Hey guys :)
With PARALYZED condition can PC still hold breath while being engulfed by gelatinous cube (we assumed that they can)? And of course their Reflex saves are auto-fail, correct?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I'd rule no.
A "paralyzed" character has no muscle control and was quite possibly caught in an excited state (combat) and would have been using their mouth to take in more air meaning it would be open.
The act of holing one's breath is partially sealing apertures, and partially pressurizing the system to keep out invasive fluids.
Being paralyzed means that such muscle control is unavailable and even if they were to stop breathing (assuming they could) there's nothing keeping the cube from invading through the mouth or sinuses.
That kicks in the drowning rules. Which are fine, outside of going unconscious. I ignore that part, paralyzed or not.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Hey guys :)
With PARALYZED condition can PC still hold breath while being engulfed by gelatinous cube (we assumed that they can)? And of course their Reflex saves are auto-fail, correct?
Yes, they can hold their breath. That doesn't require any kind of action. You are just automatically doing it if you can't breathe. It's like having an air meter in a video game.
DRowning anD suffoCatingYou can hold your breath for a number of rounds equal to 5 + your Constitution modifier. Reduce your remaining air by 1 round at the end of each of your turns, or by 2 if you attacked or cast any spells that turn. You also lose 1 round worth of air each time you are critically hit or critically fail a save against a damaging effect. If you speak (including casting spells with verbal components or activating items with command components) you lose all remaining air.When you run out of air, you fall unconscious and start suffocating. You can’t recover from being unconscious and must attempt a DC 20 Fortitude save at the end of each of your turns. On a failure, you take 1d10 damage, and on a critical failure, you die. On each check after the first, the DC increases by 5 and the damage by 1d10; these increases are cumulative. Once your access to air is restored, you stop suffocating and are no longer unconscious (unless you’re at 0 Hit Points).
Thank you guys. I see more medical and more rule driven approach.
I think I'll go with the "yes they can" answer at least for now.
Sounds less brutal.
Just ignore the unconscious bit.
No heroic drive to survive if they're unable to act the instant their air runs out.