Questions tagged [falling]
For questions about mechanics for physically falling over a vertical distance (and directly related issues) in a given RPG system.
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Do you take falling damage after a high jump of over 10 feet?
I have a multiclass Monk / Druid (2 levels of monk). He cast jump on himself, wild shaped into a brown bear, activated step of the wind, then took a high jump with a height of 42':
High Jump
When ...
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Can a monk, falling with an enemy they have grappled, use their slow fall ability to reduce their falling damage and not that of the enemy?
This came up as a controversial topic at my table with a player creating a Zangief playstyle.
The player uses an aarakocra monk that flies up with a grappled enemy, then ends his movement to fall to ...
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Do you suffer fall damage while inside a Bag of Holding?
You take your gnomish friend and cram him in a Bag of Holding. You then throw that same bag off a 120 foot cliff. The bag lands on dirt ground.
What happens to the bag, and the gnome?
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When does a flying creature start and end falling?
Situation:
Alice the Aarakokra sees Bob the Battlemaster coming. She ascends to 605', just out of the 600' range of Bob's longbow.
Bob (Str 14) performs a running high jump 5' into the air and ...
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Can a character survive a fall from 2 miles up?
By the rules as I understand them, the maximum damage for falling is 20d6. Does this mean that characters with enough hit points (above 70 on average) can simply leap off airships or cliffs (no ...
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How far do you fall per turn?
I recently began browsing the 5e PHB when I noticed that there was no distance per round when falling under the Falling category. Is there a set fall speed and if so, what is it?
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If a character falls off a flying mount (e.g. a pegasus), can the mount fly down to catch them before they hit the ground?
Say a paladin is riding on a pegasus mount from the find greater steed spell (XGtE, p. 156). The pegasus is flying 100 feet in the air, but something or someone knocks the paladin off.
Can the Pegasus ...
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What would be the game balance implications for using the Gygax method for applying falling damage?
According to the rules, at the end of a fall, a creature takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet it fell, to a maximum of 20d6.
However, way back in Dragon Magazine #69, D&D co-creator ...
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Is there no way to have a single casting of the Feather Fall spell affect a whole group of people who decide to jump off a cliff during combat?
I couldn't find an answer to this in my reading of the source books nor on Stack Exchange.
My players were engaged in an encounter in which enemies were able to manipulate air to "gust" them ...
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Can I use the Conjure Animals spell to drop cows on targets in order to deal damage to the targets?
Can cows that I conjure using the conjure animals spell fall onto targets, thereby dealing damage?
The feys summoned by conjure animals take the shape of a beast (a cow, in this case). But since the ...
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Does the 500 feet falling cap apply per fall, or per turn?
Xanathar’s Guide to Everything (p. 77) has this to say about the rate of falling:
The rule for falling assumes that a creature immediately drops the entire distance when it falls. But what if a ...
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How might the weight of a falling object affect the damage it causes?
Fall damage is 1d6 per 10 feet. What adjustments if any should I make for objects falling on a player character? (e.g. a bear)
Assuming the objects are meaningful threats but not instant character ...
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How should I handle a player attacking from the top of a tree?
There is a player in my group whose character is developed around staying in trees, climbling, Athletics, Acrobatics, and such. He likes to climb trees and then leap down onto enemies from the tree ...
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Is Lightning Lure like a tractor beam?
Lightning Lure says (among other things):
The target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be pulled up to 10 feet in a straight line toward you...
"In a straight line" here leads to ...
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Does a monk decide to use their reaction on the Slow Fall feature after falling damage is rolled?
At 4th level, monks get the class feature Slow Fall:
Beginning at 4th level, you can use your reaction when you fall to reduce any falling damage you take by an amount equal to five times your monk ...
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Do I have to land at the end of my turn?
I was told by my AL DM that when you fly at the end of your turn you must return to the ground or at the end of the round take falling damage.
I can't find this rule set anywhere. All I can find is:
...
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If Tasha's Mind Whip prevents a flying creature from moving, does the creature fall?
