The rules for Swallow Whole contain the following:
"A swallowed creature is grabbed, is slowed 1, and has to hold its breath or start suffocating. The swallowed creature takes the listed amount of damage when first swallowed and at the end of each of its turns while it's swallowed." [Moster Core p360]
In a recent session, the fighter was swallowed whole by a remorhaz, simultaneously gaining the Dying 1 condition due to the damage inflicted "when first swallowed".
My primary question is this: Since the fighter can't hold his breath while unconscious, does he begin suffocating? If he doesn't, that would change my next question.
I believe he does, however, so I'll go ahead and ask my second question: Would the following order of operations be correct when his initiative comes around - he rolls a Recovery Check, he rolls a DC20 Fortitude save (suffocation), and he takes Swallow Whole damage?
In other words, could he theoretically reach Dying 4 at the end of that turn?
Other pertinent rules are shown below.
Recovery Checks [Player Core p.411]: While you're dying, attempt a recovery check at the start of each of your turns.
Drowning and Suffocation rules [Player Core p.437]: "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.
Taking Damage While Dying [Player Core p.411]: "If you take damage while you already have the dying condition, increase your dying condition value by 1, or by 2 if the damage came from an attacker’s critical hit or your own critical failure."
