Suffocating in 5e

[Ilinoris]

I've read the DMG and PHB for all the information I can about suffocating in 5e, and all I've found seems way to ridicilous for me.
1+Con mod minutes able to hold breath?
I've tried to convert the rules from 3.5 and I'd like to hear your thoughts on the subject.

Suffocation

A character who has no air to breathe can hold her breath for 2 rounds per point of Constitution Modifier. After this period of time, the character must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw in order to continue holding her breath. The save must be repeated at the beginnning of each round, with the DC increasing by +1 for each previous success.
When the character fails one of these Constitution saving throws, she begins to suffocate. In the first round, she falls to 0 hitpoints and is unconscious. In the following round, she starts dying and must make death saving throws, if no succesful medicine check have been performed before that.

[MrStabby]

So yes, this is silly and it doesn't work so well but it is not a bad baseline.

Firstly I treat it as a maximum. If you take a deep breath expecting to hold it and just sit quietly then you can last this long. If you are surprised or for any other reason dont haver the time to void your lungs and take deep breath (like being tossed into the sea by a wave), then you get less time.

Also I penalise people for exerting themselves - either actions or more than half their move speed reduces their time.

[Ilinoris]

The reason I have digging into this rule is because I wish to run a classic "you have to dive to reach place" and I just thought that if people can dive for up to dive minutes with a Con score of 18, where is the balance in underwater diving mazes?

Maybe it would be better if it was x3 Con mod instead of x2..?

[Shaofoo]

The reason I have digging into this rule is because I wish to run a classic "you have to dive to reach place" and I just thought that if people can dive for up to dive minutes with a Con score of 18, where is the balance in underwater diving mazes?

Maybe it would be better if it was x3 Con mod instead of x2..?

Your speed is halved while swimming (or more). You also suffer disadvantage on attacks not made with particular weapons.

Also if you are diving for five minutes that means that you drown because then you will need to take fie minutes to get back. You would technically have two minutes and two to get back up.

If you want more of a challenge then put some aquatic monsters or traps to harry them. I don't see any reason to change the drowning rules unless your mazes are so small that at half speed and two and half minutes it is enough to solve them. PCs aren't going to raid Atlantis anytime soon.

[MrStabby]

Dont forget fire resistance.

I also think it is pretty difficult to preform spells with verbal components whilst holding your breath.

[Mellack]

A character who has no air to breathe can hold her breath for 2 rounds per point of Constitution Modifier. After this period of time, the character must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw in order to continue holding her breath. The save must be repeated at the beginnning of each round, with the DC increasing by +1 for each previous success.
When the character fails one of these Constitution saving throws, she begins to suffocate. In the first round, she falls to 0 hitpoints and is unconscious. In the following round, she starts dying and must make death saving throws, if no succesful medicine check have been performed before that.[/I]

So what happens if someone has a Con mod of 0 or -1? They can't hold their breath at all? As currently written, 45% of D&D commoners will go unconscious trying to do a 1 round dive. Considering that average, untrained real-world people can do 30 seconds or so, you might want to at least add a base time to that calculation. As others have pointed out, given the half speed, and return time, you probably don't need to change the book rules at all.

[Renvir]

So what happens if someone has a Con mod of 0 or -1? They can't hold their breath at all? As currently written, 45% of D&D commoners will go unconscious trying to do a 1 round dive. Considering that average, untrained real-world people can do 30 seconds or so, you might want to at least add a base time to that calculation. As others have pointed out, given the half speed, and return time, you probably don't need to change the book rules at all.

The PHB says "A creature can hold its breath for a number of minutes equal to 1+its Constitution modifier (minimum of 30 seconds)." So even negative Con mod creatures and people can hold their breath for a little bit.

[Mellack]

I think you are confused. The topic is about the OP looking to change the rules in the PHB. I was asking about their altered rules, not the RAW.

[Renvir]

I think you are confused. The topic is about the OP looking to change the rules in the PHB. I was asking about their altered rules, not the RAW.

Apologies, I missed that you were commenting on the proposed new rules.

