First aid for drowning?

[Tinalles]

In a recent session, my soloist PC's cohort started drowning, as a result of an encounter with a Fossgrim, and the PC had no idea what to do about it.

She tried Aid Another to give a +2 bonus on the next fortitude save. When that failed, she hit her own cohort with a Steal Breath spell. That was awesome, so I ruled that it worked even though the spell talks strictly about air. The 2d6 damage from the spell came awfully close to killing her outright, so this is not a generally recommended course of action.

I've just gone hunting for other things she might have done, and come up dry. Is there really RAW way to evacuate water from the lungs of a drowning character?

[Komoda]

Many drowning victims are found with little to no water in their lungs. I think you may be going way to far into what you believe makes the game more real but in actuality makes it less realistic.

[Tinalles]

Well, the cohort was drowning because she kissed a fossegrim. Its "Drowning Touch" ability reads as follows:

Fossegrim entry wrote:

Drowning Touch (Su) A fossegrim can flood the lungs of a creature that is willing, is helpless, is affected by its enchanted music ability, touches it while it's in treasure form, or is touched by it (traditionally by kissing the creature on the lips). If the target cannot breathe water, it cannot hold its breath and immediately begins to drown slowly. On its turn, the target can attempt a DC 16 Fortitude save to cough up this water; if it fails, it falls unconscious at 0 hp. On the next round, a fallen target must attempt another DC 16 Fortitude save, dropping to –1 hit points and dying if it fails; on the next round it must attempt to save again or lose 1d6 hit points. On the first successful save, the water clears from the target's lungs and the target stabilizes. The save DC is Constitution-based.

So the exact problem, per RAW, was that the cohort's lungs were full of water. The "Drowning Kiss" ability of a Nereid looks pretty much identical. And there doesn't seem to be any corresponding RAW way to assist someone so afflicted.

[fretgod99]

I'd probably allow a heal check. Maybe at the Fortitude save DC or First Aid, whichever is higher (in this instance, the Fortitude save DC).

[Komoda]

Ok, I retract my previous statements as they are obviously unrelated.

I agree with Fret.

Healing spells would allow for the PC to stay alive longer and attempt more saves.

Heal checks for First Aid should be useful as well. It seems exactly like the type of thing First Aid is for.

[Lincoln Hills]

Hmmm... I know water breathing would work, but I wonder if life bubble would?