A flying creature that doesn't hover and can't move must fall:
If a flying creature is knocked prone, has its speed reduced to 0, or is otherwise deprived of the ability to move, the creature falls, ...
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Does deliberately falling cost movement?
If you willingly fall on your turn does it cost movement?
As a DM I'm thinking about how to handle things such as creatures who are immune to being prone, diving into the water from a height, or a ...
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If you are falling, can you Misty Step to the ground to avoid damage?
If I fall off a cliff - say, 1000 feet - can I wait (readied action?) until I am near enough to the ground (my understanding is you fall 500 ft/round) then misty step safely to the ground? Or, does ...
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Is my Half Orc Barbarian invulnerable to death by falling?
Forgive me if I've botched any math, but here's the situation I've found myself in (assuming 4th level):
Falling damage caps out at 20d6 at terminal velocity. Kronan the Barbarian has 55 Max HP ...
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Does a creature in flight affected by the Haste spell fall when the spell ends?
The final sentence of the Haste spell reads:
When the spell ends, the target can't move or take Actions until after its next turn, as a wave of lethargy sweeps over it. (PBH p. 250)
If a creature ...
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Are there rules for falling in water vs. diving vs. just jumping in for various depths of water?
Just realized that in DMing 5e I have unconsciously used a falling-in-water rule-of-thumb that I inherited from somewhere (maybe 2e or AD&D or maybe even Pathfinder). The ruling I've been using is ...
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Can a druid use Wild Shape in mid-air to survive being dropped?
Our group is all relatively new to D&D.
Let's say that an aarakocra picks up a dragonborn druid, and carries her up to an altitude of 125 feet. It would take her ~2.5 seconds to hit the ground ...
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Catching falling characters
In my experience, whenever a character falls because of a pit trap or a botched climb check there is always at least one player that that tries to catch them. I can't seem to find any specific rulings ...
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Would a winged Aasimar fall if it could not flap its wings?
I have a player who has an Aasimar character. My player argues that the book does not state the Aasimar has to flap its wings, and instead can hover because the wings don't use concentration. This ...
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Can a flying character choose to fall, and then use a reaction to stop falling before hitting the ground?
As a flying character there are a few scenarios that I'd like to know are valid/RAW, invalid, or up to the DM.
Assume in these scenarios that all characters fall at 1000ft/round (this is not up for ...
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Are there creatures that are resistant/immune to falling damage?
From my experience in 5th edition D&D, I've seen many creatures resist or be immune to bludgeoning damage from weapons, but never to bludgeoning damage from falling. The only instance I know is a ...
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If a Gelatinous Cube takes up the entire space of a pit trap, what happens when a creature falls in but succeeds on the saving throw against Engulf?
A player character falls into a 10-foot × 10-foot concealed pit trap, which is 20 feet deep. At the bottom of this pit is a gelatinous cube, which occupies all of the bottom 10 × 10 × 10 (width × ...
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If a flying creature with no swim speed ends up in water, can it fly out?
Assuming there is no magic holding it aloft and it doesn't have the ability to hover, when a flying creature is knocked prone, it falls.
What happens if the creature was flying over a body of water? ...
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Does Hold Person cast on a Spider Climbing NPC affect their ability stay on a vertical surface?
An NPC spell caster that is using spider climb at the top of a 30' pillar where it meets the ceiling is magically held by hold person. I have two related questions:
When Hold Person goes into effect, ...
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Performing actions while falling
If a character falls from a great height and has a skill or item that may save them if used early enough, how does one determine where in the fall the item is used? Depending on the reason for the ...
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Are there rules for attacking whilst falling?
Consider a character with the ability to cast quickened Dimension Door and the Dimensional Agility feat. Such a character could use Dimension Door to appear next to an enemy and then proceed to make a ...
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How can 16th-level characters mitigate damage from a lethal (long) fall?
The core question
What is a way for a 16th level character to avoid potentially fatal falling damage - but are not Feather Fall, Levitate, magic items that grant the properties of these spells, or ...
