What happens to a body when it is brought to -74?

[Pants]

Semi-serious semi-funny question:
Last quest, the Raging Barbarian PC got grappled by a pissed off Glabrezu that proceeded to crush him to death to -74 HP... in ONE ROUND.

What would happen to a body after that much HP is lost? Liquefied? Gooified? Pastefied?
Would weapon and item damage come into effect? Other stuff?

I'm just mildly curious, I've never seen hp get that low, so it was a bit of a surprise...

 

[Mordane76]

As far as memory serves, nothing special happens officially. -10 is as far as a dead body really goes, and IIRC, there is a passage in either the PHB or DMG that states all DEAD bodies have -10 HP when using standard rules.

So... it's really up to the DM, which is you, I assume.

Things that COULD happen, though, are numerous. Here's a few ideas:

• You could rule that the body itself takes damage to -10, and the remaining 64 points of damage is spread throughout the barbarian's items -- I'd use the chart in the DMG on items being affected by damage and spells; it provides an order for how these things are usually affected.
• You could rule that the extra damage renders his body unable to raised, thus requiring the group to use a resurrection or more powerful magic to revive the barbarian.
• You could rule that the barbarian's weapons deal some damage to the Glabrezu, since he is being squeezed into paste against the Glabrezu.

 

[astralpwka]

For our group, the DM is required to be extra graphic, playing up the gore as much as possible. Usually, I go for something like in Anime, where the body stands there for about three seconds after the damage is dealt. Then in a torrent of sanguine mist, the body errupts.

 

[Kemrain]

I'm sure you're familiar with the term "InstaGib."

- Kemrain the Gorey

 

[DackBlackhawk]

It happened to me once

Ow...

There is the possibility like in Star Trek, the target glows then disappears (rendering him un-raisable)

The contents of the armor, clothing or whatever, are liquified and pour out of the openings of the clothing

Then there is the soft, bloody hamburger theory (eewwwww!)

 

[blindrage]

I just tell the player his PC went beyond -10 and get really graphic about his death. (This why I run/play with only adults.)

 

[-Warlord-]

-74 hp?
Crushed?
Glabrezu?

Sounds like something like this happened:

The glabrezu trapped the barbarians legs between his pincers and lifted him from the ground. Then he started to push down on the barbarians head, till the whole head disappeard into his breastplate. Then it proceeded to push the barbarians arms and legs into the breastplate too.
It hugged the breastplate against him, rolling it into a ball.

Tadaa! Barbarian-basketball.

I would surely say a body undergoing that much hardship can't be brought back by raise dead, but would require a resurrection.

 

[Raging Barbarian]

Semi-serious semi-funny question:
Last quest, the Raging Barbarian PC got grappled by a pissed off Glabrezu that proceeded to crush him to death to -74 HP... in ONE ROUND.

What would happen to a body after that much HP is lost? Liquefied? Gooified? Pastefied?
Would weapon and item damage come into effect? Other stuff?

I'm just mildly curious, I've never seen hp get that low, so it was a bit of a surprise...

Funny I don't remember being there. Maybe amniesia is a side effect of having -74 hp

 

[Jolly Giant]

I once had a lvl 11 wiz PC brought from full health to -62... By a single bolt from a hand crossbow!

The shot was a crit, there was a lot of sneak-attack damage involved, plus a portion of nasty, acidic poison called "Sinmaker's Surprise" (from Manual of the Planes). The shooter was a halfling rogue 5/assassin 6... The wiz made the save against the death-attack, but failed against the poison. I just told the party the wiz dropped like rock, dead long before he hit the ground, but he insisted I calculate just exactly "how dead" he was...

Actually, the CON-damage from the poison would have been enough...

 

[Kemrain]

I once had a lvl 11 wiz PC brought from full health to -62... By a single bolt from a hand crossbow!

The shot was a crit, there was a lot of sneak-attack damage involved, plus a portion of nasty, acidic poison called "Sinmaker's Surprise" (from Manual of the Planes). The shooter was a halfling rogue 5/assassin 6... The wiz made the save against the death-attack, but failed against the poison. I just told the party the wiz dropped like rock, dead long before he hit the ground, but he insisted I calculate just exactly "how dead" he was...

Actually, the CON-damage from the poison would have been enough...

No fair adding in HP loss due to Con damage! Heheh, very nice indeed.

- Kemrain the Whiner.