft. (7) 2d6
• 30 ft. (14) 4d6
• 40 ft. (24) 7d6
• 50 ft. (38) 11d6
• 60 ft. (56) 16d6
• 70 ft. (77) 22d6
• 80 ft. (101) 29d6
• 90 ft. (129) 37d6
• 100 ft. (161) 46d6

I’ve been playing long enough to remember high level fighters purposely jumping off cliffs knowing they would not die. My progression generally ensures death at 80 ft plus which seems reasonable.

I'm not seeing the problem that solves, though. A wizard could do it from level one.

 

[Laurefindel]

I would argue it isn't easier to find a way to avoid the brunt of the dragon's breath. You failed your save, you are caught very possibly in the center of the blast (or close to it!), what did you do? Nothing. YOU BURN! In stories and movies we see creatures turned to cinders in such cases. You can't just say, "I ducked behind my shield" or something, as if we're being honest, your shield would likely melt right there on your arm. Fire wraps around obstacles, you still get burned.

That is where I disagree though. You can say you raised your shield. You can say you buried your face in your elbow. Heck, you can even say you just turned you back to the breath. Whether this is realistic is mostly irrelevant; you brought a narrative element to help make sense to the situation. I still think it is harder to make sense of wading through lava.

 

[ezo]

Whether this is realistic is mostly irrelevant; you brought a narrative element to help make sense to the situation.

But that was my point... this doesn't make sense.

If someone turned a flamethrower on you, ducking behind your shield, turning your back, etc. won't help you one bit. You're still engulfed in flames and burning.

So, those narratives don't help "make sense" because they aren't realistic. Besides which, any of those things would IMO represent a successful save, which is why you decreased the damage. But a failed save? Nope, those things just aren't happening.

I'll turn to a different example: Evasion. For large AoE effects (like an ancient red dragon), how are you evading this!?!

Unless you can, quite literally, get out of the AoE, how can you justify taking no damage? For most players, even avoiding the brunt of damage requires the expenditure of some hit points! Evasion as a half, save for quarter, is better IMO than half, save for none.

But, saving throws are a wierd thing, and really just more plot armor---like hit points. We accept that PCs are "harder to kill" than what would ever be possible IRL. I personally think of things like action movies. The good guy keeps pushing on because of his durability, will to live, and sometimes just dumb luck.

 

[Laurefindel]

But that was my point... this doesn't make sense.

If someone turned a flamethrower on you, ducking behind your shield, turning your back, etc. won't help you one bit. You're still engulfed in flames and burning.

So, those narratives don't help "make sense" because they aren't realistic. Besides which, any of those things would IMO represent a successful save, which is why you decreased the damage. But a failed save? Nope, those things just aren't happening.

I'll turn to a different example: Evasion. For large AoE effects (like an ancient red dragon), how are you evading this!?!

Unless you can, quite literally, get out of the AoE, how can you justify taking no damage? For most players, even avoiding the brunt of damage requires the expenditure of some hit points! Evasion as a half, save for quarter, is better IMO than half, save for none.

But, saving throws are a wierd thing, and really just more plot armor---like hit points. We accept that PCs are "harder to kill" than what would ever be possible IRL. I personally think of things like action movies. The good guy keeps pushing on because of his durability, will to live, and sometimes just dumb luck.

I disagree; things don't need to be realistic to help our brain making enough sense of a situation to keep voluntary suspension of disbelief.

When i get close to a very hot fire, I can resist better if i shield my face with my hand. a bigger shield protects me from more heat. That I know because i experienced that IRL. Being more heroic, the same behavior helps my hero survive more intense heat. It's not realistic but it "makes sense", at least enough for me to keep playing the game and stay somewhat immerse in the narrative.

 

[ezo]

I disagree; things don't need to be realistic to help our brain making enough sense of a situation to keep voluntary suspension of disbelief.

No problem. I just don't see anything like those concepts as sufficient to suspend my disbelief.

But, for me, it is a game and a fantasy game, at that, so I don't have a need to suspend it and can just accept such things are the plot armor needed for the game to function.

Otherwise, PCs would die against just about every encounter they ever face.

 

[Blue]

[...wading in lava...]
Which is also way too low; unless it's 10d10 per initiative pip (i.e. 200d10 every round).

If the problem is that all hazards are too low, then the problem isn't falling damage, it's HPs.

 

[Blue]

Not in my games. That's just death. You're dead.

This is good to know. You aren't calibrated for hazard damage the way the designers envision the heroic fantasy genre. Increased damage, uncapped, insta-death, what have you. If for your table, you want to emulate a different genre where hazards are more likely to kill you that the foes you fight -- because that's not heroic fantasy -- that's good for your table. But doesn't belong as a change for general play following the normal genre the rules are attempting to emulate.

I don't know if you call the genre you run gritty or something, but you should label it to be clear it's for a different genre then the default 54e rules are mechanically emulating.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Do you rule the same if a PC is breathed on by an ancient red dragon, especially after failing the save? The damage would be much higher, after all...

Would it?

I mean, sure, it might be higher than 10d10, that's a given.

But is Ancient Red Dragon breath truly "hotter" and "deadlier" than Lava? Because I wouldn't propose "10d10 is so much damage you are dead" I would propose "Lava is so inherently destructive and deadly, you are dead."

 

[Laurefindel]

If the problem is that all hazards are too low, then the problem isn't falling damage, it's HPs.

Yes, most of the « but this shatters my suspension of disbelief!!! » situations happen past level 5 when characters have a comfy cushion of hp