Falling into pits, from ledges,
down shafts, and so forth will certainly cause damage unless the fall is
broken.
While such falls could break
limbs and other bones,
it is probable that your
referee will simply use a hit points damage computation based on 1d6 for
each 10' of distance fallen to a
maximum of 20d6,
plus or minus adjustments
for the surface fallen upon.
This treatment gives characters
a better survival chance,
although it is not as "realistic"
as systems to determine breaks, sprains, dislocations, internal organ damage,
etc.
G3: If
closely pressed, the Headsman will grab
and toss his opponent down the well (position
shown by a circled letter B), thus inflicting
9d6
of damage (but modified by discarding any 6
rolled, as the water 90 feet below breaks the
fall, so actual damage will range from 0 to 45)
and trapping the victim, possibly to drown.
DMPrata wrote:
Hey Gary, here's a puzzler
for you. (Well, OK, it's a puzzler to me it may be elementary
to you. 
)
Dungeon Masters Guide,
p. 81, lists the types of saving throws to which magic armor bonuses will
or will not apply.
Quote:
Saving throw rolls WILL
receive an armor bonus against:
ACID,
EXCEPT WHEN IMMERSION OCCURS
DISINTEGRATION
FALLING
DAMAGE
FIRE,
MAGICAL OR OTHERWISE
SPELLS
WHICH CAUSE PHYSICAL DAMAGE*
* Exception: Metallic armor
will NOT add to saving throws versus electrical attacks, although nonmetallic
armor will do so.
Have you allowed saving throws against falling damage? Am I missing something?
Yes, I allowed saves against
falling damage, or large and heavy objects falling onto a PC, just as the
table indicates
Cheers,
Gary
DMPrata wrote:
Wow.
Talk about learning something
new every day!
I guess the obvious follow-up
would be to ask what save you would call that.
Based on other uses, I'm
guessing save vs. petrification for half damage.
Does that sound about right?
Oops! My bad..
I alowed a save only for
items, the character took whatever damage the dice indicated, and all he
work had to save vs. crushing blow.
garhkal wrote:
Gary. If i can, another
question for you. Would a monster only 'hurt' by magical weapons, still
take damage from getting thrown/falling? Like if my Monk hip tossed you
into the bar, or i grabbed you, flew to 100 feet and let go??
Harumph...
Even though the game system in question is not mine to opine in regards its rules and mechanics, I can pass along how I would manage the question of such special forms of damage being inflicted by creatures normally affected only by magical attacks.
As similarly potent, non-magical, monsters can inflict harm on them, I would ignore the minor damage delivered by throwsin hand-to-hand fighting, but allow damage for long falls, heavy objects falling and striking, etc. What I would do in such case is record normal damage, but lost HPs would return, just as a troll regenerates, likelt at 1 HP per HD of the monster, as only magical damage can permanently affect the subject.
Cheers,
Gary
deimos3428 wrote:
We always treated the earth
as a +5 weapon in regards to falling damage. (There's mithril/adamantite
in there somewhere, I figure.) The regeneration rule is an interesting
touch.
Actually, a dropped or hurled
object of considerable density, hardness, and weight is about the same
as that.
that said, would a demon
really be killed by a fall of even 1,000 feet onto rock?
I think not, and the same
for most monsters that can be harmed by magic or other monsters.
Thus the regeneration.
The DM needs to consider the cause of damage and decide if regeneration is appropriate and at what rate. Some creatures being "killed" by attacks of magical sort or exctreme force will merely be sent back to their own plane as is well known;)
Cheers,
Gary
| Stopping a Fall | - | Climbing | - | WSG |
| Landing | Sliding Down Slopes | - | - | - |
| Damage from Falling | Falling | Tumbling | - | - |
The damage sustained by a falling character
is ld6 for the first
10 feet fallen, 2d6 for the second 10 feet, 3d6 for the third 10 feet,
and so on. A 30-foot fall, for example, inflicts a total of 6d6 points
of damage to a character.
The max. damage that any fall can inflict is 20d6, regardless
of the height from which the character falls. The maximum
damage that a character can sustain by falling over a waterfall is
10d6.
