Swallowed Damage While Down

[kbob]

If you are swallowed and end up “down” (dying), is the acid damage considered a crit (2 failed death saves) or non-crit (1 failed death save)? I believe it’s non-crit but I have someone telling me it’s a crit.

[Flechette63]

I think criticals require an attack roll, so no crit.

[PhantomSoul]

Without other house rules or special abilities at play, a critical hit is specific to attacks (in the sense of attack rolls; PHB 194), and neither the critical hits section (PHB 196) nor the section on death saving throws (PHB 197) makes an exception to that when downed. Such conditions can turn a hit into a crit when conditions are met (e.g. unconscious; PHB 292), but that still requires an attack (so if the specific ability isn't an attack, it doesn't apply).

[kbob]

Thank y’all!

[MaxWilson]

The bigger problem when at 0 HP is that typically a Swallowed clause looks like this (using Purple Worm as an example):

"A swallowed creature is Blinded and Restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the worm, and it takes 21 (6d6) acid damage at the start of each of the worm's turns. If the worm takes 30 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside it, the worm must succeed on a DC 21 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, which fall prone in a space within 10 feet of the worm. If the worm dies, a swallowed creature is no longer Restrained by it and can escape from the corpse by using 20 feet of movement, exiting prone."

In other words, if you're 0 HP, nobody can heal you unless they are also swallowed by the worm, and you can't exit the worm's corpse even after it dies. So... basically you're got to hope your buddies can kill the worm (so you stop taking damage/auto-failed death saves) AND cut it open and rescue you before you fail three death saves and die.

[NecessaryWeevil]

...
"A swallowed creature is Blinded and Restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the worm, and it takes 21 (6d6) acid damage at the start of each of the worm's turns"
...

In other words, if you're 0 HP, nobody can heal you unless they are also swallowed by the worm, and you can't exit the worm's corpse even after it dies. So... basically you're got to hope your buddies can kill the worm (so you stop taking damage/auto-failed death saves) AND cut it open and rescue you before you fail three death saves and die.

Also, a digestive system does not cease being acidic once its owner dies...but I guess *technically* the dead worm no longer has turns on which you take damage.

[MaxWilson]

Also, a digestive system does not cease being acidic once its owner dies...but I guess *technically* the dead worm no longer has turns on which you take damage.

On the other hand, to be fair, no real digestive system is remotely as acidic as a Purple Worm's. That's like, Alien-acid-blood levels of acidity. So not much "realism" is lost if the digestive system somehow ceases being superpowered when the worm dies, and now at least you don't have to worry about PCs trying to harvest the super-acid or replicate the super-acid using Minor Conjuration or anything... maybe it's not acid at all, it's trillions of tiny little cilia abrading the PC, in which case it makes sense for the worm's death to end their functioning.

On the gripping hand, no matter what, the swallowed PC is in for a bad time once they hit 0 HP.

[NecessaryWeevil]

On the other hand, to be fair, no real digestive system is remotely as acidic as a Purple Worm's. That's like, Alien-acid-blood levels of acidity. So not much "realism" is lost if the digestive system somehow ceases being superpowered when the worm dies, and now at least you don't have to worry about PCs trying to harvest the super-acid or replicate the super-acid using Minor Conjuration or anything... maybe it's not acid at all, it's trillions of tiny little cilia abrading the PC, in which case it makes sense for the worm's death to end their functioning.

On the gripping hand, no matter what, the swallowed PC is in for a bad time once they hit 0 HP.

All interesting possibilities! And as you, say, they're in for a bad enough time already.

[Asisreo1]

I've had unconscious swallowed PCs before in my games that I DM. Unfortunately, they all died. Getting swallowed is no joke and let not the wizard think he's immune to getting killed from a swallow because he has teleportation magic.

Turns out, you have to survive the initial stinger attack's damage, the swallow bite attack's damage, and the acid damage at the start of your round.

Against a Purple Worm, we're talking a hefty 104 average damage before you're able to react outside of a hopeful shield.

Lets just say, a Wizard may have wanted to invest more in Con than just +3 or the saving throw for this reason.

[Atalas]

not been swallowed (yet), but just this past week had a session where my character was on fire. just, basic 1d10 fire damage. Had a periapt of wound closure. And fighti8ng a beholder to boot. Go down from the fire damage, and we're immediately having to recheck the PHB to note that, yes, being stabilized removes previous death saves. So during this, I am hoping that I don't roll a 1 for four turns, and that the beholder doesn't decide to go ahead and off me while i'm down. fortunately not likely with another monk, a wizard, a sorcerer, a druid, and an artificer bugging it. Frankly surprised it didn't decide to kill me out of spite due to stunning it for multiple rounds in a row

[Lunali]

not been swallowed (yet), but just this past week had a session where my character was on fire. just, basic 1d10 fire damage. Had a periapt of wound closure. And fighti8ng a beholder to boot. Go down from the fire damage, and we're immediately having to recheck the PHB to note that, yes, being stabilized removes previous death saves. So during this, I am hoping that I don't roll a 1 for four turns, and that the beholder doesn't decide to go ahead and off me while i'm down. fortunately not likely with another monk, a wizard, a sorcerer, a druid, and an artificer bugging it. Frankly surprised it didn't decide to kill me out of spite due to stunning it for multiple rounds in a row

To be fair, killing a downed PC is fairly expensive (action economy wise) for a beholder. They have to either give up their 3 rays for a turn to bite for 2 death saves, or randomly hit you with enough rays to kill you.

[MaxWilson]

To be fair, killing a downed PC is fairly expensive (action economy wise) for a beholder. They have to either give up their 3 rays for a turn to bite for 2 death saves, or randomly hit you with enough rays to kill you.

Where "enough rays" = one disintegration ray or death ray.

[Lunali]

Where "enough rays" = one disintegration ray or death ray.

If you're already at 0, they technically just do one death save, though I wouldn't be surprised to see that ruled differently. Even so that's 2/10 per ray that targets the downed person and 1/6 chance of targeting them to begin with.

[Vegan Squirrel]

If you're already at 0, they technically just do one death save, though I wouldn't be surprised to see that ruled differently. Even so that's 2/10 per ray that targets the downed person and 1/6 chance of targeting them to begin with.


The target dies if the ray reduces it to 0 hit points.

You're technically correct, the best kind of correct.

Anyway, this reminds me a bit too much of the drowning shenanigans in 3rd edition (was it the argument that drowning would heal you back to 0 HP by RAW?... Maybe there was more to it; it's been a while for me). As you remarked, I'd expect a lot of DMs would have those beholder rays kill you outright if they "reduced" you from 0 HP to 0 HP, as if it were worded this way: "the target dies if it has 0 hit points after taking damage from the ray."

[MaxWilson]

If you're already at 0, they technically just do one death save, though I wouldn't be surprised to see that ruled differently. Even so that's 2/10 per ray that targets the downed person and 1/6 chance of targeting them to begin with.

Yes, technically, just like technically a vampire in mist form cannot change back into humanoid form, but since we're discussing actual play... Do you really think the DM would have ruled that Disintegration ray didn't Disintegrate the monk because they already had 0 HP? I do not think so.