Maximum falling damage and falling object damage [Archive] - Wizards Community

Maximum falling damage and falling object damage [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
spikevampire
08-29-07, 08:58 PM Hi masters, my question is simple:
Do you like the 20 dice limitation on falling damage or other similar stuff?

And also if i play the hulking hurler and i can lift about 10.000 pound can i in according to weapon rules presented in the end of complete warrior make serious damage (like 50 dice) or i have the 20d6 limit?
i hope this limit will be... i wait your answer, thanks
heffroncm
08-29-07, 11:30 PM I'm not a huge fan of the 20d6 limit on falling damage. Presented as it is, the average level 10 Fighter with 18 Con will survive the average terminal velocity fall. I generaly recquire a scaled massive damage save, that being DC 15 + 1 per point of damage above 50 (so, DC 35 on average, DC 85 maximum). That leaves the odds of surviving a 200 foot fall about where I like them, I.E really, really tiny.

With the improvised weapon chart, the weight doubles for every extra d6. Extrapolating the chart for another 15d6 past the 400lb item, you'd need to be able to lift a 13,107,200lb item to do 20d6. That'd be a 99 Strength, which would have you doing +44 damage per hit just from Strength damage. I don't think you need to worry about more than that.
spikevampire
08-30-07, 06:13 AM so the limit is right even because a 99 strenght giant coul lift too much tons and make hundred d6 of damage.
For the falling damage the massive damage isn't ever DC 15 or you create this house rule? i think is intresting
heffroncm
08-30-07, 07:07 AM so the limit is right even because a 99 strenght giant coul lift too much tons and make hundred d6 of damage.
For the falling damage the massive damage isn't ever DC 15 or you create this house rule? i think is intresting

The falling damage massive damage save is my own house rule, should have been more specific.

You'll never see 100d6 damage from an improvised weapon. You'd need a Strength of 500, and you'd literally be using Mount Everest. Or matter from the core of a dwarf star. Something on the order of 7.92 x 10^25 tons, or 792 billion trillion tons. The table breaks down, it just doesn't work anymore.
BruceLeeroy
09-02-07, 07:37 AM The falling damage massive damage save is my own house rule, should have been more specific.

You'll never see 100d6 damage from an improvised weapon. You'd need a Strength of 500, and you'd literally be using Mount Everest. Or matter from the core of a dwarf star. Something on the order of 7.92 x 10^25 tons, or 792 billion trillion tons. The table breaks down, it just doesn't work anymore.

Er, what?

It says specifically, "For every additional 200lbs of an objects weight beyond 400lbs, it deals an additional 1d6 points of damage when used as an improvised weapon."

That means a 1000lb object would deal 8d6 if used as an improvised weapon, or twice that if it's sharp. In order to get 100d6, you would need to throw an object weighing 19400lbs. Or half that if it's sharp. That's not actually that difficult... A huge creature with a strength score in the 40's could probably manage it, with the hulking hurler class.
heffroncm
09-02-07, 08:00 AM Er, what?

It says specifically, "For every additional 200lbs of an objects weight beyond 400lbs, it deals an additional 1d6 points of damage when used as an improvised weapon."

That means a 1000lb object would deal 8d6 if used as an improvised weapon, or twice that if it's sharp. In order to get 100d6, you would need to throw an object weighing 19400lbs. Or half that if it's sharp. That's not actually that difficult... A huge creature with a strength score in the 40's could probably manage it, with the hulking hurler class.

See, I didn't see that part. I withdraw my previous ludicrous figures and am editing my earlier posts to remove them. You'd need a Strength of 51 to do it, and would output 350 damage on average.

Of course, finding a ten ton improvised weapon is another matter entirely.
weasel0
09-04-07, 03:10 PM Not on the side of the mountain where all these nifty "little" boulders are sitting.
The weight of rocks adds up extremely fast.
heffroncm
09-04-07, 03:23 PM Not on the side of the mountain where all these nifty "little" boulders are sitting.
The weight of rocks adds up extremely fast.

I've been trying to find a picture of a 10-ton boulder for this thread, actually.

The best I've found is a 3-ton, which is a bit bigger than a pick-up truck. Even in mountainous terrain, not a common finding.
spikevampire
09-05-07, 08:10 AM i am playing in a modern campain, like marvel heroes or similar and there are a lot of trucks that are about 20 tons... i think i will limit the maximum damage to 20d6
Clearly_Toughpick
09-10-07, 08:11 AM I've been trying to find a picture of a 10-ton boulder for this thread, actually.

The best I've found is a 3-ton, which is a bit bigger than a pick-up truck. Even in mountainous terrain, not a common finding.

Granite, a widespread kind of rock, has a density of about 2.75 g per cubic centimetre, so a three ton rock would be about a 4 ft cube. A ten ton rock would be about a 6 ft cube (or a ball of 7' diameter).
Millennium
09-10-07, 09:23 AM I find the 20-dice limit to be about right for falling humanoids: a terminal-velocity fall is enough to kill most people most of the time, but a few survive and make it into the record books. As far as that goes, it's not unlike real life: perhaps a bit skewed toward survival, but not really all that much.

