Are there any rules about taking damage whilst holding your breath in combat?Are there effects where holding your breath allows you to avoid them?How can I tell how powerful an NPC is without being explicitly told?Why are there damage differences with these breath weapons?Looking for play tested house rules for combat while holding your breathAre there rules for fleeing from combat?Are there any rules about damaging body parts in WoD?Are there any rules for damage from an explosion?Does wild shape affect holding your breath?Are there any official rules for sharing a held breath?How to mechanically handle damage-over-time Stunts (or similar attack-modifying effects)?Are there effects where holding your breath allows you to avoid them?
What's politest way of writing you got no reply?
How can I swallow pills more easily?
Why dont electrical receptacles have more than one ground?
Why is oil used as the lubricant in power generators, while water is the most available, cheapest and accessible lubricant?
Seen from Europe, why is there a hard separation between Republicans and Democrats in the US?
What type of interpreter were most 8-bit BASIC implementations?
Adjoints for radical and socle functors
Who are the strongest non-professional GMs?
Balancing empathy and deferring to the syllabus in teaching responsibilities
Where to stand for this winter view in Grindelwald, Switzerland?
What does play with feeling mean?
Why would one use "enter the name of the project to confirm"?
I noticed an error in a graded exam during office hours. Should I give the student the lower grade?
How can medieval knights protects themselves against guns?
Why do some journal proofs insert dozens of typesetting mistakes?
A bob hanging in an accelerating train moves backward. What is the force moving it backward?
Do companies have non compete agreements between each other?
How can a rakshasa deal with sleeping when relying on the "Disguise Self" spell?
Solving a knapsack problem with a lot of items
Using a sealant to stop a toilet tank leak
Why is it so important who the whistleblower in the Trump-Zelensky phone call is?
Why would a berry have a slow-acting poison?
How can I convince my child to write?
Game company goes bankrupt, another company wants to make a sequel how?
Are there any rules about taking damage whilst holding your breath in combat?
Are there effects where holding your breath allows you to avoid them?How can I tell how powerful an NPC is without being explicitly told?Why are there damage differences with these breath weapons?Looking for play tested house rules for combat while holding your breathAre there rules for fleeing from combat?Are there any rules about damaging body parts in WoD?Are there any rules for damage from an explosion?Does wild shape affect holding your breath?Are there any official rules for sharing a held breath?How to mechanically handle damage-over-time Stunts (or similar attack-modifying effects)?Are there effects where holding your breath allows you to avoid them?
.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty
margin-bottom:0;
$begingroup$
Can't find any official rules about holding breath in combat in 5e. If there's a poisoned gas in the room, and party is fighting against some creature with poison immunity, like golem, and so this golem smashes one of PC's hard - do this player need to roll something not to lose his breath? It is quite normal in real life to blew all what you've got in your lungs once you get punched. What do you think?
dnd-5e combat damage optional-rules breathing
edited Sep 13 at 13:21
NathanS
46.7k19 gold badges204 silver badges378 bronze badges
asked Sep 13 at 12:49
Anonymous BadgerAnonymous Badger
2495 bronze badges
$endgroup$
add a comment
|
$begingroup$
Can't find any official rules about holding breath in combat in 5e. If there's a poisoned gas in the room, and party is fighting against some creature with poison immunity, like golem, and so this golem smashes one of PC's hard - do this player need to roll something not to lose his breath? It is quite normal in real life to blew all what you've got in your lungs once you get punched. What do you think?
dnd-5e combat damage optional-rules breathing
edited Sep 13 at 13:21
NathanS
46.7k19 gold badges204 silver badges378 bronze badges
asked Sep 13 at 12:49
Anonymous BadgerAnonymous Badger
2495 bronze badges
$endgroup$
2
$begingroup$
Hi Anonymous badger, welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour to find out how the site works and visit the help center for more info. Generally it's best to include the edition of the game as a tag; this has already been done for you, since you let us know in the title originally. I've also reworded your question's title to ask more of a question, although feel free to change that if you don't like it (although, again, no need to mention D&D 5e in the title if you include the tag). Happy gaming!
$endgroup$
– NathanS
Sep 13 at 12:54
1
$begingroup$
I've updated your title again since I didn't stress the core aspect of this question with my last re-wording, which is about taking damage whilst holding your breath. Sorry for the confusion.
$endgroup$
– NathanS
Sep 13 at 13:09
$begingroup$
In your example, are you talking about the Iron Golem and their Poison Breath? Or is there some other effect that's generating the poison?
$endgroup$
– NautArch
Sep 13 at 13:58
1
$begingroup$
Related on Are there effects where holding your breath allows you to avoid them?
