Enchanted Realms Rulebook
Ways To Die
Because there is the metric of Body points, there is the temptation to think this is used to explain all the ways to die. However, it is merely a measurement of one’s theoretical resistance to wounding prior to suffering a vital one. Thus, it does not translate well to other circumstances. When a PC is drowning, Body points are not being lost really; no wounds are occurring. However, the metric is often used to define how rigid the victim would be against the death threat.
Asphyxiation
Dehydration
Starvation
Falling
Petrification
Asphyxiation
A character can hold his or her breath for the number of rounds equal to his Resilience score plus his Resilience modifier. Thus, if Resilience is currently 4 points, then the person has five rounds before the effects of not breathing begin. In this example, if underwater or caught within a non-magical gas, then the victim would have 5 actions to free oneself before its body forcefully attempts to reach for air. While holding one’s breath, no cantrips, axioms or divine powers can be used unless capable of being cast in silence. A further restriction is that all attacks, saves and feats are rolled at disadvantage while one’s breath is being held.
However, at the end of the victim’s turn of available actions to reach breathable air, one can no longer hold its breath and the need for air becomes uncontrollable. It is at this point when asphyxiation begins. When asphyxiating, the victim remains under all the same restrictions as if holding one’s breath, but additionally, plus movement rate becomes like that of crawling and any attacks against the creature are at advantage. Further, the victim breathes in the environment around it.
Should the air be an alchemical gas or something other that forces a save, then an automatic failed save against the effect occurs. If the external atmosphere is such that might inflict actual Body damage, it will occur. If underwater while gulping and gasping, then the being would be drowning. Due to the shock to one’s respiration, one degree of exhaustion immediately applies to someone who starts to asphyxiate; however, this is limited to one degree penalty per day -- in the event multiple incidents were to happen in a single day. Some air is not deadly but only a carrier of an effect. However, most cases will cause asphyxiation. If unbreathable, a creature can only survive a limited amount of time without fit air. The period is based off the creature’s current Body score and found in the chart below:
| Score | Rounds / Turns |
|---|---|
| 1-4 | 1 |
| 5-8 | 2 |
| 9-14 | 3 |
| 15-22 | 4 |
| 23-30 | 5 |
| 31-40 | 6 |
| 41-50 | 7 |
| 51-60 | 8 |
| 61-70 | 9 |
| 71+ | 10 |
If able to find breathable air again before reaching the maximum number of rounds of asphyxiation, then the creature returns to the restrictions as if holding its breath for the number of rounds it experienced the asphyxiation -- coughing and gasping. However, if unable to reach breathable air when the maximum number of rounds expire, then the victim’s Body score becomes zero, and the state of unconsciousness results. At the start of each subsequent turn, the victim must make a death save. If failing the save, the creature suffers a point of damage, delving deeper into the score of negative Body points. If the death save succeeds, then no point is suffered. However, whether succeeding or failing, one further point of damage is inflicted due to the continued lack of breathable air. Thus, at the start of each turn, between one to two points will be suffered.
Should a creature be saved with a negative Body value through an asphyxiation event and able to breath viable air again, then all recovery from this point is as serious as being wounded into negative values.
Dehydration
Water is required to survive. Roughly a half-gallon per day is needed. If exposed to direct sunlight for most of the day or the temperature is over 80, then a whole gallon of water would be required. Of course, a triton character would need twice this amount. When rivers, streams, canteens, etc. are available, this measure is unnecessary. However, when water is scarce, the effects on a person may have to be factored in game play.
Whenever a creature spends a day with less than half the water requirement, then one unit of under-hydration is tracked. If a creature spends an entire day with no water, then two units are suffered. As the units accrue, negative-temporary points are doled out to the creature against Body, Mind and Spirit. As with the 6th degree of exhaustion, these negative-temporary points lower the effective maximum value of the attribute.
One day of normal hydration will remove a negative-temporary point. If there are multiple attributes down from dehydration, then after the end of day, one is selected randomly to be restored. Conversely, if a max-value reaches zero, then the creature dies.
Starvation
Medium-sized creatures need about a pound of food daily, while small ones need only half the amount. When calculating a day’s provision, one day’s worth can feed two small creatures. Typically, this is not a concern; however, if the storyline enters a malnutrition arc, here is what happens as a result.
If eating less than the required amount for the day, then after three-consecutive days of malnutrition, a negative-temporary point is inflicted against one of the character’s attribute max scores. After five consecutive days, one degree of exhaustion sets in. Exhaustion from starvation cannot be restored by normal rest until proper nutrition occurs. A normal day of eating will remove a negative-temporary point. As with dehydration, all attributes are affected simultaneously.
Falling
Falling is another potentially harmful occurrences which happen. Characters and monsters can be seriously injured from falling damage - and in ways beyond body points. For each ten feet of falling, then the crashing being must make an Agility feat against a DC 10; however, for each compounded ten feet fallen, the DC for each die roll becomes a point higher and the damage increases.
| Height | DC | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| 10 feet (8 to 17) | 10 | 1d4 |
| 20 feet (18 to 27) | 11 | 2d4+1 |
| 30 feet (28 to 37) | 12 | 3d4+2 |
| 40 feet (38 to 47) | 13 | 4d4+3 |
| 50 feet (48 or greater) | 14 | 5d4+4 |
If successful on the original Agility save, then a d6 is rolled to subtract from the damage inflicted. If failing the check, the the total damage from the fall is suffered. Unless specified differently, any damage inflicted from a fall will be blunt damage. However, falling into a pit of spikes would be ruled by the GM as piercing damage. Furthermore, any damage from a fall occurs simultaneously. Thus, any resistance would be against the entire amount rather than each single d4. Moreover, if suffering more than half of one's Body max-score from a fall, then a final Resilience feat is required against the same DC to prevent the wrenching of a limb (d4: arm, arm, leg, leg) which makes either movement half or attacks at disadvantage for the following 24 hours.
Petrification
Any creature who becomes subject to petrification must fail a series of saves before suffering the permanent fate. Special cases may deviate from this rule, but those must be explicitly stated by a description or monster's details. The target must succeed a Resilience save (DC:13) to avoid the effect. On a failed save, a target begins to turn to stone and under the restrained restriction. At the end of the target's next turn, it must repeat the saving throw. On a success, the victim is able to break free from the forming stony skin and the effect ends. On a failure, the target is petrified. However, there is still one more final chance to avoid permanence. In the next round, an initiative is still rolled for the target, even though no actions can be taken. On that turn, the victim repeats the save a final time, which the GM may choose to have the player roll in secret to prevent the other players from knowing the fate. Please note that this final roll is not subject to automatic failure of the petrification restriction; it is made as if the character were whole. If successful, then the petrification effect is only temporary and fades from the target in 2d6 rounds. However, if this third save is failed, the petrification is permanent. Lastly, unless stated otherwise, subjecting a petrified victim (even those affected temporarily) to another petrification effect is moot.