The problem is that other objects behave differently in free fall, and the 20-dice limit doesn't account for that. A mouse should have a much lower limit than a humanoid, for example, while a horse should have a much higher limit, and this doesn't even go into boulders.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
spikevampire 08-29-07, 08:58 PM	Hi masters, my question is simple: Do you like the 20 dice limitation on falling damage or other similar stuff? And also if i play the hulking hurler and i can lift about 10.000 pound can i in according to weapon rules presented in the end of complete warrior make serious damage (like 50 dice) or i have the 20d6 limit? i hope this limit will be... i wait your answer, thanks
heffroncm 08-29-07, 11:30 PM	I'm not a huge fan of the 20d6 limit on falling damage. Presented as it is, the average level 10 Fighter with 18 Con will survive the average terminal velocity fall. I generaly recquire a scaled massive damage save, that being DC 15 + 1 per point of damage above 50 (so, DC 35 on average, DC 85 maximum). That leaves the odds of surviving a 200 foot fall about where I like them, I.E really, really tiny. With the improvised weapon chart, the weight doubles for every extra d6. Extrapolating the chart for another 15d6 past the 400lb item, you'd need to be able to lift a 13,107,200lb item to do 20d6. That'd be a 99 Strength, which would have you doing +44 damage per hit just from Strength damage. I don't think you need to worry about more than that.
spikevampire 08-30-07, 06:13 AM	so the limit is right even because a 99 strenght giant coul lift too much tons and make hundred d6 of damage. For the falling damage the massive damage isn't ever DC 15 or you create this house rule? i think is intresting
heffroncm 08-30-07, 07:07 AM	so the limit is right even because a 99 strenght giant coul lift too much tons and make hundred d6 of damage. For the falling damage the massive damage isn't ever DC 15 or you create this house rule? i think is intresting The falling damage massive damage save is my own house rule, should have been more specific. You'll never see 100d6 damage from an improvised weapon. You'd need a Strength of 500, and you'd literally be using Mount Everest. Or matter from the core of a dwarf star. Something on the order of 7.92 x 10^25 tons, or 792 billion trillion tons. The table breaks down, it just doesn't work anymore.
BruceLeeroy 09-02-07, 07:37 AM	The falling damage massive damage save is my own house rule, should have been more specific. You'll never see 100d6 damage from an improvised weapon. You'd need a Strength of 500, and you'd literally be using Mount Everest. Or matter from the core of a dwarf star. Something on the order of 7.92 x 10^25 tons, or 792 billion trillion tons. The table breaks down, it just doesn't work anymore. Er, what? It says specifically, "For every additional 200lbs of an objects weight beyond 400lbs, it deals an additional 1d6 points of damage when used as an improvised weapon." That means a 1000lb object would deal 8d6 if used as an improvised weapon, or twice that if it's sharp. In order to get 100d6, you would need to throw an object weighing 19400lbs. Or half that if it's sharp. That's not actually that difficult... A huge creature with a strength score in the 40's could probably manage it, with the hulking hurler class.
heffroncm 09-02-07, 08:00 AM	Er, what? It says specifically, "For every additional 200lbs of an objects weight beyond 400lbs, it deals an additional 1d6 points of damage when used as an improvised weapon." That means a 1000lb object would deal 8d6 if used as an improvised weapon, or twice that if it's sharp. In order to get 100d6, you would need to throw an object weighing 19400lbs. Or half that if it's sharp. That's not actually that difficult... A huge creature with a strength score in the 40's could probably manage it, with the hulking hurler class. See, I didn't see that part. I withdraw my previous ludicrous figures and am editing my earlier posts to remove them. You'd need a Strength of 51 to do it, and would output 350 damage on average. Of course, finding a ten ton improvised weapon is another matter entirely.
weasel0 09-04-07, 03:10 PM	Not on the side of the mountain where all these nifty "little" boulders are sitting. The weight of rocks adds up extremely fast.
heffroncm 09-04-07, 03:23 PM	Not on the side of the mountain where all these nifty "little" boulders are sitting. The weight of rocks adds up extremely fast. I've been trying to find a picture of a 10-ton boulder for this thread, actually. The best I've found is a 3-ton, which is a bit bigger than a pick-up truck. Even in mountainous terrain, not a common finding.
spikevampire 09-05-07, 08:10 AM	i am playing in a modern campain, like marvel heroes or similar and there are a lot of trucks that are about 20 tons... i think i will limit the maximum damage to 20d6
Clearly_Toughpick 09-10-07, 08:11 AM	I've been trying to find a picture of a 10-ton boulder for this thread, actually. The best I've found is a 3-ton, which is a bit bigger than a pick-up truck. Even in mountainous terrain, not a common finding. Granite, a widespread kind of rock, has a density of about 2.75 g per cubic centimetre, so a three ton rock would be about a 4 ft cube. A ten ton rock would be about a 6 ft cube (or a ball of 7' diameter).
Millennium 09-10-07, 09:23 AM	I find the 20-dice limit to be about right for falling humanoids: a terminal-velocity fall is enough to kill most people most of the time, but a few survive and make it into the record books. As far as that goes, it's not unlike real life: perhaps a bit skewed toward survival, but not really all that much. The problem is that other objects behave differently in free fall, and the 20-dice limit doesn't account for that. A mouse should have a much lower limit than a humanoid, for example, while a horse should have a much higher limit, and this doesn't even go into boulders.