$endgroup$
– NautArch
Sep 13 at 15:43
add a comment
|
$begingroup$
Can't find any official rules about holding breath in combat in 5e. If there's a poisoned gas in the room, and party is fighting against some creature with poison immunity, like golem, and so this golem smashes one of PC's hard - do this player need to roll something not to lose his breath? It is quite normal in real life to blew all what you've got in your lungs once you get punched. What do you think?
dnd-5e combat damage optional-rules breathing
edited Sep 13 at 13:21
NathanS
46.7k19 gold badges204 silver badges378 bronze badges
asked Sep 13 at 12:49
Anonymous BadgerAnonymous Badger
2495 bronze badges
$endgroup$
Can't find any official rules about holding breath in combat in 5e. If there's a poisoned gas in the room, and party is fighting against some creature with poison immunity, like golem, and so this golem smashes one of PC's hard - do this player need to roll something not to lose his breath? It is quite normal in real life to blew all what you've got in your lungs once you get punched. What do you think?
dnd-5e combat damage optional-rules breathing
dnd-5e combat damage optional-rules breathing
edited Sep 13 at 13:21
NathanS
46.7k19 gold badges204 silver badges378 bronze badges
asked Sep 13 at 12:49
Anonymous BadgerAnonymous Badger
2495 bronze badges
edited Sep 13 at 13:21
NathanS
46.7k19 gold badges204 silver badges378 bronze badges
asked Sep 13 at 12:49
Anonymous BadgerAnonymous Badger
2495 bronze badges
edited Sep 13 at 13:21
NathanS
46.7k19 gold badges204 silver badges378 bronze badges
edited Sep 13 at 13:21
NathanS
46.7k19 gold badges204 silver badges378 bronze badges
edited Sep 13 at 13:21
NathanS
46.7k19 gold badges204 silver badges378 bronze badges
46.7k19 gold badges204 silver badges378 bronze badges
asked Sep 13 at 12:49
Anonymous BadgerAnonymous Badger
2495 bronze badges
asked Sep 13 at 12:49
Anonymous BadgerAnonymous Badger
2495 bronze badges
asked Sep 13 at 12:49
Anonymous BadgerAnonymous Badger
2495 bronze badges
2495 bronze badges
2
$begingroup$
Hi Anonymous badger, welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour to find out how the site works and visit the help center for more info. Generally it's best to include the edition of the game as a tag; this has already been done for you, since you let us know in the title originally. I've also reworded your question's title to ask more of a question, although feel free to change that if you don't like it (although, again, no need to mention D&D 5e in the title if you include the tag). Happy gaming!
$endgroup$
– NathanS
Sep 13 at 12:54
1
$begingroup$
I've updated your title again since I didn't stress the core aspect of this question with my last re-wording, which is about taking damage whilst holding your breath. Sorry for the confusion.
$endgroup$
– NathanS
Sep 13 at 13:09
$begingroup$
In your example, are you talking about the Iron Golem and their Poison Breath? Or is there some other effect that's generating the poison?
$endgroup$
– NautArch
Sep 13 at 13:58
1
$begingroup$
Related on Are there effects where holding your breath allows you to avoid them?
$endgroup$
– NautArch
Sep 13 at 15:43
add a comment
|
2
$begingroup$
Hi Anonymous badger, welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour to find out how the site works and visit the help center for more info. Generally it's best to include the edition of the game as a tag; this has already been done for you, since you let us know in the title originally. I've also reworded your question's title to ask more of a question, although feel free to change that if you don't like it (although, again, no need to mention D&D 5e in the title if you include the tag). Happy gaming!
$endgroup$
– NathanS
Sep 13 at 12:54
1
$begingroup$
I've updated your title again since I didn't stress the core aspect of this question with my last re-wording, which is about taking damage whilst holding your breath. Sorry for the confusion.
$endgroup$
– NathanS
Sep 13 at 13:09
$begingroup$
In your example, are you talking about the Iron Golem and their Poison Breath? Or is there some other effect that's generating the poison?
$endgroup$
– NautArch
Sep 13 at 13:58
1
$begingroup$
Related on Are there effects where holding your breath allows you to avoid them?
$endgroup$
– NautArch
Sep 13 at 15:43
2
2
$begingroup$
Hi Anonymous badger, welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour to find out how the site works and visit the help center for more info. Generally it's best to include the edition of the game as a tag; this has already been done for you, since you let us know in the title originally. I've also reworded your question's title to ask more of a question, although feel free to change that if you don't like it (although, again, no need to mention D&D 5e in the title if you include the tag). Happy gaming!
$endgroup$
– NathanS
Sep 13 at 12:54
$begingroup$
Hi Anonymous badger, welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour to find out how the site works and visit the help center for more info. Generally it's best to include the edition of the game as a tag; this has already been done for you, since you let us know in the title originally. I've also reworded your question's title to ask more of a question, although feel free to change that if you don't like it (although, again, no need to mention D&D 5e in the title if you include the tag). Happy gaming!
$endgroup$
– NathanS
Sep 13 at 12:54
1
1
$begingroup$
I've updated your title again since I didn't stress the core aspect of this question with my last re-wording, which is about taking damage whilst holding your breath. Sorry for the confusion.
$endgroup$
– NathanS
Sep 13 at 13:09
$begingroup$
I've updated your title again since I didn't stress the core aspect of this question with my last re-wording, which is about taking damage whilst holding your breath. Sorry for the confusion.
$endgroup$
– NathanS
Sep 13 at 13:09
$begingroup$
In your example, are you talking about the Iron Golem and their Poison Breath? Or is there some other effect that's generating the poison?
$endgroup$
– NautArch
Sep 13 at 13:58
$begingroup$
In your example, are you talking about the Iron Golem and their Poison Breath? Or is there some other effect that's generating the poison?