For purposes of game balance, assume that a character falls 1,000 feet in one round unless the fall is interrupted.
<note the comments in Dragon 88 with regards to the 1d6/2d6/3d6/etc.
system>
| Rough | Spikes | Soft | Very Soft | Water |
The normal damage caused by falling
is based on the premise
that the character lands on a smooth, but hard, surface. Obviously,
different surfaces cause differing amounts of damage.
Rough landings deposit the unfortunate character
on a surface
of broken rocks or other debris, or a slanted surface that
sends the character ricocheting off to the side. Landings on a
rough surface inflict double the normal damage
from the fall.
Spikes or other weapon-like features of
a landing area inflict
damage beyond that caused by the fall.
Such damage is determined
by how closely packed the deadly obstacles are: usually
each spike causes an extra d6 of damage. When spikes or other
obstacles are placed in an area, the DM should choose a number
of dice to reflect how closely the spikes are packed. A ld6 group
of spikes means that a character will impale himself on 1-6 of the
spikes when he falls, while a 3d6 grouping indicates spikes that
are much more densely packed. A character striking them will
suffer from 3-18 d6 of damage in addition to that inflicted by the
fall.
Soft landings include yielding surfaces such
as sand, mud,
soft loam, pine branches, or flesh. A character fortunate enough
to make a soft landing takes only half the damage
that the fall
would normally inflict.
Very Soft landings generally result from
some sort of prepared
cushion of feathers or straw, etc. Occasionally a character might
be fortunate enough to fall into a very soft landing without planning
for it, but this is very unusual. A character making a very soft
landing can make a save vs. Paralyzation. If the save is
successful, the character sustains no damageat
all; if it is unsuccessful,
he takes half the normal amount of damage for the fall.
<1/2 damage: A1-4.88>
can be virtually painless if a character lands
correctly, but can be every bit as damaging as
a fall onto hard
stone if the character does a belly-flop or lands
on his back.
When
a character falls, he can attempt to make a DEXCheck
if he
suspects or knows that he will be landing in
water. If the check is
successful, the character takes 1d6 of damage
for every 100 feet
of the fall, rounded up. For example, if a character
is falling 250
feet into water, but has made a successful DEXCheck,
he
suffers only 3d6 of damage. (This indicates that
the character has
positioned himself to enter the water cleanly,
either head or feet
first.) If the check is unsuccessful, however,
the character sustains
the normal damage from the fall.
A character cannot attempt to stop a fall by catching onto a
climbing surface and make a DEX <> to land in water
during the same round. If the fall lasts more than one round, he
can attempt a Dexterity Check on the second round.
Sliding Down Slopes
A character sliding down a sloping surface does not receive as
much damage as someone falling through open space. On the
sloping surface, however, the character suffers abrasions all the
way down, unless the slope is very slippery, such as smooth wet
rock or ice.
A character sliding down a sloping surface suffers no damage
in the first 20 feet, but suffers ld6 points of damage for each 10
feet of the slide thereafter. In addition, the damage caused by
landing is ld6 for each 40 feet of the slide. If the slope is smooth
and relatively slippery, the character sustains no damage while
sliding, but takes double the normal damage upon landing.
<this is covered in much more detail in the WSG>
SUMMARY
* A character takes damage from such a
fall at the rate of 1d6 cumulative for each 10 feet fallen, as follows:
For the purpose of these rules, a distinction
is made between
falling && tumbling
(the latter not to be confused with the thief-acrobat
ability of the same name). The former
is much more liable
to cause serious injury or death, while
the latter can (in the least
perilous circumstances) result in nothing
more than a minor inconvenience.
Falling describes
a vertical drop, and occurs when a character
releases his hold on a cliff
face or a severe slope and plummets
down until hitting a surface that stops
the fall. A character takes
damage from such a fall at the rate of
1d6 cumulative for each 10
feet fallen, as follows:
Table 17: DAMAGE FROM FREE FALL OR SEVERE SLOPE
| Distance of Fall | Damage |
| 10 feet | 1d6 |
| 11-20 feet | 3d6 |
| 21-30 feet | 6d6 |
| 31-40 feet | 10d6 |
| 41-50 feet | 15d6 |
| 51 feet or more | 20d6 (maximum) |
The above damage figures apply whether
the character is in
free fall or tumbling down a severe slope.
