[3.5e Mechanics Query] Swallow Whole

[Bacchante]

I do apologize in advance if this has been answered elsewhere, but a couple of hours of searching at an unearthly hour of the morning proved fruitless for satisfying my curiosity. To wit, the questions in question:

If one has been swallowed whole by a creature, then must one leave its gullet upon dealing enough to do so?

And;

If you are within the stomach of a creature, can you apply precision dice damage, such as sneak attack, to it? If so, or not, under which conditions?

This coming from my musings that with certain creatures with high AC and HP, horrifically deadly attacks and spells, but lower damage for being in its gullet, it may be beneficial to allow it to swallow you and then simply keep cutting it apart from within.

Of course, my simple alternative solution if it is interpreted that one must indeed exit the creature upon slicing open its gullet, is that one merely need enter it with a bludgeoning weapon in hand, or possibly as a Monk, and beat it to death that way.

In fact, as I pen this, it occurs to me that one could also cast spells from within a creature. Which leads me to one other, potentially messy, final question;

What happens if you cast Prismatic Sphere (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/prismaticSphere.htm) while within the gullet of a creature?

Thank you.

[shylocke]

Yes you can stay in its gullet but you will take crushing DMG every round.

Generally you won't get your sneak attack as unless you are fighting something the size of the leviathan from elder evils. Its throat will be too narrow to move and aim.

You could cast spells if you have still spell and maybe silent as there would be no air. But you gotta be careful what spell. Lightning bolt yes. Fireball no.

[shylocke]

In a campaign against evil dragons, become a disciple of bahamut. It dragonwrack ability does DMG every time you hit the dragon and every time he hits you. Let him eat you and just laugh then whole time.

[Khedrac]

If you are within the stomach of a creature, can you apply precision dice damage, such as sneak attack, to it? If so, or not, under which conditions?Debatable. DM's are unlikely to allow it - you are considered grappled while the creature is not so it has it's dex bonus, but since it can't see you...


What happens if you cast Prismatic Sphere (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/prismaticSphere.htm) while within the gullet of a creature?
Prismatic sphere explicitly works like prismatic wall, and hat has the line:

A prismatic wall spell cast to materialize in a space occupied by a creature is disrupted, and the spell is wasted. So the spell will be wasted. It cannot form outside the creature as you don't have line of effect to there.

[PraxisVetli]

In a campaign against evil dragons, become a disciple of bahamut. It dragonwrack ability does DMG every time you hit the dragon and every time he hits you. Let him eat you and just laugh then whole time.

That's Funny

[Urpriest]

I do apologize in advance if this has been answered elsewhere, but a couple of hours of searching at an unearthly hour of the morning proved fruitless for satisfying my curiosity. To wit, the questions in question:

If one has been swallowed whole by a creature, then must one leave its gullet upon dealing enough to do so?

And;

If you are within the stomach of a creature, can you apply precision dice damage, such as sneak attack, to it? If so, or not, under which conditions?

This coming from my musings that with certain creatures with high AC and HP, horrifically deadly attacks and spells, but lower damage for being in its gullet, it may be beneficial to allow it to swallow you and then simply keep cutting it apart from within.

Of course, my simple alternative solution if it is interpreted that one must indeed exit the creature upon slicing open its gullet, is that one merely need enter it with a bludgeoning weapon in hand, or possibly as a Monk, and beat it to death that way.


Swallow Whole is tricky. It doesn't have quite the detail that it ought to. Here's the rules text:

Swallow Whole

If a creature with this special attack begins its turn with an opponent held in its mouth (see Improved Grab), it can attempt a new grapple check (as though attempting to pin the opponent). If it succeeds, it swallows its prey, and the opponent takes bite damage. Unless otherwise noted, the opponent can be up to one size category smaller than the swallowing creature. Being swallowed has various consequences, depending on the creature doing the swallowing. A swallowed creature is considered to be grappled, while the creature that did the swallowing is not. A swallowed creature can try to cut its way free with any light slashing or piercing weapon (the amount of cutting damage required to get free is noted in the creature description), or it can just try to escape the grapple. The Armor Class of the interior of a creature that swallows whole is normally 10 + ½ its natural armor bonus, with no modifiers for size or Dexterity. If the swallowed creature escapes the grapple, success puts it back in the attacker’s mouth, where it may be bitten or swallowed again.

