Loophole?

[Boomer 1018]

As a half orc fighter I noticed a strang thing about fall damage, there is a maximum of 20d6 a max. Of 120, because of the relentless endurance, which is if I go to 0 hit points but not killed outright, I can go to one hit point instead, so if i get my hit points to over 60 I could jump from any height and survive.

[Rukelnikov]

Yup, also if you get above 70 hp, whatever class you are, you are likely to not go unconscious no matter what height you fall from.

[JNAProductions]

You want loophole?

Level 1 VHuman Barbarian with 16 Con and the Tough feat.
17 HP, and can Rage as a bonus action to gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.

On a 20d6, you have a slightly more than one in three chance of rolling 67 or less. (37.26% chance, to be a little more exact.)

Your Barbarian, in a Rage, survives that.

Upgrade to level 2 and gain 12 HP, pops you up to 29 total. You now have a damn-near 100% chance of rolling 115 or less on damage, meaning you survive it.

[Potato_Priest]

Even better loophole: 1st level wizard, learn feather fall. By casting that when you fall you can survive a fall from any height reliably!

[NaughtyTiger]

Even better loophole: 1st level wizard, learn feather fall. By casting that when you fall you can survive a fall from any height reliably!

okay, that made me giggle.

[Sigreid]

Yes, you can...and then the DM has you attacked by wolves.

Joking, but the point is it wouldn't be a great idea to make a habit of base jumping without a shute.

[fallensavior]

If you're going to jump off of, say, a mountain...you should expect multiple impacts.

[Laserlight]

If you're going to jump off of, say, a mountain...you should expect multiple impacts.

Or just one, if you Featherfall and land gently.

[Willie the Duck]

I'm confused on why this is called a loophole. It doesn't specifically abuse any rule in a way unintended. Likewise, that the hit point mechanism allows even moderately high-level player characters to survive falls from heights that human beings realistically have only astronomical chances of surviving falls from is one of the oldest complaints about D&D in existence.

[DMThac0]

Barbarian: I rage and leap off the edge of this canyon!
DM: Ok, that's going to be a long fall, you'll probably survive but you'll be nearly dead.
Barbarian: Yup, but I'm going to make it to the bottom before anyone else! Going for the superhero landing too!
Wizard: I cast Levitate on the Barbarian, then I cast featherfall on myself.*turns to Barbarian*See you at the bottom!

[Throne12]

I don't think the barbarian thing works. Cause you fall 60ft a turn. So your rage will end before you hit the ground.


I might be wrong. But higher up you are longer the drop so you will at somepoint lose the rage.

[Sigreid]

I don't think the barbarian thing works. Cause you fall 60ft a turn. So your rage will end before you hit the ground.


I might be wrong. But higher up you are longer the drop so you will at somepoint lose the rage.

Well, he could beat his chest on the way down so he takes damage each round.

[Throne12]

Well, he could beat his chest on the way down so he takes damage each round.

You rage doesn't work like that you can damage your self or can't have a buddy too.

[Sigreid]

You rage doesn't work like that you can damage your self or can't have a buddy too.

I believe RAW you just have to take damage. You could, however; also just try to time it so you activate rage just before you hit.

[DMThac0]

I don't think the barbarian thing works. Cause you fall 60ft a turn. So your rage will end before you hit the ground.


I might be wrong. But higher up you are longer the drop so you will at somepoint lose the rage.

According to this calculator (https://www.angio.net/personal/climb/speed.html) it would take around 3-4 seconds to hit the ground from 200 feet up. That's enough to keep rage going and still make an impact with that stunt.

[Rukelnikov]

I don't think the barbarian thing works. Cause you fall 60ft a turn. So your rage will end before you hit the ground.


I might be wrong. But higher up you are longer the drop so you will at somepoint lose the rage.

60 ft a turn is feather fall, standard is 600ft, plus you could rage the round you are about to crash.

[Cynthaer]

I don't think the barbarian thing works. Cause you fall 60ft a turn. So your rage will end before you hit the ground.

I might be wrong. But higher up you are longer the drop so you will at somepoint lose the rage.

The first "solution" here is to start raging on the turn before you hit the ground, instead of the turn before you jump.

The second, better solution is "who cares, it fits the theme and the general intention of the class and ability, it doesn't hurt the game balance, and it's infinitely more interesting than stopping and pondering the technically correct order of actions".

[Sigreid]

The first "solution" here is to start raging on the turn before you hit the ground, instead of the turn before you jump.

The second, better solution is "who cares, it fits the theme and the general intention of the class and ability, it doesn't hurt the game balance, and it's infinitely more interesting than stopping and pondering the technically correct order of actions".