In the latter case, he is
assumed to take some damage from recurring
impact with the
slope itself, in addition to being hurt
when he comes to a stop at
the end of the fall. If the slope is smooth
and/or slippery, abrasion
damage on the way down is not a great
factor, but in such a case
the characters body will reach a greater
velocity during the fall,
so that when he hits bottom the end result
is essentially the same
as if he had tumbled down a rough slope
at a slower speed.
A character whose fall is not impeded
or stopped will fall 1000
feet per round in free fall or 600-800
feet per round down a severe
slope (depending on the texture and degree
of slipperiness of the
slope).
S'mon's geometric evil falling
damage table:
Damage per 10' fallen increases
up to 100', then declines again as the rate of acceleration is slowed,
reaching terminal velocity at 200'.
Falling Damage
10 1d6
20 3d6
30 6d6
40 10d6
50 15d6
60 21d6
70 28d6
80 36d6
90 45d6
100 55d6
110 65d6
120 74d6
130 82d6
140 89d6
150 95d6
160 100d6
170 104d6
180 107d6
190 109d6
200 110d6
S'mon,
You have the matter well in hand, I see
When players would have their
PCs leap off a 200' cliff to avoid a confrontation with a monster, survive
the fall, it came to me that I had erred...badly.
Thus the UA falling damage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JRRNeiklot
Bah, I still play 1e.
...
As far as falling damage
goes I revised the damage to 1d6 per 10' per 10', so that it went 1, 3,
6, 10, 15 d6 at 50' distance.
All the munchkins howled
at the progression...as if the Law of Gravity doesn't dictatE accelleration
of a falling body
Cheers,
Gary
SUMMARY
* A character whose fall is not impeded
or stopped will fall 1000 feet per round in free fall or 600-800 feet per
round down a severe slope
(depending on the texture and degree of
slipperiness of the slope).
* Tumbling is what happens to a character who slips and leaves his feet, or releases handholds and footholds and tumbles down a moderate (15° to 30°) or gentle (31° to 50°) slope.
Tumbling is what happens to a character
who slips and leaves
his feet, or releases handholds and footholds
and tumbles down
a moderate or gentle slope.
Damage is
assessed according to the terrain:
<
Table 18: DAMAGE
FROM TUMBLING DOWN MODERATE OR GENTLE SLOPE
....
Condition of Surface
....
| - | Non-Slippery | Slightly Slippery | Slippery |
| Rough slope, gentle | 20' / d3 / 50'| | 30' / d3 / 40'| | 40 / d3 / 30'| |
| Rough slope, moderate | 10' / d6 / 40'| | 20' / d6 / 30'| | 30 / d6 / 20'| |
| Normal slope, gentle | 30' / d3 / 50'| | 40' / d3 / 40'| | 50 / d3 / 30'| |
| Normal slope, moderate | 20' / d6 / 40'| | 30' / d6 / 30'| | 40 / d6 / 20'| |
| Smooth slope, gentle | 40' / d3 / 40'| | 50' / d3 / 30'| | 60 / d3 / 30'| |
| Smooth slope, moderate | 30' / d3 / 30'| | 40' / d3 / 20'| | 50 / d3 / 20'| |
<Safe
/ Damage / Impact>
<All gentle & moderate slopes have a SDI rating.>
<Note slope squares on your 10' scale map, with asteriks & other
symbols>
Table 18: DAMAGE FROM TUMBLING DOWN MODERATE OR SEVERE SLOPE
Condition of Surface
| - | Non-
slippery |
Slightly
Slippery |
Slippery |
| Rough slope, gentle | t20 / d3 / i50 | t30 / d3 / i40 | t40 / d3 / i20 |
| Rough slope, moderate | t10 / d6 / i40 | t20 / d6 / i30 | t30 / d6 / i20 |
| Normal slope, gentle | t30 / d3 / i50 | t40 / d3 / i40 | t50 / d3 / i30 |
| Normal slope, moderate | t20 / d6 / i40 | t30 / d6 / i30 | t40 / d6 / i20 |
| Smooth slope, gentle | t40 / d3 / i40 | t50 / d3 / i30 | t60 / d3 / i30 |
| Smooth slope, severe | t30 / d3 / i30 | t40 / d3 / i20 | t50 / d3 / i20 |
t = tumble.min (in feet)
d = damage.tumble
// (if (feet) => t, then d=damage.tumble)
