What happens if a character stabilizes at -5hp, but they are in the water???

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

I allow unconscious characters underwater to continue holding their breath.

(More or less) Immediately dying because you fell unconscious while fighting in knee-deep water is non-heroic and non-interesting.

 

[delericho]

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. See also: Swim skill description.

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.

I apply the rounds for Constitution, and allow the Con rolls to extend that normally. I'm happy to assume that even disabled, the body will fight for life. Once the Con check is failed, the character begins to drown. On the first round, the character loses consciousness (disabled but stable does not always equal unconscious IMO), but loses no further hit points. On the next round, he loses a further 1 hit point and is dying. On the third round, he drowns.

Note that a disabled character, stable or otherwise, is unable to make Swim checks to try to tread water; they are considered to fail any such checks automatically (with a total result of -10 plus double armour check penalty, if the exact value matters).

All this is only my interpretation, of course.

 

[Quartz]

If the character is uncoscious and in metal armour, they drown, unless rescued (is there a mermaid nearby?); if conscious and not in metal armour, they float but beware other sea-life. If conscious and in metal armour, then they've got a very limited time in which to get out of the metal armour. See PHB / SRD.

 

[RangerWickett]

Humans do have a natural reflex to hold their breath in water, so I would rule they have many rounds before they start drowning.

 

[pallandrome]

I allow unconscious characters underwater to continue holding their breath.

(More or less) Immediately dying because you fell unconscious while fighting in knee-deep water is non-heroic and non-interesting.

Agreed. While death would probably be following with the rules, I try not to kill off my players in such an ignominous fasion. Doing so rarely engenders joy and satisfaction for roleplayers. Now, if they do something like leap off a ship into the ocean, miles from shore, in full-plate, ignoring my repeated query of "Are you sure?", then yeah, to davy jones with em.

 

[pawsplay]

Humans do have a natural reflex to hold their breath in water, so I would rule they have many rounds before they start drowning.

Many such reflexes don't work when you are knocked out. People who have suffered head blows or are very drunk may not hold their breath, sometimes forget to breathe, and so forth.

 

[Infiniti2000]

(More or less) Immediately dying because you fell unconscious while fighting in knee-deep water is non-heroic and non-interesting.

I find it very heroic. Otherwise, fighting in knee-deep water is non-interesting.

"Hey, this is special water like on Chelestra where you can't drown in it!"

I rule that you cannot unconsciously choose to hold your breath. You'll breathe, get some water, and immediately start choking. I don't see how your unconscious body will realize you will be breathing in water before you do it. Once it tries, it will cough and try again, not suddenly stop.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

I find it very heroic. Otherwise, fighting in knee-deep water is non-interesting.

Dead in 18 seconds?

Sorry, not possible - normal humans have much more than 18 seconds worth of oxygen in their blood stream. It takes a lot longer than that to actually drown to death.

 

[Seonaid]

Um, I always thought it was the "water in lungs" part that killed you, not the "lack of oxygen." But I could be wrong.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Dead in 18 seconds?

Sorry, not possible - normal humans have much more than 18 seconds worth of oxygen in their blood stream. It takes a lot longer than that to actually drown to death.

That's not the same problem, however. How long it takes you to die from drowning is a completely different problem than whether you can control your state of breathing while unconscious. I don't think you can, but I'm willing to be proven wrong.