Falling on Another Creature and Stealing Sheathed Weapons from Prone Enemies (5e)

[Dustin Ashe]

We're playing Out of the Abyss and my players are getting creative.

Say an enemy (quaggoth) falls 100 feet and lands on another creature (another quaggoth). How much damage would that do to the creature below that is crushed? 10d6? Half that?

Also, how would you adjudicate an attempt by an unarmed character to steal a prone enemy's sheathed weapon (shortsword)? I was thinking maybe contested Dexterity checks, but is that too easy?

Thanks!

[Petty Alchemy]

For stealing a sheathed weapon, I'd say Sleight of Hand if they don't see it coming, contested Athletics if they do.

It's easier for the wearer of the weapon to grab it first, especially if they're prone and thus the thief has to reach further to get to it.

[Kalshane]

I'd give the creature whose weapon it is Advantage on their roll to resist. It's a whole lot easier to keep a weapon in the sheath than it is to yank it out and take it away.

For the falling damage, I'd be tempted to split the damage between the two creatures (so each takes 5d6) since the bottom creature is absorbing some of the impact for the falling creature (and getting hit by someone else falling out of the sky is going to hurt less than getting hit by the ground after falling.) Maybe give the creature being fallen on a Dexterity Save to reduce the damage even further. (Or maybe a successful save means they get out of the way completely and the original creature just takes full falling damage.)

[hiiamtom]

I handle falling damage as equal to the one falling and the one under them. I don't even make larger objects deal more damage since it's all an abstraction anyways. I also let my players do a leaping attack for bonus damage equal to the fall damage.

I make stealing a sword the same as the "Disarm" action in the DMG (attack roll versus athletics/acrobatics, the defender gets advantage if they hold it with two hands or in this case if there is a strap or something), but I would allow sleight of hand too.

[Aeshuura]

For the falling damage, I would say half the damage (effectively splitting it between the two), as they are not effective weapons and got some softy tissue there to help reduce damage. However, if they somehow dropped an earth elemental or stone golem, I may increase the damage somewhat. I would still give the target creature a Dexterity saving throw to avoid the damage.

As for the stealing the sheathed weapon, I am with Petty on this one. Though, even a shortsword would be pretty sketchy on the Sleight of Hand scale, I would make it a really ridiculous DC. Athletics is good for an opposed check, though I would give disadvantage on the target if he has no free hands... (i.e.- weapons in hand)

[SmiloDan]

Does the Dex save DC include the "faller's" Proficiency Bonus?

And if not, how many times do you have to fall on someone to gain Proficiency in it?

[Aeshuura]

>_<

[hiiamtom]

SmiloDan wrote:

Does the Dex save DC include the "faller's" Proficiency Bonus?

And if not, how many times do you have to fall on someone to gain Proficiency in it?

However many, my players would have it. Not only has every player jumped out of a window more than once, they have all jumped out of completely different windows at completely different times.