D&D 5E Lava and magic items

[Hriston]

Hi all,

I am running Dungeon of the Mad Mage. Last session, the PCs starting exploring the Obstacle Course on the 15th floor. The dungeon includes a number of teleporting traps, some of which include a chance of being dropped into a lava lake. As a firm believer that falling into lava should be deadly, I always have it deal the maximum damage (10d10 = 100 points of fire damage!).

As the dice would have it, two of the PCs got unlucky and took a dip in the lava. They both survived because they are tough as dwarves with more than 100 hp each (plus one is a forge cleric with fire resistance).

At the time, I ruled that all their mundane equipment was destroyed but their magic items survived unscathed. However, I am just reviewing the rules for magic items, and I note that only artifacts are considered "practically indestructible". A normal magic items is "at least as durable as a regular item of its kind", and "most magic items, other than potions and scrolls, have resistance to all damage."

Looking at the rules for objects, even a resilient large object like a cart only has 27 hp on average. Most of their items are going to be small (10 hp on average) or tiny (5 hp on average). Even with damage resistance, that's not enough to survive a dunk in lava (even without me maxing out the damage).

The forge cleric has a necklace of prayer beads, a horn of the endless maze, +1 plate armor (created through a class feature), a cloak of protection, and a sentinel shield. Oh, and a magical jade staff that can turn into a giant poisonous snake.

The other PC (a berserker barbarian) has a +2 battleaxe, gauntlets of ogre power, a chest of preserving, and a bag of holding.

Should I rule that all the magic items were destroyed? (After all, right at the start of the obstacle course, Halaster did tell everyone to put their magic items in the available mine carts for safe-keeping ... so it's not like they weren't warned!) Or should I give each magic item a chance to survive? Maybe a higher chance based on rarity? (Or should I just determine hp for each item and then roll the 10d10 damage for each one?)

Thoughts?

If the preferred narrative is actually that the PCs are completely submerged in lava, I'd say the assignment of a damage expression is misapplied and that hit points should be circumvented. At that point (character death), yes, make item saving throws.

 

[Andvari]

Only magic rings are destroyed in lava.

Also magic ring enjoyers.

 

[ad_hoc]

I interpret the variable damage as how much they sink into it.

It's possible to just be on lava right?

 

[Oofta]

I interpret the variable damage as how much they sink into it.

It's possible to just be on lava right?

Depends on the lava, but you aren't going to sink.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Should just give them falling damage and then lava damage. Even if the lava is the watery kind falling 100 ft before hitting it can still hurt, and then you sink into the lava. After that, I tend to let most of the gear survive. I do not take away things when hit with a fireball or make the PCs buy new boots after several levels of adventuring. Max damage should be enough.

They wouldn't sink into lava. It may be liquid, but it's liquid stone after all, and still many times more dense than a creature, even one wearing armor.

 

[LordEntrails]

This is not something I would retcon. You made a ruling and you should stick with it.
You could let the players know that the ruling is changed for the next time something like that happens, and how, but going back would be like punishing the players.

 

[Clint_L]

Well, they might sink in a bit, depending on the force with which they struck it - walking on lava, depending on the lava, would be very difficult even if you were immune to the heat. But these characters would be very messed up - it's more like they fell onto 1200 degree wet concrete. Would it kill magic items? Depends on the DM, IMO. I would think that metal items would be more damaged by the fall than the heat, assuming they got out quickly, but something like a wooden staff would be in big trouble.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

It's fantasy lava - it works however the DM says it works. Heck, there might even be different types of lava with different densities in that particular fictional world.

 

[aco175]

They wouldn't sink into lava. It may be liquid, but it's liquid stone after all, and still many times more dense than a creature, even one wearing armor.

Generally if you fall 100ft into lava, you would initially sink and be covered with lava before being pushed to the top where your cool body (compared to the lava) would allow the lava to harden onto you and form a layer of stone. This would be more so for the more fluid lava like in Hawaii where it can flow at miles per hour rather than yards per day.

I tend to have D&D lava as bubbling pools rather than a cooler thing with a cracked crust upon it. You fall in, you are going to be in trouble. I'm not going to make a rules about the additional weight of being encased partially in lava though, or make a strength check to be able to pull yourself out. It is like moving in a pool of peanut butter.

 

[plisnithus8]

Any ideas on the hit points or AC of a banana?

Banana thrown into Icelandic volcano lava. WILL IT SURVIVE?

it will not

youtube.com

I don't know what happens after it disappears -- getting folded into flowing lava, but IRL the banana isn't instantly destroyed or melt or burst into flames.

But this is fantasy lava; it does damage if you touch it but no prescribed heat damage from being near it or poisonous gas damage like most volcanic vents spew.

What Happens To Your Body When You Fall Into a Volcano?​