$endgroup$
– NautArch
Sep 13 at 13:58
1
1
$begingroup$
Related on Are there effects where holding your breath allows you to avoid them?
$endgroup$
– NautArch
Sep 13 at 15:43
$begingroup$
Related on Are there effects where holding your breath allows you to avoid them?
$endgroup$
– NautArch
Sep 13 at 15:43
add a comment
|
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
Check out the Suffocating rules
The rules on suffocating can be found in chapter 8 of the PHB, or just in the basic rules such as on D&DBeyond:
A creature can hold its breath for a number of minutes equal to 1 + its Constitution modifier (minimum of 30 seconds).
When a creature runs out of breath or is choking, it can survive for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 round). At the start of its next turn, it drops to 0 hit points and is dying, and it can't regain hit points or be stabilized until it can breathe again.
For example, a creature with a Constitution of 14 can hold its breath for 3 minutes. If it starts suffocating, it has 2 rounds to reach air before it drops to 0 hit points.
In your case, the DM can make a ruling
However, the above does not cover your specific situation. If you take damage whilst holding your breath, the rules are silent on whether the creature damaged should suffer any penalty with regards to holding their breath.
One of D&D 5e's mantras is "rulings, not rules", and this is one such case for that. As a DM (I'm assuming you're the DM in this scenario?), you could come up with a ruling for this situation; I would suggest something like a CON save with some penalty for failing, such as losing 30 seconds worth of holding your breath, or even just "you aren't holding your breath anymore". But such a ruling at that point would be something the DM would come up with on-the-fly (although, once such a ruling has been made, it's best to be consistent with it henceforth in the interests of fairness).
edited Sep 14 at 6:26
V2Blast♦
36.5k5 gold badges134 silver badges226 bronze badges
answered Sep 13 at 12:52
NathanSNathanS
46.7k19 gold badges204 silver badges378 bronze badges
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
@NathanS Losing worth of breath holding looks great, because it won't make you suffer once you fail CON save, but adds more stress and worth in damage the player is taking. Thanks!
$endgroup$
– Anonymous Badger
Sep 13 at 13:07
1
$begingroup$
One ruling I have done for a bit more realism is halve the values during strenuous activity. Admittedly, I overlooked the getting hit part though, probably because it has yet to come up in my games, but I will keep that in mind.
$endgroup$
– Slagmoth
Sep 13 at 13:30
add a comment
|
$begingroup$
Holding your breath may not be a useful strategy against poison
@NathanS's answer covers the suffocation rules that seem very applicable to this situation, but I wanted to cover whether holding your breath is an effective strategy.
Your example of the golem
In your question, you state:
party is fighting against some creature with poison immunity, like golem
Looking at the golems with poison breath, that suggests you are discussing the Iron Golem.
The Iron Golem's Poison Breath (emphasis mine):
The golem exhales poisonous gas in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 19 Constitution saving throw, taking 45 (10d8) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
The effect works on each creature in the area. It doesn't say that it targets each creature breathing, but just each creature. A DM can always rule how they'd like, but RAW, the effect works against any creature. Poison gas doesn't necessarily have to be inhaled in order to work - it can absolutely enter through other means.
Poison/gas effects in general
If the effect doesn't specify "creatures that can breath", then generally it works whether breathing or not.
As I said before, if a DM wants to rule that you need to breathe in order to be affected, that's totally fine.
Most importantly, the Basic Rules covers the different types of poison and notes that holding your breath against the inhaled variety is not effective:
Inhaled. These poisons are powders or gases that take effect when inhaled. Blowing the powder or releasing the gas subjects creatures in a 5-foot cube to its effect. The resulting cloud dissipates immediately afterward. Holding one's breath is ineffective against inhaled poisons, as they affect nasal membranes, tear ducts, and other parts of the body.
The other poison types are contact, ingested, and injury - none of which would holding your breath be an effective way to avoid their effects.
The curious case of cloudkill
It does get a little squirrely with things like cloudkill which states:
When a creature enters the spell's area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, that creature must make a Constitution saving throw. The creature takes 5d8 poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Creatures are affected even if they hold their breath or don't need to breathe.
This line suggests that other things may allow you to hold your breath and I'm really not sure why they needed to state that. Given that, it is absolutely plausible for a DM to rule in other cases that you can hold your breath.
answered Sep 13 at 13:45
NautArchNautArch
86.4k17 gold badges326 silver badges549 bronze badges
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
"Looking at the golems with poison breath, that suggests you are discussing the Iron Golem." - I still don't agree with this either; there's nothing in the OP's example that suggests that. It could easily be a clay golem or a stone golem (both of which have immunity to poison damage), which activates when someone fails a puzzle door as the poisoned gas is released...
$endgroup$
– NathanS
Sep 13 at 13:55
$begingroup$
@NathanS Fair enough. I made the assumption that it was from the Golem, but I'll confirm with OP. But I can address poison traps as well.
$endgroup$
– NautArch
Sep 13 at 13:58
$begingroup$
I agree that the "Inhaled" trap rules are more relevant, since that directly addresses the "poisoned gas" from the question.