Some thoughts:

A swallowed creature is considered grappled.

While the ability says that the swallowed creature can try to cuts its way free or try to escape, it doesn't say those are the only actions it can take. I would rule that anything the player could do while being grappled, they could do while swallowed, with the caveat that since the creature doing the swallowing isn't grappled you can't do things that require your opponent to be grappled like moving your opponent or dealing damage.

While the rules don't explicitly say that the creature can't see its insides, I would rule that it is effectively blind with respect to creatures it has swallowed, so you should be able to sneak attack it provided you have light and can see what you're doing. You can either use that damage when cutting your way out (by the way, Rules Compendium nerfed the AC you target when you do that to 5+1/2 natural armor), or, as in a normal grapple, to attack the creature itself. While I'd probably let a player stay after they cut a hole, the hole closes due to muscular action immediately after for most creatures (look at the Tyrannosaurus for example), so you would lose your progress, and there wouldn't be time for another character to use it. Also, for the same reason, the damage you deal to cut a hole doesn't also deplete the creature's hit points.

[shylocke]

That's Funny

You get a special set of full plate from the class. Add armour spikes. Lol

[Bacchante]

The overall consensus appears to be that; yes, one may remain within a creature to attack it from within and it may be beneficial to do so since it may be possible to gain certain precision dice depending on your Dungeon Master. This makes sense, as I can see arguments that logically dictate whether or not it would work. I may personally allow it, but perhaps at a reduced rate.

Also carry gut mites in case one needs to escape quickly.

A shame about Prismatic Wall. Off the top of my head, that was the most amusingly destructive idea. There are, however, some more thoughts that spring to mind.

What spells would be best used to destroy a creature from within?

And,

What happens to a swallowed creature when the beast that swallowed it is hit by, say, an Implosion (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/implosion.htm) spell?

... Now that I come to think of it, there is another matter;

What happens to anything within a creature's stomach, swallowed whole, living, or otherwise, when it is successfully Disintegrated (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/disintegrate.htm)?

Food for thought, perhaps.

[shylocke]

Sneak attack should only work if you can burrow your way to an organ or artery.

[Bacchante]

I feel, shylocke, that if one is within a beast's stomach it would be difficult to slash open its stomach lining without accidentally hitting something. Then again, now you mention it, I must consider that the lining may be too thick to prevent a light weapon from reaching anything through the muscle. That is a good point.

It occurs to me I ought to demonstrate my own personal answer to at least one of my questions. To wit; I would be doing this with a Psion. Why a Psion, you may ask? Well, I am glad you did.

Energy Adaption, Specified (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/energyAdaptationSpecified.htm) for the acid. Augmented Biofeedback (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/biofeedback.htm) in order to gain DR/-; Together, this negates much of the effect of being swallowed. I was tempted to utilize Energy Conversion (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/energyConversion.htm), but as you will see that might interfere with my other options.

I would then manifest Matter Agitation (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/matterAgitation.htm). Depending on preference, I would follow that up with Solicit Psicrystal (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/solicitPsicrystal.htm) and then cast Matter Agitation again. Possibly even Schism (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/schism.htm) myself to activate a third one or, if I were to cast Energy Conversion, leave the minor mind or my own to activate the blasts of energy from it.

The result? At the very least, approximately one fire damage per round while I myself am mostly safe; With some minor buffing. Uncomfortable, certainly, but with some items in hand, and possibly use of Body Adjustment (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/bodyAdjustment.htm), I would sit there until I had slowly cooked the creature from within. Whereupon I would carve my way out of its roasted carcass. Hopefully it is a creature that tastes sufficiently delicious.

Did I mention my Psion characters tend toward Neutral Evil?

[shylocke]

A druid that wild shapes into a badger.