i = impact.min (in feet)
// (if (feet) => i, then <fr1t=simplest/school.game>)
<t / d / i : are added>
<can be removed from 1et>
<divide numbers by 5 for UA>
<remem, slope squares are tactical
floorsets/floortiles: they change the ALTITUDE of some squares in their
ZONE>
<fr1t = simplest. here, what i would
do is simply add /d column after the /i with the same #s, applied
once>
<game school>
>
SUMMARY
* The second number is the die that is
rolled (6 = 1d6, 3 = 1d3) to determine damage from abrasion for every 10
feet of distance greater than the first number.
* Impact damage is 1d6 for a tumble of
the indicated distance, and an additional 1d6 for each full or partial
increment of that distance.
* Example: He takes a tumbles
that does not end until the bottom of the slope 100 feet away.
* The figures for that category
are 40 / 3 / 20, meaning that he suffers no abrasion damage for the first
40 feet of the fall,
but he takes 6d3 damage
from abrasion during the last 60 feet of the fall (1d3 for every 10 feet
after 40).
* His body has built up
substantial velocity during the tumble, so that he suffers 5d6 damage (1d6
per 20 feet) from impact with the bottom of the slope at the end of his
tumble.
* If a character's tumble down a slope
is not impeded or stopped,
he will fall 100-300 feet in one round
down a gentle slope and
300-500 feet per round down a moderate
slope, depending on the slipperiness of the surface (slowest rate for nonslippery).
Each entry on the table above consists of three numbers.
1. The first number is the distance
in feet that a character can tumble
down the slope before taking damage from
abrasion.
2. The second
number is the die that is rolled (6= ld6,
3=ld3) to determine
damage from abrasion for every 10 feet
of distance greater than
the first number.
3. The third number is the minimum
distance that
the character must travel in order to
take damage from the impact
of the stop at the end of his tumble.
Impact damage is ld6 for a
tumble of the indicated distance, and
an additional ld6 for each
full or partial increment of that distance.
Example: A character fails
a Climbing Check when he is almost
at the top of a moderately
slanting smooth slope that is slightly
slippery. He takes a tumble
that does not end until the bottom of
the slope 100 feet away.
The figures for that category on the table
are 40/3/20, meaning that
he suffers no abrasion damage for the
first 40 feet of the fall,
but he takes 6d3 damage from abrasion
during the last 60feet of
the fall (1d3 for each 10 feet after 40). His
body has built up a substantial
velocity during the tumble, so that
he suffers 5d6 damage (1d6
per 20 feet) from impact with the bottom
of the slope at the end
of his tumble.
It should be noted that the figures for
impact damage as the result
of a tumble down a slope represent a worst-case
situation,
when a character comes to an abrupt stop
at the bottom of the
slope. If the topography of the terrain
is such that the character
can and does come to a gradual stop (such
as by tumbling down
a slope onto a large expanse of flat,
featureless terrain), then the
DM should decrease impact damage accordingly
-
perhaps eliminating it altogether. At
the same time, if a character
tumbles across flat terrain for some length
of time before gradually
coming to a stop, the Dungeon Master could
assess some additional
damage from abrasion to account for the
extra distance
of the fall.
If a characters tumble down a slope is
not impeded or stopped,
he will fall 100-300 feet in one round
down a gentle slope and 300-
500 feet per round down a moderate slope,
depending on the
slipperiness of the surface (slowest rate
for nonslippery).