$endgroup$
– NathanS
Sep 13 at 14:06
$begingroup$
@NathanS To be clear, the rules I cited aren't for traps, but for poisons in general (trap or otherwise.)
$endgroup$
– NautArch
Sep 13 at 14:12
add a comment
|
Your Answer
StackExchange.ready(function()
var channelOptions =
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "122"
;
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function()
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled)
StackExchange.using("snippets", function()
createEditor();
);
else
createEditor();
);
function createEditor()
StackExchange.prepareEditor(
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader:
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"u003ecc by-sa 4.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
,
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
);
);
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2frpg.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f156187%2fare-there-any-rules-about-taking-damage-whilst-holding-your-breath-in-combat%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
Check out the Suffocating rules
The rules on suffocating can be found in chapter 8 of the PHB, or just in the basic rules such as on D&DBeyond:
A creature can hold its breath for a number of minutes equal to 1 + its Constitution modifier (minimum of 30 seconds).
When a creature runs out of breath or is choking, it can survive for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 round). At the start of its next turn, it drops to 0 hit points and is dying, and it can't regain hit points or be stabilized until it can breathe again.
For example, a creature with a Constitution of 14 can hold its breath for 3 minutes. If it starts suffocating, it has 2 rounds to reach air before it drops to 0 hit points.
In your case, the DM can make a ruling
However, the above does not cover your specific situation. If you take damage whilst holding your breath, the rules are silent on whether the creature damaged should suffer any penalty with regards to holding their breath.
One of D&D 5e's mantras is "rulings, not rules", and this is one such case for that. As a DM (I'm assuming you're the DM in this scenario?), you could come up with a ruling for this situation; I would suggest something like a CON save with some penalty for failing, such as losing 30 seconds worth of holding your breath, or even just "you aren't holding your breath anymore". But such a ruling at that point would be something the DM would come up with on-the-fly (although, once such a ruling has been made, it's best to be consistent with it henceforth in the interests of fairness).
edited Sep 14 at 6:26
V2Blast♦
36.5k5 gold badges134 silver badges226 bronze badges
answered Sep 13 at 12:52
NathanSNathanS
46.7k19 gold badges204 silver badges378 bronze badges
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
@NathanS Losing worth of breath holding looks great, because it won't make you suffer once you fail CON save, but adds more stress and worth in damage the player is taking. Thanks!
$endgroup$
– Anonymous Badger
Sep 13 at 13:07
1
$begingroup$
One ruling I have done for a bit more realism is halve the values during strenuous activity. Admittedly, I overlooked the getting hit part though, probably because it has yet to come up in my games, but I will keep that in mind.
$endgroup$
– Slagmoth
Sep 13 at 13:30
add a comment
|
$begingroup$
Check out the Suffocating rules
The rules on suffocating can be found in chapter 8 of the PHB, or just in the basic rules such as on D&DBeyond:
A creature can hold its breath for a number of minutes equal to 1 + its Constitution modifier (minimum of 30 seconds).
When a creature runs out of breath or is choking, it can survive for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 round). At the start of its next turn, it drops to 0 hit points and is dying, and it can't regain hit points or be stabilized until it can breathe again.
For example, a creature with a Constitution of 14 can hold its breath for 3 minutes. If it starts suffocating, it has 2 rounds to reach air before it drops to 0 hit points.
In your case, the DM can make a ruling
However, the above does not cover your specific situation. If you take damage whilst holding your breath, the rules are silent on whether the creature damaged should suffer any penalty with regards to holding their breath.
One of D&D 5e's mantras is "rulings, not rules", and this is one such case for that. As a DM (I'm assuming you're the DM in this scenario?), you could come up with a ruling for this situation; I would suggest something like a CON save with some penalty for failing, such as losing 30 seconds worth of holding your breath, or even just "you aren't holding your breath anymore". But such a ruling at that point would be something the DM would come up with on-the-fly (although, once such a ruling has been made, it's best to be consistent with it henceforth in the interests of fairness).
edited Sep 14 at 6:26
V2Blast♦
36.5k5 gold badges134 silver badges226 bronze badges
answered Sep 13 at 12:52
NathanSNathanS
46.7k19 gold badges204 silver badges378 bronze badges
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
@NathanS Losing worth of breath holding looks great, because it won't make you suffer once you fail CON save, but adds more stress and worth in damage the player is taking. Thanks!
$endgroup$
– Anonymous Badger
Sep 13 at 13:07
1
$begingroup$
One ruling I have done for a bit more realism is halve the values during strenuous activity. Admittedly, I overlooked the getting hit part though, probably because it has yet to come up in my games, but I will keep that in mind.
$endgroup$
– Slagmoth
Sep 13 at 13:30
add a comment
|
$begingroup$
Check out the Suffocating rules
The rules on suffocating can be found in chapter 8 of the PHB, or just in the basic rules such as on D&DBeyond:
A creature can hold its breath for a number of minutes equal to 1 + its Constitution modifier (minimum of 30 seconds).
When a creature runs out of breath or is choking, it can survive for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 round). At the start of its next turn, it drops to 0 hit points and is dying, and it can't regain hit points or be stabilized until it can breathe again.
For example, a creature with a Constitution of 14 can hold its breath for 3 minutes. If it starts suffocating, it has 2 rounds to reach air before it drops to 0 hit points.
