Need rules for a choker near water

[Uller]

In an adventure I'm putting together, I have a choker hiding in a pool of water (it's an amphibious variant, I've boosted its CR by 1). If a PC comes close to the shore of the pool, the choker will grab him. Fine. But in addition to constricting, I would think the creature would attempt to pull its victim into the pool. So I need rules for two things:

1) Moving a grappled foe...can you just use bull rush rulls for this? That seems fair.
2) Drowning rather than constricting. This variant won't constrict...it just grabs it victims and pulls them under water to drown them.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Move: You can move half your speed (bringing all others engaged in the grapple with you) by winning an opposed grapple check. This requires a standard action, and you must beat all the other individual check results to move the grapple.

Note: You get a +4 bonus on your grapple check to move a pinned opponent, but only if no one else is involved in the grapple.

Drowning
Any character can hold her breath for a number of rounds equal to twice her Constitution score. After this period of time, the character must make a DC 10 Constitution check every round in order to continue holding her breath. Each round, the DC increases by 1.

When the character finally fails her Constitution check, she begins to drown. In the first round, she falls unconscious (0 hp). In the following round, she drops to –1 hit points and is dying. In the third round, she drowns.

It is possible to drown in substances other than water, such as sand, quicksand, fine dust, and silos full of grain.

-Hyp.

 

[Quidam]

off guard

I assume those are the rules under circumstances when one is able to take a breath first. I'd consider applying a penalty to the Con checks if the person was pulled under while flatfooted.

 

[Hypersmurf]

I assume those are the rules under circumstances when one is able to take a breath first.

They're the drowning rules. It doesn't specify whether it assumes foreknowledge and preparation.

-Hyp.

 

[Deset Gled]

I'd work it the other way around: shorten the amount of time they get before making Con checks, but leave the Con checks themselves the same once they start. Seems to me that the "rounds equal to twice her constitution score" model the fact that some people can hold their breath better, while the Con checks show how long it takes a person to pass out after all the oxygen in their lungs is used up. Not having a full breath will mean you run out of oxygen quicker, but doesn't make you any less tough.

Also, though it's not covered in the rules, I would let the choker take a standard action to "knock the wind out" of someone they're grappling (effectively forcing them to start making Con checks that round, and as normal from then on). Getting socked in the stomach or chest can make it a lot harder to hold your breath. An alternative to this that I have seen involves a concentration check to continue holding your breath before starting Con checks.

 

[Uller]

Thanks guys.

I think I'll change to critter's constrict ability from doing damage to allowing it to make an opposed strength check with its prey. If it wins, it forces 1 rounds worth of air of its lungs plus another round for every 5 points it wins by.

 

[Grazzt]

Once the choker grapples a foe and drags it into water, why not have it pin its foe (see the grapple rules) underwater? Then use the drowning rules to see how long a PC can last unless he/she escapes the grapple. If ya wanna rule that the PC didnt have time to take a breath before being doused, simply say the PC can hold its breath for a number of rounds equal to its Con score rather than twice its Con score. (Or apply a penalty to the Con check which I think was mentioned above).