blackbloodtroll |
Well, when reduced to -1 or lower, you go unconscious, which does make you drop prone.
Piccolo |
Shields are strapped.
Never states you drop anything.
Have you never heard the term "...from my cold dead hands"?
Doesn't work that way, medically. If you pass out, your hands lose their grip. Anything in them is dropped, although you should also know that most shields were NOT strapped to your arm, as that is impractical unless you are on horseback.
If you die, your bowels and bladder immediately release, in case you are wondering. That's how you can tell someone died recently, as opposed to faking it, and you won't find that tidbit in any movie, too gross.
Jeraa |
Anything in them is dropped, although you should also know that most shields were NOT strapped to your arm, as that is impractical unless you are on horseback.
Of course, how it worked in the real world has no bearing on how it works in the game. Considering bucklers, light shields, and heavy shields all specifically say they are strapped on your arm.
Dakota_Strider |
I cannot recall a rule, in any of the previous versions of the game, that said what happened to held items when you fall unconscious or dead. Since there is nothing in RAW that says you drop something, you could rule that the person holds onto what they had, until someone takes it from them.
If you would prefer some realism in your game, you could make up your own rules. Say a weapon in hand (with no weapon locks/weapon cords etc) has a 75% chance of being dropped. A shield would have a chance of sliding off your arm, if it goes limp, but would be less of a chance of dropping than a held weapon. Say a 25% chance of dropping. These numbers are just off the top of my head, just an example of what you could do.
And unless the person is falling a great distance or there are some other circumstances, I would rule that any dropped items are within 5' of the body.
Piccolo |
Piccolo wrote:Anything in them is dropped, although you should also know that most shields were NOT strapped to your arm, as that is impractical unless you are on horseback.Of course, how it worked in the real world has no bearing on how it works in the game. Considering bucklers, light shields, and heavy shields all specifically say they are strapped on your arm.
The rules have many errors, like weapon weights of swords and the like being massively too heavy. Most of the original game stats are unchanged, and they were based very heavily on medieval scholarship available at the time, which was flawed.
Nuku |
RAW would be nice, especially since I play PFS more often than not.
The quote on unconscious is, alas, unsatisfying:
Unconscious creatures are knocked out and helpless. Unconsciousness can result from having negative hit points (but not more than the creature's Constitution score), or from nonlethal damage in excess of current hit points.
Ok, that tells me little. It doesn't say you drop things though, so I guess you don't?
Piccolo |
What happens when you are knocked out and helpless, then? Well, you lose consciousness, and your muscles naturally relax. If you are helpless, you can take no actions, and you cannot move nor attempt to react to stimulus.
I'd say that means you drop like a rock and your held items clatter to the ground next to you, imho.
Heaggles |
yea I think that you fall to the ground and drop any thing thats in your hands, although I have never tried being knocked out when holding a sword, but i think that if it happens I would fall to the ground and drop the sword. Although i think it would be weird if someone was knocked out and keep standing and holding any items in their hands, I think boxing would have to change some of it rules, unless the hit each other until dead, then they would fall over...... I think paizo believes that we know what happens to someone when they get knocked out, and to save space not put it in the book.
Honorable Goblin |
If you die, your bowels and bladder immediately release, in case you are wondering. That's how you can tell someone died recently, as opposed to faking it, and you won't find that tidbit in any movie, too gross.
Off topic, I know but, my brother is a firefighter and EMT who's encountered a few dead people on the job and, in his experience, this has never held true. Just saying....
Ascalaphus |
Paralysis is just weird. But I prefer the "rules lawyer" way, where you can paralyse someone with magic (neat) without them falling over (people standing around helpless are a villain ego trip; having them fall over looks less impressive), or being unable to breathe (if Hold Person also caused suffocation, it would need a drastic level bump...)
Sure, it's not entirely realistic. But the game is better off if paralysis isn't any more deadly than it currently already is.
Piccolo |
Piccolo wrote:If you die, your bowels and bladder immediately release, in case you are wondering. That's how you can tell someone died recently, as opposed to faking it, and you won't find that tidbit in any movie, too gross.Off topic, I know but, my brother is a firefighter and EMT who's encountered a few dead people on the job and, in his experience, this has never held true. Just saying....
Give it time; not all of the body dies at the same time, but is in progress the instant the heart stops and the brain shuts down. Also, the amount released would vary, since it depends on when you last used the bathroom.
Ever hear of "the smell of death"?
Chris Lambertz Digital Products Assistant |
Ciaran Barnes |
My group has never once discussed what happens in the 10 or so years we've been together. By unspoken consent you drop whatever you carry. Items secured stay in place.
When we were playing 4th edition a guy who had only done whatever their society play was called fell unconscious, then was healed. He stood up and attacked. About half the table informed him he had to pick up his weapon. He said only "But it doesn't say..." and that was the end of it. It was revealed to me at that moment that our assumption was not universally held.
Ascalaphus |
I think we've never had people drop stuff, but if you think about it, it makes a lot of sense.
But I tend to feel sorry for people who get struck down, getting up from Prone is pretty nasty already. I'm okay with cutting players a bit of slack there; if they can survive standing up they've earned the opportunity to hit someone.
The "you'll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands" bit is icing on the cake.
Drejk |
Paralysed is it's own kind of weirdness, because while you can't move a muscle, you can still breathe and keep your balance. Whereas real-world paralysis caused by some spider bite would probably cause you to fall over because you can't move.
Breathing, like heartbeat is primarily controlled by autonomic nervous system so all forms of magical paralysis (and some paralytic poisons) can "freeze" the victim without suffocating them.
Hold person, as compulsion is especially easy to explain as it is magical compulsion to stand still - which explains why its victims do not fall down.