Latest revision as of 20:20, 22 June 2010

When a character falls more than 10 feet, that character is subject to falling damage. Falling damage has no type, which means that Armor has no effect on it. No attack roll is ever needed, as the ground never misses.

For every ten feet over 10, you take an exponential amount of damage. Falling from 20 feet deals 1d6 damage, from 30 feet deals 2d6 damage, from 40 feet deals 4d6 damage, and so on, to a maximum of 32d6 at 70 feet, when the character reaches maximum velocity.

Helpless characters take damage as if falling from ten feet higher - this essentially just means they do not get the "free" ten feet at the beginning, and all falls of at least 10 feet damage them.

Falls into water deeper than 10 feet deal 2d6 less damage than normal, and a Swim check can be substituted for an Acrobatics check for reducing damage.

Very soft surfaces, such as heavy moss or a bed, deal 1d6 less than normal.

Falling objects

Having something fall onto you is almost as unpleasant as falling that distance yourself. Damage is calculated by distance fell, as above, but the damage die is not always 1d6. See chart:

A reflex save is usually allowed (DC 15+1 per 10 feet fell), though if a character is aware of the falling object they can usually just walk out of the way. This damage is usually bludgeoning, though in special cases the GM may rule otherwise. For objects less than 50 lbs, a shield check may be used to block it as if it were a projectile.

An object of exceptional density may be treated as if it is heavier than it actually is for the purposes of determining damage die, and an object with extreme wind resistance may be considered much lighter. A 100 lbs feather, a 100 lbs person, and a 100 lbs bar of gold will do very different amounts of damage.