How about making a barbarian with such a low intelligence and wisdom that he can't find his way to the ground. 🤣

[Trampaige]

When my barblock took tomb of levistus, I was looking forward to falling off something high up and hitting the ground as a giant ice cube.

Tomb ends rage, but you do it as a reaction to taking damage so rage has already halved the damage.

[Man_Over_Game]

When my barblock took tomb of levistus, I was looking forward to falling off something high up and hitting the ground as a giant ice cube.

Tomb ends rage, but you do it as a reaction to taking damage so rage has already halved the damage.

So technically:


Barbarian falls
Barbarian takes 100 damage.
Barbarian Rage reduces that to 50 damage.
Tomb of Levistus activates and grants you 10 THP per Warlock level, absorbing any remaining damage



That's pretty dang sweet. More Barbarian Warlock synergy! I think I might just do a Fiendlock Barbarian. Call it Kratos. Go god hunting.

[Spriteless]

How about making a barbarian with such a low intelligence and wisdom that he can't find his way to the ground. 🤣

Aww just like Arthur and Fenchurch!

[Cynthaer]

We should clarify something, because I think we've gotten stuck on the "60 ft/round" falling speed:

60 ft/round is the falling speed granted by the spell Feather Fall, which prevents all falling damage anyway.

The DMG has nothing to say about the speed of normal free fall.

Xanathar's offers this approach, if you need hard numbers for whatever reason:


When you fall from a great height you instantly descend up to 500 feet. If you're still falling on your next turn you descend up to 500 feet at the end of that turn. This process continues until the fall ends.

(Incidentally, as a DM I would 100% count "is actively falling off a thousand-foot cliff" as something that keeps Rage going.)


You want loophole?

Level 1 VHuman Barbarian with 16 Con and the Tough feat.
17 HP, and can Rage as a bonus action to gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.

On a 20d6, you have a slightly more than one in three chance of rolling 67 or less. (37.26% chance, to be a little more exact.)

Your Barbarian, in a Rage, survives that.

Upgrade to level 2 and gain 12 HP, pops you up to 29 total. You now have a damn-near 100% chance of rolling 115 or less on damage, meaning you survive it.

Sorry, just read this closely for the first time—why would this barbarian survive a damage roll of 67? 17 HP plus resistance gives an effective 34 HP vs bludgeoning, so where's the second halving of damage coming from?

[JNAProductions]

67 halves to 33 (you round down).

And you can survive taking damage equal to twice your max HP-1 from full, since you have to reach negative max HP to die instantly.

You’re knocked the hell out, but not dead.

[Man_Over_Game]

67 halves to 33 (you round down).

And you can survive taking damage equal to twice your max HP-1 from full, since you have to reach negative max HP to die instantly.

You’re knocked the hell out, but not dead.

Ah, "survive".

[Throne12]

On page 77 of XGTE it say you fall 500ft a turn. So if you fall from 501ft your rage isn't going to work.

[Potato_Priest]

On page 77 of XGTE it say you fall 500ft a turn. So if you fall from 501ft your rage isn't going to work.

It can still work, you just have to activate it the turn after you begin your fall.

[Christian]

It can still work, you just have to activate it the turn after you begin your fall.

I wasn't mad about getting knocked over the cliff, but after I was halfway to the ground, I got really ticked off.

[Theodoxus]

I know it makes sense, but is there anywhere in the rules that describes falling damage as specifically bludgeoning? I'm pretty sure RAI, the weapon types <> environmental types

[Danielqueue1]

I know it makes sense, but is there anywhere in the rules that describes falling damage as specifically bludgeoning? I'm pretty sure RAI, the weapon types <> environmental types

All damage is of one of the 13 (?) Types. 5th edition has done away with typeless damage and unique damage types. Falling is bludgeoning damage but if there are spikes at the bottom I could see it switched to piercing.

[MrStabby]

Aww just like Arthur and Fenchurch!

I wouldn't say Arthur was a low intelligence barbarian though...

Maybe a bard due to working in local radio?

[DanyBallon]

How would Instant death interact with Half-Orc Relentless Endurance for an half-orc with less than 60 hp suffering from maximum damage from falling 200 ft?

[JNAProductions]

How would Instant death interact with Half-Orc Relentless Endurance for an half-orc with less than 60 hp suffering from maximum damage from falling 200 ft?

They'd die instantly.

Relentless Endurance works "When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright."

[Contrast]

I know it makes sense, but is there anywhere in the rules that describes falling damage as specifically bludgeoning? I'm pretty sure RAI, the weapon types <> environmental types

See:


All damage is of one of the 13 (?) Types. 5th edition has done away with typeless damage and unique damage types. Falling is bludgeoning damage but if there are spikes at the bottom I could see it switched to piercing.

But for completeness, also see P183 of the PHB.