Clarify: Sand Golem's Stifle Ability

[Cowboy_ninja]

The Sand Golem from sandstorm has an ability Stifle that states: "...the opponent must make an immediate DC 10 con check, repeated each round with the DC increasing by 1 for each previous check, until it can clear the sand from its lungs. A stifled creature can clearing the sand from its blocked airways by spending a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. When the opponent fails a constitution check it begins to suffocate"

The suffocation rules in the DMG say: "A character who has no air to breathe can hold her breath for 2 rounds per point of Constitution. After this period of time, the character must make a DC 10 Constitution check in order to continue holding her breath. The save must be repeated each round, with the DC increasing by +1 for each previous success.

When the character fails one of these Constitution checks, she begins to suffocate. In the first round, she falls unconscious (0 hit points). In the following round, she drops to -1 hit points and is dying. In the third round, she suffocates."


so to clarify, if you fail your con check against the sand golem's stifle ability, you'll fall unconscious (0 hit points). In the following round, you drop to -1 hit points and are dying. In the third round, you suffocate/die?

[Toy Killer]

Well, technically, very cheesy/beardy technically, you can't die from things like starvation and drowning/suffocate. there's an old joke about saving dying characters by drowning them, that works by RAW.

But yes, after the third round, you should die.

[ScionoftheVoid]

Well, technically, very cheesy/beardy technically, you can't die from things like starvation and drowning/suffocate. there's an old joke about saving dying characters by drowning them, that works by RAW.

But yes, after the third round, you should die.

I believe that's only due to the effect of setting your hit points to zero in the first round, regardless of what they were at previously. You will still die on the third, and there is no clear way (outside of some rules in Stormwrack) to stop drowning once you've started, so you will unavoidably die (though I have heard suggestions that certain healing spells might remove the condition).

Edit: But the drown-healing trick is quite clearly silly, regardless.
On-topic, yes, I think Stifle works as you suggest it does.

[Toy Killer]

No, it's because you start suffocating, you go to negative 1, and then you suffocate; which then starts the process all over again.

it's ridiculous, but this is why no one plays pure RAW (aside from the other absurdities in RAW).