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How far does one travel when falling for one round?
How far would you fall in one round assuming you started falling this round, and were high enough that you did not hit anything? Would this follow the math, or is there a rule written somewhere I'm ...
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Will a Readied Attack hit someone mid-fall (less than 500 feet)?
The scenario: An enemy is atop a 499 foot cliff. A hero is at a place where he can stand and move freely (enough), let's say in the middle (around 250ft). Immediately after the hero's turn, the enemy ...
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If you misty step 30 feet straight up do you have time to attack a foe next to you before you start falling?
On your turn, you misty step 30 feet straight up. Can you make an attack before you start falling, or will you immediately begin to fall?
For example, a player wants to reach a flying enemy to knock ...
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If a creature is dropped on a monster, how much damage does each of them take?
If a character who was under the effect of a growth potion (double their height and eight times their weight) and weighed 2,400 lbs. was able to use Dimension Door to teleport 400 feet or more into ...
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Using the optional rule on falling onto a creature, is the fall damage divided between creatures before or after damage resistance/reduction?
Tasha's Cauldron of Everything (p. 170) offers the following optional rule on falling onto a creature:
If a creature falls into the space of a second creature and neither of them is Tiny, the second ...
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How to handle falling down stairs?
It is well-established in fiction -- as in real life -- that falling down a flight of stairs is dangerous. A significant tumble can seriously injure or kill a person. "Pushed down a flight of ...
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What happens if I Blink while in free fall?
Scenario
I have cast Blink on a previous turn and am falling from a height of 510 feet. After having fallen 500 feet, my turn ends and I vanish into the ethereal plane.
What happens when I reappear? ...
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Can Monk's Slow Fall Be Used to Carry/Catch Someone?
The description for Slow Fall is bare boned:
Slow Fall
Beginning at 4th level, you can use your reaction when you fall to reduce any Falling damage you take by an amount equal to five times your monk ...
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When a character with no fly speed ends their turn in the air, when should they start falling? [duplicate]
We had a situation last session where I (sorcerer/monk) ended my turn mid air after striking a flying monster trying to flee. It was already 100 feet high so I used a quickened Thunder Step to ...
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Do you take damage from falling while wearing Winged Boots?
In 4th Edition the magic item clearly stated that you dont take damage and that you land on your feet while wearing them, but in 5e there is no such language in the description. The description of ...
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Can Feather Fall be used to arrest falling at any point?
Can the spell feather fall be used to stop you/others falling at any point in the fall, or just at the start of the fall?
For example, could a character jump from a very large height, descend rapidly ...
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Is fall damage only calculated on vertical distance?
From this answer to Is damage taken when falling off a mount?:
The minimum distance to take fall damage is stated as 10ft.
However, if you are on a fast mount, you could potentially fall off while ...
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Does the spell Feather Fall prevent damage from falling down stairs?
Inspired by this Q&A: How to handle falling down stairs?
Feather fall says:
Choose up to five falling creatures within range. A falling creature's rate of descent slows to 60 feet per round until ...
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How does the simic hybrid's Manta Glide racial trait work during combat?
Consider a Simic Hybrid with the Manta Glide trait:
You have ray-like fins that you can use as wings to slow your fall or allow you to glide. When you fall and aren't incapacitated, you can ...
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Are potions and breakable things carried by a character broken or damaged when a character falls?
I'm referring to damage from falling from a height, but also from when a character falls on their face when they become unconscious. Does a saving throw or other mechanism exist to handle equipment ...
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Does falling provoke opportunity attacks?
Consider this scenario. A sorcerer climbs 20 foot up a tree and gets surprised by a large snake. The snake misses, and then the sorcerer wins initiative and decides to let go of the tree branches. ...
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Can I hurt myself with a high jump?
If through the use of a athletics skill feat, gadget, or a magical item that I jump more than 5 feet vertically. Do I take fall damage landing?
I haven't been able to find any rules that say you ...
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