Drowning and holding breath question [Archive] - Wizards Community

Drowning and holding breath question [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Finarin Panjoro
02-21-07, 01:19 PM I'm preparing to run a pirate campaign so I've been giving some thought to the drowning rules.

The rules allow a person to hold their breath for 2x con rounds before they need to start making con checks to avoid drowning. So an average human with con 10 can hold their breath for 2 minutes.

My question is what kind of action (if any) is it to hold your breath? In the real world if you are suddenly submersed while unprepared you may have virutally no air in your lungs to hold. If you had a moment to take a deep breath you can hold your breath for much longer.

Also is there anyway to force the air out of someone's lungs (perhaps by pinning them in an underwater grapple or inflicting constrict damage)?

I don't think there are rules for these things, but I'm interested what my fellow DMs think. Should there be a reflex save to let you take a breath if you are surprise submerged? Should you immediately start making con checks if you are submerged without the chance to take a breath? Should you immediately start making con checks if the air is forced out of your lungs by another creature?

Any advice or experiences of your own would be much appreciated.
CharlieRock
02-21-07, 01:30 PM Surprise submersion, maybe a -2 circumstance for the CON checks. (more cinematic for me)
Grapple, trade damage from a pin to forced air removal. (i.e. you must do the Con saves the succeeding round).
Marcus Majarra
02-21-07, 01:48 PM Holding your breath is not an action, but every strenuous action you take while holding your breath automatically reduces the time you can hold your breath by 1 round. Thus, grappling someone while underwater is a good way to drown them.
CharlieRock
02-21-07, 02:10 PM Holding your breath is not an action, but every strenuous action you take while holding your breath automatically reduces the time you can hold your breath by 1 round. Thus, grappling someone while underwater is a good way to drown them.
how does this modify the con saves? (if at all)
Finarin Panjoro
02-21-07, 02:49 PM Okay, when you say every strenuous activity you take reduces the time you can hold your breath by 1 round does that mean that if I make two swim checks (two move actions) to try to reach the surface that this counts as 2 strenuous activities (reduces time by 2 rounds)? Does making three attacks in a full attack action while submerged count as three strenuous activites (reduces time by 3 rounds)?

Or is it that any round that you take any amount of strenuous activity costs double?
primemover003
02-22-07, 03:49 PM Well take a look at the Swim skill...
If you are underwater, either because you failed a Swim check or because you are swimming underwater intentionally, you must hold your breath. You can hold your breath for a number of rounds equal to twice your Constitution score, but only if you do nothing other than take move actions or free actions. If you take a standard action or a full-round action (such as making an attack), the remainder of the duration for which you can hold your breath is reduced by 1 round. (Effectively, a character in combat can hold his or her breath only half as long as normal.) After that period of time, you must make a DC 10 Constitution check every round to continue holding your breath. Each round, the DC for that check increases by 1. If you fail the Constitution check, you begin to drown.
For the most part when you fall into water you get to take a breath, however certain Conditions don't allow you to take breath. Stormwrack has most of the rules for underwater combat in one place.
Finarin Panjoro
02-23-07, 12:39 PM I've got Stormwrack, really like it too, but I've never come across rules for this. I guess I didn't think to check the swim skill because this seems like it would be under the rules for underwater combat and/or drowning.

CharlieRock, I would guess that this doesn't modify the con saves at all it just shortens the time until you have to start making them.
CharlieRock
02-23-07, 05:11 PM CharlieRock, I would guess that this doesn't modify the con saves at all it just shortens the time until you have to start making them.
Cool. :cool:

P.S. I use Broadsides! Naval Adventuring rules. You can float upwards at 5' per round. Dead you can still float up at same rate of speed and remian afloat for 1 minute before sinking back down.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Finarin Panjoro 02-21-07, 01:19 PM	I'm preparing to run a pirate campaign so I've been giving some thought to the drowning rules. The rules allow a person to hold their breath for 2x con rounds before they need to start making con checks to avoid drowning. So an average human with con 10 can hold their breath for 2 minutes. My question is what kind of action (if any) is it to hold your breath? In the real world if you are suddenly submersed while unprepared you may have virutally no air in your lungs to hold. If you had a moment to take a deep breath you can hold your breath for much longer. Also is there anyway to force the air out of someone's lungs (perhaps by pinning them in an underwater grapple or inflicting constrict damage)? I don't think there are rules for these things, but I'm interested what my fellow DMs think. Should there be a reflex save to let you take a breath if you are surprise submerged? Should you immediately start making con checks if you are submerged without the chance to take a breath? Should you immediately start making con checks if the air is forced out of your lungs by another creature? Any advice or experiences of your own would be much appreciated.
CharlieRock 02-21-07, 01:30 PM	Surprise submersion, maybe a -2 circumstance for the CON checks. (more cinematic for me) Grapple, trade damage from a pin to forced air removal. (i.e. you must do the Con saves the succeeding round).
Marcus Majarra 02-21-07, 01:48 PM	Holding your breath is not an action, but every strenuous action you take while holding your breath automatically reduces the time you can hold your breath by 1 round. Thus, grappling someone while underwater is a good way to drown them.
CharlieRock 02-21-07, 02:10 PM	Holding your breath is not an action, but every strenuous action you take while holding your breath automatically reduces the time you can hold your breath by 1 round. Thus, grappling someone while underwater is a good way to drown them. how does this modify the con saves? (if at all)
Finarin Panjoro 02-21-07, 02:49 PM	Okay, when you say every strenuous activity you take reduces the time you can hold your breath by 1 round does that mean that if I make two swim checks (two move actions) to try to reach the surface that this counts as 2 strenuous activities (reduces time by 2 rounds)? Does making three attacks in a full attack action while submerged count as three strenuous activites (reduces time by 3 rounds)? Or is it that any round that you take any amount of strenuous activity costs double?
primemover003 02-22-07, 03:49 PM	Well take a look at the Swim skill... If you are underwater, either because you failed a Swim check or because you are swimming underwater intentionally, you must hold your breath. You can hold your breath for a number of rounds equal to twice your Constitution score, but only if you do nothing other than take move actions or free actions. If you take a standard action or a full-round action (such as making an attack), the remainder of the duration for which you can hold your breath is reduced by 1 round. (Effectively, a character in combat can hold his or her breath only half as long as normal.) After that period of time, you must make a DC 10 Constitution check every round to continue holding your breath. Each round, the DC for that check increases by 1. If you fail the Constitution check, you begin to drown. For the most part when you fall into water you get to take a breath, however certain Conditions don't allow you to take breath. Stormwrack has most of the rules for underwater combat in one place.
Finarin Panjoro 02-23-07, 12:39 PM	I've got Stormwrack, really like it too, but I've never come across rules for this. I guess I didn't think to check the swim skill because this seems like it would be under the rules for underwater combat and/or drowning. CharlieRock, I would guess that this doesn't modify the con saves at all it just shortens the time until you have to start making them.
CharlieRock 02-23-07, 05:11 PM	CharlieRock, I would guess that this doesn't modify the con saves at all it just shortens the time until you have to start making them. Cool. :cool: P.S. I use Broadsides! Naval Adventuring rules. You can float upwards at 5' per round. Dead you can still float up at same rate of speed and remian afloat for 1 minute before sinking back down.