D&D General Orcs on Stairs (When Adventures Are Incomplete)

[Scott Christian]

Ok, here's a sample timeline:

I see what you mean. Thanks so much for explaining it so thoroughly.

 

[House_Of_Dexter]

This sounds, to me, like one of the fundamental ideas behind what Dungeon World calls "Draw Maps, Leave Blanks."

Or as Tolkien drew on his map...Here be Dragons

 

[House_Of_Dexter]

That just isn't how 4E or 5E work. Period. I dunno what else to tell you.

Particularly if, say, looking at 5E to keep it simple, in this case you fell 1000ft or whatever and Urriak sez "You're dead, they'll never find the body because even I have no idea where it is as I'm not keeping track, please roll another character", and then few months later, someone falls off an airship 2000ft, and you actually use the falling rules, and they're just reduced to 0 HP, and someone manages to drop down and help them before they're out of Death Saves (or they otherwise self-stablize), I think the players are going to have some awkward questions for you about why Throknar got auto-killed but Xixor The Magnificent got to actually use the rules?

Now maybe in your group that is totally fine and consensual and they're all totally into the DM using fiat to kill off PCs. I've seen stranger things. But that just you describing how it would work in your group. It is most assuredly not extensible to all groups, or even most, I would suspect.

This is actually pretty simple...If they want to play by the rules...role the damage from the fall...20d6...this is from them hitting the side of the pit...but they aren't finished...every round they take 1d6 to 20d6 as they continue to fall...they are falling down a slope of the pit...when it finally finishes...they are dumped in an underground stream...start the drowning rules...with no end in sight...as the river goes miles and miles...