As for the OP, probably follow 5e idea with some minimum amount of time that anyone can hold their breath.

[Ilinoris]

So what happens if someone has a Con mod of 0 or -1? They can't hold their breath at all? As currently written, 45% of D&D commoners will go unconscious trying to do a 1 round dive. Considering that average, untrained real-world people can do 30 seconds or so, you might want to at least add a base time to that calculation. As others have pointed out, given the half speed, and return time, you probably don't need to change the book rules at all.

I do see the point of this, and I have instead made the following changes:

A character who has no air to breathe can hold her breath for a number of rounds equal to half her constitution score.

Seems better?
This should give the average 10 Con person about 30 seconds of held breath.

[djreynolds]

Check out the cloaker in the MM and see what it does.

[DontEatRawHagis]

I do see the point of this, and I have instead made the following changes:

A character who has no air to breathe can hold her breath for a number of rounds equal to half her constitution score.

Seems better?
This should give the average 10 Con person about 30 seconds of held breath.

If each round is 6 seconds then that would mean a 18 Con would equal a little under 2 minutes.

I ran into this problem in Organized Play. We had to pause the table when the fighter in Plate was paralyzed by a ghoul and fell into a 15 ft water filled pit. I was so happy that I might drown a player that I was disappointed to see the ruling. Because the combat was not going to last that many rounds.

[Slipperychicken]

I've read the DMG and PHB for all the information I can about suffocating in 5e, and all I've found seems way to ridicilous for me.
1+Con mod minutes able to hold breath?


If you read the rest of the suffocation rules, it says that after running out of breath, a creature can only last for [con mod] rounds before it starts dying. That's just 4 rounds for a Con 18 person.


Also, remember that 18 con is near the peak of physical fitness. A sedentary office worker might only be able to hold his breath for a minute or two, but we're talking about a fantasy hero who leads an extremely active lifestyle and is exceedingly healthy.

[Telok]

If you read the rest of the suffocation rules, it says that after running out of breath, a creature can only last for [con mod] rounds before it starts dying. That's just 4 rounds for a Con 18 person.


In a facinating side effect on the rules any creature with a 9 or less Con score immedately begins dying if it holds it's breath.

1 + (-1) = 0 minutes of holding breath, then -1 rounds of being unable to breath before dying.

[tieren]

If each round is 6 seconds then that would mean a 18 Con would equal a little under 2 minutes.

I ran into this problem in Organized Play. We had to pause the table when the fighter in Plate was paralyzed by a ghoul and fell into a 15 ft water filled pit. I was so happy that I might drown a player that I was disappointed to see the ruling. Because the combat was not going to last that many rounds.

I wouldn't have let a paralyzed player hold their breath at all.

[EvilAnagram]

Personally, I feel that if you're suffocating while playing 5e, then you're probably doing something wrong. Some possible solutions include taking your character sheet off of your face, using an inhaler, and not playing while underwater or in the vacuum of space.

[PoeticDwarf]

In a facinating side effect on the rules any creature with a 9 or less Con score immedately begins dying if it holds it's breath.

1 + (-1) = 0 minutes of holding breath, then -1 rounds of being unable to breath before dying.
Minimum of 30 seconds according to the rules, but I'm AFB

[ShikomeKidoMi]

The reason I have digging into this rule is because I wish to run a classic "you have to dive to reach place" and I just thought that if people can dive for up to dive minutes with a Con score of 18, where is the balance in underwater diving mazes?

Maybe it would be better if it was x3 Con mod instead of x2..?

Well, how big and 'maze-like' are you thinking of making it? And what's the average Con score of your players?

As someone else pointed out, you move at half speed while swimming. So, even if you're dashing, you won't be going very fast. And don't forget that you need to hold your breath on the way back, too.

If someone can hold their breath five minutes and swim 30 feet a round, they can move 1500 feet round trip, which is pretty large. But if it's a true maze, then they probably aren't going to take a path straight to the goal. Every side corridor they go down and then have to backtrack to the main route is going to add double its length to the distance they need to travel. That can add up fast.