In your case, the DM can make a ruling
However, the above does not cover your specific situation. If you take damage whilst holding your breath, the rules are silent on whether the creature damaged should suffer any penalty with regards to holding their breath.
One of D&D 5e's mantras is "rulings, not rules", and this is one such case for that. As a DM (I'm assuming you're the DM in this scenario?), you could come up with a ruling for this situation; I would suggest something like a CON save with some penalty for failing, such as losing 30 seconds worth of holding your breath, or even just "you aren't holding your breath anymore". But such a ruling at that point would be something the DM would come up with on-the-fly (although, once such a ruling has been made, it's best to be consistent with it henceforth in the interests of fairness).
edited Sep 14 at 6:26
V2Blast♦
36.5k5 gold badges134 silver badges226 bronze badges
answered Sep 13 at 12:52
NathanSNathanS
46.7k19 gold badges204 silver badges378 bronze badges
$endgroup$
Check out the Suffocating rules
The rules on suffocating can be found in chapter 8 of the PHB, or just in the basic rules such as on D&DBeyond:
A creature can hold its breath for a number of minutes equal to 1 + its Constitution modifier (minimum of 30 seconds).
When a creature runs out of breath or is choking, it can survive for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 round). At the start of its next turn, it drops to 0 hit points and is dying, and it can't regain hit points or be stabilized until it can breathe again.
For example, a creature with a Constitution of 14 can hold its breath for 3 minutes. If it starts suffocating, it has 2 rounds to reach air before it drops to 0 hit points.
In your case, the DM can make a ruling
However, the above does not cover your specific situation. If you take damage whilst holding your breath, the rules are silent on whether the creature damaged should suffer any penalty with regards to holding their breath.
One of D&D 5e's mantras is "rulings, not rules", and this is one such case for that. As a DM (I'm assuming you're the DM in this scenario?), you could come up with a ruling for this situation; I would suggest something like a CON save with some penalty for failing, such as losing 30 seconds worth of holding your breath, or even just "you aren't holding your breath anymore". But such a ruling at that point would be something the DM would come up with on-the-fly (although, once such a ruling has been made, it's best to be consistent with it henceforth in the interests of fairness).
edited Sep 14 at 6:26
V2Blast♦
36.5k5 gold badges134 silver badges226 bronze badges
answered Sep 13 at 12:52
NathanSNathanS
46.7k19 gold badges204 silver badges378 bronze badges
edited Sep 14 at 6:26
V2Blast♦
36.5k5 gold badges134 silver badges226 bronze badges
edited Sep 14 at 6:26
V2Blast♦
36.5k5 gold badges134 silver badges226 bronze badges
edited Sep 14 at 6:26
V2Blast♦
36.5k5 gold badges134 silver badges226 bronze badges
36.5k5 gold badges134 silver badges226 bronze badges
answered Sep 13 at 12:52
NathanSNathanS
46.7k19 gold badges204 silver badges378 bronze badges
answered Sep 13 at 12:52
NathanSNathanS
46.7k19 gold badges204 silver badges378 bronze badges
answered Sep 13 at 12:52
NathanSNathanS
46.7k19 gold badges204 silver badges378 bronze badges
46.7k19 gold badges204 silver badges378 bronze badges
1
$begingroup$
@NathanS Losing worth of breath holding looks great, because it won't make you suffer once you fail CON save, but adds more stress and worth in damage the player is taking. Thanks!
$endgroup$
– Anonymous Badger
Sep 13 at 13:07
1
$begingroup$
One ruling I have done for a bit more realism is halve the values during strenuous activity. Admittedly, I overlooked the getting hit part though, probably because it has yet to come up in my games, but I will keep that in mind.
$endgroup$
– Slagmoth
Sep 13 at 13:30
add a comment
|
1
$begingroup$
@NathanS Losing worth of breath holding looks great, because it won't make you suffer once you fail CON save, but adds more stress and worth in damage the player is taking. Thanks!
$endgroup$
– Anonymous Badger
Sep 13 at 13:07
1
$begingroup$
One ruling I have done for a bit more realism is halve the values during strenuous activity. Admittedly, I overlooked the getting hit part though, probably because it has yet to come up in my games, but I will keep that in mind.
$endgroup$
– Slagmoth
Sep 13 at 13:30
1
1
$begingroup$
@NathanS Losing worth of breath holding looks great, because it won't make you suffer once you fail CON save, but adds more stress and worth in damage the player is taking. Thanks!
$endgroup$
– Anonymous Badger
Sep 13 at 13:07
$begingroup$
@NathanS Losing worth of breath holding looks great, because it won't make you suffer once you fail CON save, but adds more stress and worth in damage the player is taking. Thanks!
$endgroup$
– Anonymous Badger
Sep 13 at 13:07
1
1
$begingroup$
One ruling I have done for a bit more realism is halve the values during strenuous activity. Admittedly, I overlooked the getting hit part though, probably because it has yet to come up in my games, but I will keep that in mind.
$endgroup$
– Slagmoth
Sep 13 at 13:30
$begingroup$
One ruling I have done for a bit more realism is halve the values during strenuous activity. Admittedly, I overlooked the getting hit part though, probably because it has yet to come up in my games, but I will keep that in mind.
