Preventing drowning with heals.

[BiggusGeekus]

The scenario:

Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil - Shortly after entering the crater, the rogue checks out one of those boats on the docks and gets pulled into 20' of water by that venom-monster-grabbing-thingie. My cleric dives in after him to zap him with a wand of cure light wounds and forestall drowning while the paladin delt with the creature. Since part of drowning means that the PC is reduced to zero hit points, I figured I could put this off for as long as I had charges in the wand.

Thankfully, play did not grind to a halt while the DM deliberated this, as the paladin and I died before I could zap the rogue with the wand. However, I'm still curious as to how this could have been resolved.

 

[jodyjohnson]

While Fast Healing and the spells which grant Fast Healing (the Vigor spells in Complete Divine) specifically list suffocation (drowning) as an effect fast healing can't prevent it seems that this would allow actual cure/heal spells to reset the suffocation sequence. I think this is reasonable given that they actually have assigned hit point values (0 hp and unconsciousness and then -1 hit points, and then death). A heal during the 0 or -1 state would reset the value to positive and allow a continuation of the Con check at the latest penalty.

A series of cures every 2 rounds at the -1 stage would be sufficient to keep someone going as long as the cures can be cast. One missed round would skip to the dead state and curing would become ineffective.

 

[dcollins]

I disagree. The drowning progression is not predicated on the PC's hit point status. That's a side-effect, not a necessary condition.

As I read the rule:
(Round 1) PC fails Con check, begins to drown. He falls unconscious, achieves 0 hit points. Then he's healed, say up to 5 hp, regaining consciousness.
(Round 2) PC begins dying as normal, drops to -1 hit points. Then he's healed, say up to 4 hp, regaining consciousness.
(Round 3) PC drowns as normal and is dead.

I suppose for the creativity I might allow this to give the drowning PC a move action in each of those normally-unconscious rounds of drowning.

 

[Hypersmurf]

I disagree. The drowning progression is not predicated on the PC's hit point status. That's a side-effect, not a necessary condition.

Right - I read it the same way you do.

I suppose for the creativity I might allow this to give the drowning PC a move action in each of those normally-unconscious rounds of drowning.

I'd allow him a full round's worth of actions... if the Cure spell was a Readied action, taking place after the beginning of his turn (when he falls unconscious) but before the rest of his turn.

-Hyp.

 

[the Jester]

I too am with dcollins on this one.

But I'm a very mean dm.

 

[Diirk]

Can't you hold your breath for a number of rounds equal to your con anyway?

 

[dcollins]

Can't you hold your breath for a number of rounds equal to your con anyway?

Yes. Presumably that time has already expired at the point when the "PC is reduced to zero hit points", as per the original poster's situation.