Drowning in Soil?

[LSJEricV]

I am writing a trap that drowns people in soil and sucks them down to a depth of 100'

I am curious on damage this would do. Should it be Con Drain? HP per round? Would this crush them if the soil is loose pack like quicksand?
How would armor impact the crushing?

Since this trap is for levels 1 to 17 I will have to vary the amount of Damage but I feel this is very deadly. Input would be appreciated.

[Claxon]

Quicksand

Quote:

Quicksand: Patches of quicksand present a deceptively solid appearance (appearing as undergrowth or open land) that might trap careless characters. A character approaching a patch of quicksand at a normal pace is entitled to a DC 8 Survival check to spot the danger before stepping in, but charging or running characters don't have a chance to detect a hidden patch before blundering into it. A typical patch of quicksand is 20 feet in diameter; the momentum of a charging or running character carries him 1d2 × 5 feet into the quicksand.

Effects of Quicksand: Characters in quicksand must make a DC 10 Swim check every round to simply tread water in place, or a DC 15 Swim check to move 5 feet in whatever direction is desired. If a trapped character fails this check by 5 or more, he sinks below the surface and begins to drown whenever he can no longer hold his breath (see the Swim skill description in Using Skills).

Characters below the surface of quicksand may swim back to the surface with a successful Swim check (DC 15, +1 per consecutive round of being under the surface).

Rescue: Pulling out a character trapped in quicksand can be difficult. A rescuer needs a branch, spear haft, rope, or similar tool that enables him to reach the victim with one end of it. Then he must make a DC 15 Strength check to successfully pull the victim, and the victim must make a DC 10 Strength check to hold onto the branch, pole, or rope. If both checks succeed, the victim is pulled 5 feet closer to safety. If the victim fails to hold on, he must make a DC 15 Swim check immediately to stay above the surface.

[Lincoln Hills]

Dang, Claxon beat me to the exact rules reference I was going to recommend.

And yes, it's deadly: even deadlier when it's not in a swamp, where it's expected and precautions could have been taken. For true brutality (if more is needed), it can be combined with a covered pit over a reservoir (making rescue more difficult), or even a thin stone floor that is flash-melted via transmute rock to mud. For the really killer GM, a two-stage trap involving that spell and, in the following round, transmute mud to rock will swallow entire parties without a trace.

[LSJEricV]

Well that helps some. I will adjust those to match the levels and you can't swim in soil but I can see how that would work in quicksand. Thanks

[JTibbs]

Uh, wow.

The quicksand mechanics are nowhere near realistic...

[mplindustries]

JTibbs wrote:

Uh, wow.

The quicksand mechanics are nowhere near realistic...

Obviously--it wouldn't be very exciting to say:

Quicksand:
It is literally impossible to sink or drown in quicksand because the human body is significantly more buoyant in it than in water. If you get stuck in it, it is pretty inconvenient, but will probably have zero chance of killing you. Animals that can't swim starve to death in quicksand, but it presents no other danger.

The game obviously wants movie adventure quicksand.