$endgroup$
– Slagmoth
Sep 13 at 13:30
add a comment
|
$begingroup$
Holding your breath may not be a useful strategy against poison
@NathanS's answer covers the suffocation rules that seem very applicable to this situation, but I wanted to cover whether holding your breath is an effective strategy.
Your example of the golem
In your question, you state:
party is fighting against some creature with poison immunity, like golem
Looking at the golems with poison breath, that suggests you are discussing the Iron Golem.
The Iron Golem's Poison Breath (emphasis mine):
The golem exhales poisonous gas in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 19 Constitution saving throw, taking 45 (10d8) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
The effect works on each creature in the area. It doesn't say that it targets each creature breathing, but just each creature. A DM can always rule how they'd like, but RAW, the effect works against any creature. Poison gas doesn't necessarily have to be inhaled in order to work - it can absolutely enter through other means.
Poison/gas effects in general
If the effect doesn't specify "creatures that can breath", then generally it works whether breathing or not.
As I said before, if a DM wants to rule that you need to breathe in order to be affected, that's totally fine.
Most importantly, the Basic Rules covers the different types of poison and notes that holding your breath against the inhaled variety is not effective:
Inhaled. These poisons are powders or gases that take effect when inhaled. Blowing the powder or releasing the gas subjects creatures in a 5-foot cube to its effect. The resulting cloud dissipates immediately afterward. Holding one's breath is ineffective against inhaled poisons, as they affect nasal membranes, tear ducts, and other parts of the body.
The other poison types are contact, ingested, and injury - none of which would holding your breath be an effective way to avoid their effects.
The curious case of cloudkill
It does get a little squirrely with things like cloudkill which states:
When a creature enters the spell's area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, that creature must make a Constitution saving throw. The creature takes 5d8 poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Creatures are affected even if they hold their breath or don't need to breathe.
This line suggests that other things may allow you to hold your breath and I'm really not sure why they needed to state that. Given that, it is absolutely plausible for a DM to rule in other cases that you can hold your breath.
answered Sep 13 at 13:45
NautArchNautArch
86.4k17 gold badges326 silver badges549 bronze badges
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
"Looking at the golems with poison breath, that suggests you are discussing the Iron Golem." - I still don't agree with this either; there's nothing in the OP's example that suggests that. It could easily be a clay golem or a stone golem (both of which have immunity to poison damage), which activates when someone fails a puzzle door as the poisoned gas is released...
$endgroup$
– NathanS
Sep 13 at 13:55
$begingroup$
@NathanS Fair enough. I made the assumption that it was from the Golem, but I'll confirm with OP. But I can address poison traps as well.
$endgroup$
– NautArch
Sep 13 at 13:58
$begingroup$
I agree that the "Inhaled" trap rules are more relevant, since that directly addresses the "poisoned gas" from the question.
$endgroup$
– NathanS
Sep 13 at 14:06
$begingroup$
@NathanS To be clear, the rules I cited aren't for traps, but for poisons in general (trap or otherwise.)
$endgroup$
– NautArch
Sep 13 at 14:12
add a comment
|
$begingroup$
Holding your breath may not be a useful strategy against poison
@NathanS's answer covers the suffocation rules that seem very applicable to this situation, but I wanted to cover whether holding your breath is an effective strategy.
Your example of the golem
In your question, you state:
party is fighting against some creature with poison immunity, like golem
Looking at the golems with poison breath, that suggests you are discussing the Iron Golem.
The Iron Golem's Poison Breath (emphasis mine):
The golem exhales poisonous gas in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 19 Constitution saving throw, taking 45 (10d8) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
The effect works on each creature in the area. It doesn't say that it targets each creature breathing, but just each creature. A DM can always rule how they'd like, but RAW, the effect works against any creature. Poison gas doesn't necessarily have to be inhaled in order to work - it can absolutely enter through other means.
Poison/gas effects in general
If the effect doesn't specify "creatures that can breath", then generally it works whether breathing or not.
As I said before, if a DM wants to rule that you need to breathe in order to be affected, that's totally fine.
Most importantly, the Basic Rules covers the different types of poison and notes that holding your breath against the inhaled variety is not effective:
Inhaled. These poisons are powders or gases that take effect when inhaled. Blowing the powder or releasing the gas subjects creatures in a 5-foot cube to its effect. The resulting cloud dissipates immediately afterward. Holding one's breath is ineffective against inhaled poisons, as they affect nasal membranes, tear ducts, and other parts of the body.
The other poison types are contact, ingested, and injury - none of which would holding your breath be an effective way to avoid their effects.
The curious case of cloudkill
It does get a little squirrely with things like cloudkill which states:
When a creature enters the spell's area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, that creature must make a Constitution saving throw. The creature takes 5d8 poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Creatures are affected even if they hold their breath or don't need to breathe.
This line suggests that other things may allow you to hold your breath and I'm really not sure why they needed to state that. Given that, it is absolutely plausible for a DM to rule in other cases that you can hold your breath.
answered Sep 13 at 13:45
NautArchNautArch
86.4k17 gold badges326 silver badges549 bronze badges
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
"Looking at the golems with poison breath, that suggests you are discussing the Iron Golem." - I still don't agree with this either; there's nothing in the OP's example that suggests that. It could easily be a clay golem or a stone golem (both of which have immunity to poison damage), which activates when someone fails a puzzle door as the poisoned gas is released...
