Swallow Whole?

[chaotix42]

Eh, it's a stretch but you really have only two other options as I see it: (1) Make it really tough to cut your way out. This means a significant number of characters will be condemned to almost instant death, or if multiple people are swallowed they'll be just waiting around bored while one guy gets to have the fun of saving them. (2) The hole stays open, which gives everyone else a free get-out-of-stomach card. Neither are particularly good options.

I'd rather it be that once someone cuts their way out, the monster can no longer swallow creatures whole. In fact, the monster should be bleeding to death IMO.

The puke up option is an awesome idea too. All sorts of interesting mechanics can come from that - the monster pukes up, along with the PC, a puddle of bile to slip on and take acidic damage from. Or maybe a dragon hurls you out along with a blast of its breath weapon?

 

[Mirtek]

This ability has always been one of those that stuck out as particularly odd to me - every monster with the swallow whole ability can automatically close any hole cut through their gizzard/stomach/whatever from the inside? What about holes cut from the outside?

If monsters are still swallowing PCs in 4e, and I hope they are, I really do hope that it ends up with something like the first PC to cut its way out of the creature's belly ruins the monster's swallow whole ability, AND causes the beast to lose lots of HP. Make it real difficult to cut your way out.

I hope there won't be monsters with this ability. Because either it's done in a way that means instant death to the swallowed creature (with seems to be against the 43 philosophy) or it's just too odd.

Massive hp damage to the monster is nice, but it's still breaking my suspension of disbelief that anything should still be alive after someone cut his way out of it's stomach.

Maybe some oozes or aberrations, but normal predators (incl. dragons) should simply die if a human sized being (or halfing sized) cuts a way out of their body.

 

[zen_hydra]

Massive hp damage to the monster is nice, but it's still breaking my suspension of disbelief that anything should still be alive after someone cut his way out of it's stomach.

Maybe some oozes or aberrations, but normal predators (incl. dragons) should simply die if a human sized being (or halfing sized) cuts a way out of their body.

It depends on the anatomy of the swallower and the route that the swallowee takes on his way out.

In regards to humans, being disemboweled is rarely anywhere close to an instant death.

Cutting your way out through the belly of a T-Rex may invariably kill it, but it very well could have plenty of time to tear you and your friends to pieces first.

I like the vomiting route, or better yet, have rules on a case by case basis.

Being swallowed whole by a gelatinous cube should not be like being swallowed by a purple worm.

 

[IanB]

Being swallowed whole by a gelatinous cube should not be like being swallowed by a purple worm.

It already isn't - gelatinous cubes don't swallow whole, they engulf, with different rules entirely.