Damage to your Constitution score causes you to take penalties on your Fortitude saving throws. In addition, multiply your total Hit Dice by this penalty and subtract that amount from your current and total hit points.
In our last game session, the party of six 8th level characters encountered a bebilith. The party sorcerer was affected by the monster's rotting bite attack, which deals 2 points of CON damage for each failed Fort save.
The sorcerer had 60 hit points, and had taken 26 points of damage from melee. Then, on each of the next 3 rounds, she lost 2 points of CON from the rotting bite (6 total CON lost).
My assumption as DM, was that the sorcerer was pretty much dead-meat, since the 6 points of CON damage equated to 48 additional points of damage. Added to the melee damage, this was a grand total of 74 points of damage, which dropped the hapless sorcerer to -14 HP. Since her adjusted CON score was now a 6 (down from a 12), death occurred at -10 HP.
Was I correct in my adjudication, or too harsh?
6 con loss = - 3 hp per level, not -6 hp
Example:
12 con = +1 modifier
10 con = 0 modifier
8 con = -1 modifier
6 con = -2 modifier
the difference is only 3 not 6
3hp x 8 levels = 24 hit points loss due to constitution loss
24(hp loss from con) + 26(hp loss from actual damage) = 50 hp total
The caster still had 10 hit points left.
Off-topic: why was the caster that close to the monster?
the six con loss would have cost the sorcerer 24 HP (-6 con equals a net penalty of -3 to Con modifier. multiplied by level gives us the 24) . combined with the 26 from melee makes it 50. 10 HP left
I don't think you lose your level in HP per point of con drop, just your level in HP for each con modifier drop.
Batts
Regardless, if she -had- taken enough Con damage to drop her HP to past -(her Con), I would rule she is indeed dead.
Hmmm. The way the rule is written, you take hit point damage equal to the number of CON lost times your HD (level). So, according to the rule, the 8th level sorcerer losing 6 CON should lose 8 x 6 = 48 hit points of damage.
Am I reading that wrong? CON hit point modifiers shouldn't come into play at all. It's just a straight formula: # of CON lost x HD = # HP lost.
Right?
Off-topic: why was the caster that close to the monster?
Bad luck? She chose to stand her ground and support two other characters in melee with the beblith. Since she was the only one actually harming the demon-spider, it focused its attacks on her. One rotting bite and two claw swipes later....viola!
Hmmm. The way the rule is written, you take hit point damage equal to the number of CON lost times your HD (level). So, according to the rule, the 8th level sorcerer losing 6 CON should lose 8 x 6 = 48 hit points of damage.
Am I reading that wrong? CON hit point modifiers shouldn't come into play at all. It's just a straight formula: # of CON lost x HD = # HP lost.
Right?
Yes, you are reading it wrong. You gain and lose hit points according to the con modifier, not con score. Could you link me to the PRD, or give me a page number from the book so I can see why you are reading it that way?
Bad luck? She chose to stand her ground and support two other characters in melee with the beblith. Since she was the only one actually harming the demon-spider, it focused its attacks on her. One rotting bite and two claw swipes later....viola!
Off-topic: why was the caster that close to the monster?
Brave, but not a good idea, and since that is not the subject of the post I will leave it alone.
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Hmmm. The way the rule is written, you take hit point damage equal to the number of CON lost times your HD (level). So, according to the rule, the 8th level sorcerer losing 6 CON should lose 8 x 6 = 48 hit points of damage.
Am I reading that wrong? CON hit point modifiers shouldn't come into play at all. It's just a straight formula: # of CON lost x HD = # HP lost.
Right?
Damage to your Constitution score causes you to take penalties on your Fortitude saving throws. In addition, multiply your total Hit Dice by this penalty and subtract that amount from your current and total hit points.
Actually the way that it is written is that you multiply the penalty to your Fortitude by your HD to get the HP lost
And since the penalty to your fort is equal to the penalty to your CON modifier, it is effectively the penalty to CON modifier times HD for the damage caused. Also, Ability damage does not actually lower the ability in question, drain does, but damage does not; because of this, the sorcerer would still die at -12 not -10
Yes, you are reading it wrong. You gain and lose hit points according to the con modifier, not con score. Could you link me to the PRD, or give me a page number from the book so I can see why you are reading it that way?
Sure! I appreciate the second set of eyes! Here's the link to the PRD glossary. I think it's also on page 555 of the Core book.
Yes, you are reading it wrong. You gain and lose hit points according to the con modifier, not con score. Could you link me to the PRD, or give me a page number from the book so I can see why you are reading it that way?
Sure! I appreciate the second set of eyes! Here's the link to the PRD glossary. I think it's also on page 555 of the Core book.
Constitution: Temporary increases to your Constitution score give you a bonus on your Fortitude saving throws. In addition, multiply your total Hit Dice by this bonus and add that amount to your current and total hit points. When the bonus ends, remove this total from your current and total hit points.
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Ability Score Damage, Penalty, and Drain
...........For every 2 points of damage you take to a single ability, apply a –1 penalty to skills and statistics listed with the relevant ability.
The bonus and penalty to constitution and any other ability score are always going to be 2 for 1 as detailed under the 2nd section I bolded.
If you go here and check under Abilities and Spellcasters you will see a table that list what the bonuses and penalties are to any ability score.