$endgroup$
– NathanS
Sep 13 at 13:55
$begingroup$
@NathanS Fair enough. I made the assumption that it was from the Golem, but I'll confirm with OP. But I can address poison traps as well.
$endgroup$
– NautArch
Sep 13 at 13:58
$begingroup$
I agree that the "Inhaled" trap rules are more relevant, since that directly addresses the "poisoned gas" from the question.
$endgroup$
– NathanS
Sep 13 at 14:06
$begingroup$
@NathanS To be clear, the rules I cited aren't for traps, but for poisons in general (trap or otherwise.)
$endgroup$
– NautArch
Sep 13 at 14:12
add a comment
|
$begingroup$
Holding your breath may not be a useful strategy against poison
@NathanS's answer covers the suffocation rules that seem very applicable to this situation, but I wanted to cover whether holding your breath is an effective strategy.
Your example of the golem
In your question, you state:
party is fighting against some creature with poison immunity, like golem
Looking at the golems with poison breath, that suggests you are discussing the Iron Golem.
The Iron Golem's Poison Breath (emphasis mine):
The golem exhales poisonous gas in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 19 Constitution saving throw, taking 45 (10d8) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
The effect works on each creature in the area. It doesn't say that it targets each creature breathing, but just each creature. A DM can always rule how they'd like, but RAW, the effect works against any creature. Poison gas doesn't necessarily have to be inhaled in order to work - it can absolutely enter through other means.
Poison/gas effects in general
If the effect doesn't specify "creatures that can breath", then generally it works whether breathing or not.
As I said before, if a DM wants to rule that you need to breathe in order to be affected, that's totally fine.
Most importantly, the Basic Rules covers the different types of poison and notes that holding your breath against the inhaled variety is not effective:
Inhaled. These poisons are powders or gases that take effect when inhaled. Blowing the powder or releasing the gas subjects creatures in a 5-foot cube to its effect. The resulting cloud dissipates immediately afterward. Holding one's breath is ineffective against inhaled poisons, as they affect nasal membranes, tear ducts, and other parts of the body.
The other poison types are contact, ingested, and injury - none of which would holding your breath be an effective way to avoid their effects.
The curious case of cloudkill
It does get a little squirrely with things like cloudkill which states:
When a creature enters the spell's area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, that creature must make a Constitution saving throw. The creature takes 5d8 poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Creatures are affected even if they hold their breath or don't need to breathe.
This line suggests that other things may allow you to hold your breath and I'm really not sure why they needed to state that. Given that, it is absolutely plausible for a DM to rule in other cases that you can hold your breath.
answered Sep 13 at 13:45
NautArchNautArch
86.4k17 gold badges326 silver badges549 bronze badges
$endgroup$
Holding your breath may not be a useful strategy against poison
@NathanS's answer covers the suffocation rules that seem very applicable to this situation, but I wanted to cover whether holding your breath is an effective strategy.
Your example of the golem
In your question, you state:
party is fighting against some creature with poison immunity, like golem
Looking at the golems with poison breath, that suggests you are discussing the Iron Golem.
The Iron Golem's Poison Breath (emphasis mine):
The golem exhales poisonous gas in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 19 Constitution saving throw, taking 45 (10d8) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
The effect works on each creature in the area. It doesn't say that it targets each creature breathing, but just each creature. A DM can always rule how they'd like, but RAW, the effect works against any creature. Poison gas doesn't necessarily have to be inhaled in order to work - it can absolutely enter through other means.
Poison/gas effects in general
If the effect doesn't specify "creatures that can breath", then generally it works whether breathing or not.
As I said before, if a DM wants to rule that you need to breathe in order to be affected, that's totally fine.
Most importantly, the Basic Rules covers the different types of poison and notes that holding your breath against the inhaled variety is not effective:
Inhaled. These poisons are powders or gases that take effect when inhaled. Blowing the powder or releasing the gas subjects creatures in a 5-foot cube to its effect. The resulting cloud dissipates immediately afterward. Holding one's breath is ineffective against inhaled poisons, as they affect nasal membranes, tear ducts, and other parts of the body.
The other poison types are contact, ingested, and injury - none of which would holding your breath be an effective way to avoid their effects.
The curious case of cloudkill
It does get a little squirrely with things like cloudkill which states:
When a creature enters the spell's area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, that creature must make a Constitution saving throw. The creature takes 5d8 poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Creatures are affected even if they hold their breath or don't need to breathe.
This line suggests that other things may allow you to hold your breath and I'm really not sure why they needed to state that. Given that, it is absolutely plausible for a DM to rule in other cases that you can hold your breath.
answered Sep 13 at 13:45
NautArchNautArch
86.4k17 gold badges326 silver badges549 bronze badges
edited Sep 13 at 14:01
answered Sep 13 at 13:45
NautArchNautArch
86.4k17 gold badges326 silver badges549 bronze badges
answered Sep 13 at 13:45
NautArchNautArch
86.4k17 gold badges326 silver badges549 bronze badges
answered Sep 13 at 13:45
NautArchNautArch
86.4k17 gold badges326 silver badges549 bronze badges
86.4k17 gold badges326 silver badges549 bronze badges
$begingroup$
"Looking at the golems with poison breath, that suggests you are discussing the Iron Golem." - I still don't agree with this either; there's nothing in the OP's example that suggests that. It could easily be a clay golem or a stone golem (both of which have immunity to poison damage), which activates when someone fails a puzzle door as the poisoned gas is released...
