falling attack

[Samayu]

I want to jump off a ledge and land on someone, dealing damage? How would you play this?

The best I've come up with so far is that I make an attack roll. If I miss, I take falling damage. If I hit, we both take the falling damage.

But what if I fall blade-first? Is that even possible? I get to add my weapon damage? And can't I use his body to cushion my fall?

[Fishyninja]

I want to jump off a ledge and land on someone, dealing damage? How would you play this?

The best I've come up with so far is that I make an attack roll. If I miss, I take falling damage. If I hit, we both take the falling damage.

But what if I fall blade-first? Is that even possible? I get to add my weapon damage? And can't I use his body to cushion my fall?

I agree with the bold part. I also think that it would be possible to add your weapon damage if you land blade first on him. I would say that (depending on the height) you could ask the AC to be lowered for the enemy as you will have a larger momentum so it could in theory cause more damage.

Ask your DM :P

[SMac8988]

I've allowed my players to do this bwfore, and currently have a grappler who jumps off places if possible and lands on people for bonus damage.

I've always ruled it as its harder to hit, so some type of bonus to the targets ac, normally something minor but is higher if a weapon is involved. Then the damage is the fall damage, 1d6 per 10 ft. Unless something else is being done. Like with my grappler he has done this as a suplex or by someone throat landing all his weight there, in that case the damage is higher, but had a chance to injure his arm.

Just my way of doing things

[Arkhios]

I would probably go with the bolded part, but instead of adding the weapon damage, I might let the falling damage deal the weapon's type to the target if you hit it, and if your weapon is magical, I'd let those effects apply too.

I'm not sure if falling damage bypasses damage resistances or immunities, but if it does, the weapon's type would be largely irrelevant, except for the possible extra abilities from being magical.

In the case of a critical hit, you would of course only take the normal falling damage yourself.

Another possibility would be to allow an athletics or acrobatics check to see how you land and whether you could lessen the impact on yourself.

[Samayu]

I'd like there to be a way to reduce damage to myself, due to the cushion of a soft body when I land, but D&D doesn't seem to offer a good mechanic for that. The only thing I can think of is to add an attack roll for additional attack damage.

Aiming my body at the target would be a DEX attack, since my body is a ranged weapon.

It seems like if I'm making the attack, I should be able to deal more damage than I take.

Against a high AC target, I'm likely to miss the target altogether. Also, if I hit, and we roll damage to each other (instead of using the same damage roll), I will take more damage than I deal - because that's how I roll.

I was hoping I'd be able to use my monk ability to reduce damage to myself, but since the ability is a "slow fall" and not a "land carefully" presumably that would reduce damage to the floor/target as well.

The previous edition had rules about acrobatics and falling. What were they? Roll acrobatics to see whether you land on your feet? But it didn't have any effect on damage?

SMac8988, so if the grappler calls a specific move, you just kinda make judgement call?



Ask your DM :P
I figured an ongoing discussion with experienced players would be better than a ten second conversation with my DM. :-)

[Fishyninja]

I was hoping I'd be able to use my monk ability to reduce damage to myself, but since the ability is a "slow fall" and not a "land carefully" presumably that would reduce damage to the floor/target as well.

Yeah the Monk's slow fall ability is pretty decent.

Going on your statement about acrobatics, I would be happyto use a skill check, I'd say (if I was DM'ing) making a CR of say 12 and if you passed I'd roll maybe a 1d6 to see how many points of damage you negated by landing on them in a cool and flashy fasion.

[BigONotation]

I rule it that the falling damage is split between the target and attacker if they hit.

[Kurt Kurageous]

I'd make the attack roll disadvantaged if the target is aware of the attacker, as the attacker has a limited ability to adjust their attack when falling. You think that's too much? then add two to AC.

I've granted an acrobatics check to reduce falling damage at my table (save = half).

For what this is worth...

[Samayu]

I'd make the attack roll disadvantaged if the target is aware of the attacker, as the attacker has a limited ability to adjust their attack when falling. You think that's too much? then add two to AC.

The higher the fall, the easier it would be to avoid, if you saw the attacker coming. Maybe +1 AC per ten feet?


Yeah the Monk's slow fall ability is pretty decent.

I missed a DC15 climb roll. The DM says I take 18 damage. I'm like, "yeah, whatever. I try it again." I missed four more in a row before I gave up.


I rule it that the falling damage is split between the target and attacker if they hit.

I like this. The target would cushion my landing, and he probably wouldn't take the full force of my weight anyway.

[Capn Charlie]

I rule it that the falling damage is split between the target and attacker if they hit.

This is how I do it as well. Sometimes I will let a target take all of the damage if there is enough of a size difference between the two.

When someone is trying to land weapon first I just have them make an attack on the way down, then resolve the falling damage in the same way.