David says...
Eventually a character is going to ride gravity's escalator to the ground and when that happens the DM needs some guidelines to determine if the character gets back up or needs a vacuum to get up off the floor. Common sense should be applied at all times, considering hit location, armour, substance hit and height, weight and the speed fallen. This also applies to being thrown or charging similar substances or situations.
Striking soft substances may reduce damage or even negate any damage, for example striking a mattress or cushion. Most apply additional modifiers as their hardness or rigidity causes extra damage.
Being thrown horizontally into a substance causes the rules for falling being applied but the 'height fallen' is read as 'distance thrown', determined by the distance thrown up to a maximum of the thrower's STR - (victim's total weight in pounds ÷ 3) in feet (minimum distance would be at the thrower's feet).
Charging horizontally into a substance causes the rules for falling being applied but only the '3-10 feet fallen' rules are considered ignoring the actual distance the charger moved, as charging over the character's DEX Rating in feet has no additional damage or affect. Minimum charge distance is 3 running steps of the charger.
3-10 feet fallen:
Save Vs Hitting or be stunned for 1 round, lose initiative next round.
Current total weight ÷10 as Damage Points (DP's) taken. If over 20 DP's then a STA roll again is needed, failing this results in unconsciousness for 1D10 rounds - Hitting Saving Throw ÷10 (round off).
Determine which parts of the character struck the substance first and then randomly determine 2D4 hit locations, which may include the first hit location again.
This number of hit locations is then divided into the total number of DP's sustained giving DPLots.
Armour worn on those locations hit reduce damage as per normal rules but a minimum of 1 DP always gets through unless the armour is especially designed against falls or impacts.
The first DPLot is applied to the first area struck.
Any remaining DPLots are then applied to randomly determined, but logical, hit locations.
Note: All DPLot amounts are Wound Levels, and as such multiple Wound Levels need to follow the Wound Level rules for consecutive applications.
(E.g. If a character weighed 180lbs and fell 8 feet they would take a total of 18 DP's. 2D4 hit locations are rolled and the result is 5 and four 'other' hit locations need to be determined. The 18 DP's are then divided by 5 and the result is 3.6 (rounded off to 4) It is determined the left arm hit the ground first and thus takes 1 DPLot of 4. The second and any subsequent DPLots are then applied to each 'other' hit location determined, ensuring each hit location is logical in relation to the first (Note: the first hit location may be hit again by the determination of the 'other' hit locations).
11-20 feet fallen:
Save Vs Hitting or be stunned for 1D4 rounds, lose initiative on recovering round.
Current total weight ÷10 + Substance hit modifier as Damage Points (DP's) taken. If over 20 DP's then a STA roll is needed, failing this results in unconsciousness for 1D10 rounds - Hitting Saving Throw ÷ 10 (round off).
Determine which parts of the character struck the substance first and then randomly determine 2D6 hit locations, which may include the first hit location again.
This number of hit locations is then divided into the total number of DP's sustained giving DPLots.
Armour worn on those locations hit reduce damage as per normal rules but a minimum of 2 DP's always get through unless the armour is especially designed against falls or impacts.
The first DPLot is applied to the first area struck.
Any remaining DPLots are then applied to randomly determined, but logical, hit locations.
Note: All DPLot amounts are Wound Levels, and as such multiple Wound Levels need to follow the Wound Level rules for consecutive applications.
21+ feet fallen:
Stunned for 1D10 rounds, lose initiative on recovering round.
Current total weight ÷10 + Substance hit modifier + 5 per whole extra 5 feet fallen (to a maximum of +50) as Damage Points (DP's) taken. If over 20 DP's then a Save Vs Hitting is needed, failing this results in unconsciousness for 10D10 rounds -Hitting Saving Throw ÷10 (round off).
Determine which parts of the character struck the substance first and then randomly determine 2D10 hit locations, which may include the first hit location again..
This number of hit locations is then divided into the total number of DP's sustained giving DPLots.
Armour worn on those locations hit reduce damage as per normal rules but a minimum of 4 DP's always get through unless the armour is especially designed against falls or impacts.
The first DPLot is applied to the first area struck.
Any remaining DPLots are then applied to randomly determined, but logical, hit locations.
Note: All DPLot amounts are Wound Levels, and as such multiple Wound Levels need to follow the Wound Level rules for consecutive applications.