$endgroup$
– NathanS
Sep 13 at 13:55
$begingroup$
@NathanS Fair enough. I made the assumption that it was from the Golem, but I'll confirm with OP. But I can address poison traps as well.
$endgroup$
– NautArch
Sep 13 at 13:58
$begingroup$
I agree that the "Inhaled" trap rules are more relevant, since that directly addresses the "poisoned gas" from the question.
$endgroup$
– NathanS
Sep 13 at 14:06
$begingroup$
@NathanS To be clear, the rules I cited aren't for traps, but for poisons in general (trap or otherwise.)
$endgroup$
– NautArch
Sep 13 at 14:12
add a comment
|
$begingroup$
"Looking at the golems with poison breath, that suggests you are discussing the Iron Golem." - I still don't agree with this either; there's nothing in the OP's example that suggests that. It could easily be a clay golem or a stone golem (both of which have immunity to poison damage), which activates when someone fails a puzzle door as the poisoned gas is released...
$endgroup$
– NathanS
Sep 13 at 13:55
$begingroup$
@NathanS Fair enough. I made the assumption that it was from the Golem, but I'll confirm with OP. But I can address poison traps as well.
$endgroup$
– NautArch
Sep 13 at 13:58
$begingroup$
I agree that the "Inhaled" trap rules are more relevant, since that directly addresses the "poisoned gas" from the question.
$endgroup$
– NathanS
Sep 13 at 14:06
$begingroup$
@NathanS To be clear, the rules I cited aren't for traps, but for poisons in general (trap or otherwise.)
$endgroup$
– NautArch
Sep 13 at 14:12
$begingroup$
"Looking at the golems with poison breath, that suggests you are discussing the Iron Golem." - I still don't agree with this either; there's nothing in the OP's example that suggests that. It could easily be a clay golem or a stone golem (both of which have immunity to poison damage), which activates when someone fails a puzzle door as the poisoned gas is released...
$endgroup$
– NathanS
Sep 13 at 13:55
$begingroup$
"Looking at the golems with poison breath, that suggests you are discussing the Iron Golem." - I still don't agree with this either; there's nothing in the OP's example that suggests that. It could easily be a clay golem or a stone golem (both of which have immunity to poison damage), which activates when someone fails a puzzle door as the poisoned gas is released...
$endgroup$
– NathanS
Sep 13 at 13:55
$begingroup$
@NathanS Fair enough. I made the assumption that it was from the Golem, but I'll confirm with OP. But I can address poison traps as well.
$endgroup$
– NautArch
Sep 13 at 13:58
$begingroup$
@NathanS Fair enough. I made the assumption that it was from the Golem, but I'll confirm with OP. But I can address poison traps as well.
$endgroup$
– NautArch
Sep 13 at 13:58
$begingroup$
I agree that the "Inhaled" trap rules are more relevant, since that directly addresses the "poisoned gas" from the question.
$endgroup$
– NathanS
Sep 13 at 14:06
$begingroup$
I agree that the "Inhaled" trap rules are more relevant, since that directly addresses the "poisoned gas" from the question.
$endgroup$
– NathanS
Sep 13 at 14:06
$begingroup$
@NathanS To be clear, the rules I cited aren't for traps, but for poisons in general (trap or otherwise.)
$endgroup$
– NautArch
Sep 13 at 14:12
$begingroup$
@NathanS To be clear, the rules I cited aren't for traps, but for poisons in general (trap or otherwise.)
$endgroup$
– NautArch
Sep 13 at 14:12
add a comment
|
Thanks for contributing an answer to Role-playing Games Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
Use MathJax to format equations. MathJax reference.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2frpg.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f156187%2fare-there-any-rules-about-taking-damage-whilst-holding-your-breath-in-combat%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
2
$begingroup$
Hi Anonymous badger, welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour to find out how the site works and visit the help center for more info. Generally it's best to include the edition of the game as a tag; this has already been done for you, since you let us know in the title originally. I've also reworded your question's title to ask more of a question, although feel free to change that if you don't like it (although, again, no need to mention D&D 5e in the title if you include the tag). Happy gaming!
$endgroup$
– NathanS
Sep 13 at 12:54
1
$begingroup$
I've updated your title again since I didn't stress the core aspect of this question with my last re-wording, which is about taking damage whilst holding your breath. Sorry for the confusion.
$endgroup$
– NathanS
Sep 13 at 13:09
$begingroup$
In your example, are you talking about the Iron Golem and their Poison Breath? Or is there some other effect that's generating the poison?
$endgroup$
– NautArch
Sep 13 at 13:58
1
$begingroup$
Related on Are there effects where holding your breath allows you to avoid them?
$endgroup$
– NautArch
Sep 13 at 15:43