No, the effects of size on falling are far far far far far far less linear than that.My (for games that ask for realism) falling rules: Die size based upon creature size: d2 Tiny, d4 Small, d6 Medium, d8 Large, d10 Huge, d12 Gargantuan(+)
The player did not make a big deal about it. He just backed off and the group got down the cliff a different way. My group is great and there was no real conflict - the rest of the players were like, "c'mon man," to the player. I make mistakes on rules from time-to-time - I make a ruling and we move on. The players correct me when necessary by email later usually.So @pogre what did the barbarian do? What happened?
Up the dice type to d8 or d10?
a 50ft drop on your head WILL kill you.
That's fine if that's the kind of campaign you want to run. I would assume that in that style of campaign a T3 barbarian can stab themselves through the heart and walk away fine.At level 20 you are a being who can stand toe to toe with a 50' tall god power being, have that being breath enough fire to crack a stone wall, and laugh.
High level D&D characters are not "physically fit soldiers", and we shouldn't measure what they can do based on what we imagine a human being could do. What a specialized, lucky, trained and ridiculously fit human being can do is a floor on the competence of a high level D&D character, even going back to the first edition of D&D.
Back then, a level 4 Fighter hero was a match for 40 trained soldiers. Complete incompetents can beat Olympic-level fencing masters with restricted rules of engagement at that ratio in the real world.
A T3 barbarian should be able to jump off a 10,000 foot cliff and break the ground when he lands.
If you want to play in the realm of "physically fit soldiers", restrict D&D to level 1, maybe 2 or 3. At level 3, a 14 con fighter has 28 HP, which can survive a 20d6 fall one time in a bajillion (roughly).
I'mma snip this out, because I feel it bears highlighting -Although in this case it's more about the player trying to game the system.
ThisHonestly, a 10' drop on your head can kill you. And that's great... if you fall on your head. Meanwhile, folks have survived falls from thousands of feet, by way of not falling on their heads....
I am really sorry to tell you all this, folks, but falling damage is a NARRATIVE element, not a realistic physics simulation or something. Arguments based on physics or realistic modeling do not apply. But then, your hit points aren't just meat and physics, either so...
That cap means that, in terms of narrative... if you are badass enough, that cliff just isn't an important enough piece of the universe to kill you.