Disclaimer: i respect my DM and am not going behind his back, this was his choice on what happened and i respect his choice.
My character (drow, lv4 necromancer lv1 bard) went to a party and got drunk, Really drunk. My DM said that i pass out for 7 days and each day i roll 1 saving throw, and if i miss 4 then i die. I feel like if i get a bit drunk i should not die... but i have 4 more days till i wake up and i have already failed 2 of my saving throws. what should i do.
I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that your DM has never been drunk before, and has very little understanding what it's like. That's a good thing, since I also suspect he is on the younger side. If neither of these things is true, then he might be messing with you.
Unfortunately it's put you in a bad situation. Your not able to play your character during this time. And you risk losing it altogether. Your character should never be in danger of dying without some kind of warning.
Certain things are easy to understand. If you try to jump a gorge that's 300 feet deep, you know the consequences of failing. But there is no reason you should have suspected getting drunk could lead to a coma. Unless he warned you halfway through that this was some kind of especially dangerous alcohol and you were going to risk serious side effects, then this wasn't a great move on his part.
I would talk to him nicely. Tell him you respect him running the game how he wants. But you feel like the punishment could not have been reasonably expected. You aren't having fun missing a week of the game time. And you don't want to lose your character for something you couldn't have foreseen. Then ask if they would mind letting you recover now. Or letting your friends find some way to help, like getting a healer or herbalist to make you some medicine. If he doesn't budge, then you have to ask yourself if you want to keep playing a game like that.
Coma as a result of alcohol consumption is listed as a possibility for a Blood Alcohol Content of 0.40% or higher. For a 160lb person, this could be achieved by quickly chugging a little less than 3 bottles of wine(12%), or 11 shots of liquor(40%). So, at the very least, a 7 day coma and/or death for your character is not unfounded. However, this isn't the kind of realism that D&D tends to focus on.
Aside from that, the best path is to play along, and consider why the DM would bother to give you consequences for these actions. They may just be a stickler, or they could be irritated with you and are hoping you will change your behavior after your time in the "Penalty Box". Talk to your DM and ask directly, with humility, if there is anything you can do to save the character.
Coma as a result of alcohol consumption is listed as a possibility for a Blood Alcohol Content of 0.40% or higher. For a 160lb person, this could be achieved by quickly chugging a little less than 3 bottles of wine(12%), or 11 shots of liquor(40%). So, at the very least, a 7 day coma and/or death for your character is not unfounded. However, this isn't the kind of realism that D&D doesn't tend to focus on.
Aside from that, the best path is to play along, and consider why the DM would bother to give you consequences for these actions. They may just be a stickler, or they could be irritated with you and are hoping you will change your behavior after your time in the "Penalty Box". Talk to your DM and ask directly, with humility, if there is anything you can do to save the character.
Good points. While it is possible to have dire repercussions from heavy drinking, it is only in extreme cases, and outside of the norm enough that there should have been fair warning from the DM. Most people don't expect that to happen in a DnD game in a party situation. So you should probably ask yourself if there were any warnings, and if your behavior might have been obnoxious enough to warrant this extreme penalty. Either way, a nice discussion with the DM seems in order. To either ask for mercy from a harsh ruling, or to ask how you can be a more reasonable player if you think you might have messed up.
Is it possibly that someone poisoned the alcohol, and your character just doesn't know it yet?
Personally, if it were just alcohol...I might, depending on tone and circumstance, do the prolonged "you're out of it" aspect. I can't imagine risking death over it though, unless the idea is that someone spiked the drink with poison. I mean, even then, I'd be wary of killing a PC in such a lame way, unless the situation was quite obviously dangerous (eg drinking competition with a Fire Giant or something where you're just asking to kill yourself).
I'd speak with the DM and say that you're uncomfortable with the idea of your character dying from such an inglorious death as alcohol poisoning. Ask if perhaps an NPC can intervene and save your character or something.
I'm not sure if there's more to this than I can see, this is a wind up or if the DM genuinely but falsely thinks that this would be a fun avenue to explore. I just don't see it.
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If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
I'm not saying you should take what I say and go lecturing to your DM on how to run a game, but I'll share one thing about DM:ing that I've learned. Actually this is a general thing about all things involving a story.
In my experience and opinion: Everything that happens in a game, mechanically or story-wise, should ALWAYS help the game/story advance, even if it's in the wrong direction. Nothing should ever halt the story and even more important, nothing should ever move the story backwards / undo things.
Your case is a case of halting.
So when something bad happens or a player does something stupid or someone rolls 1, it should always lead to something interesting and fun, even if it's something bad.
For example. You go missing after a night of heavy drinking. Suddenly you appear completely hungover out of nowhere some hours later with 1 lvl of exhaustion and the party has no idea where you've been. Neither do you. In your pocket you have an old handkerchief with what appears to be a cultist symbol and some bloodied fingerprints. With closer inspection, it appears that a blood pact has been struck. To be continued...
Thanks for all of these replies. my whole group including dm are just middle schoolers trying something new and thanks for some ideas. i just wanted to clairify that these are in game days and not in real life days. there were no stakes other then we just were at a party and i decided that it would be funny if i did that. there was no warnings just passed out to die. thanks for the advice because i was really torn on what i should do.
That's great! It's awesome that you're all getting into the game together. Try not to sweat this event . It sounds like everyone just got carried away a little with the fun. Just talk to your DM and see if your party can help you recover. It might even give them a short quest to go on to save your character. The most important thing is that you all have a good time. Welcome to the hobby, and I hope you have many more years of fun with it!
Oh the glorious middle school games. I remember those games like it was yesterday. Great times. The games were absolutely bonkers but we had so much fun. 😅
Glad to see you playing.😄 Be wary, this hobby may consume you very soul and never let go.
Well just wait till one of them gets drunk in a few years.
Normally if I drank that much( and yes I did) I would puke and pass out. Sleep for 12 hours and wake up hung over. Its called alcohol poisoning.
Those people you hear about that die while drunk normally die inhaling their own puke or are already blind drunk when they chug a whole bottle of hard liquor. Or other drugs were involved.
Going into a coma is normally a result of something else other than just alcohol.
A quick remove poison spell should clean out the victim of any alcohol.
Just want to say that i am the only healer because the REST OF MY PARTY decited that they were going to be fighters and rouges. also the party decided that they were going to throw me on the cart that they were using to travel.
Learning is a major part of playing the game, that includes the GM. The more your GM knows about the world and how things work often the more realistic and better your games can be.
Having said that alcohol poisoning is different then being drunk and in rpgs at times one races alcoholic drink is another races alcohol poison.
I knew a person who drank so much that they started bleeding from their nose and ears and it is a very dangerous situation. But having said that it is something that does not happen in reality that much.
A side note: at times in anime and other fiction there are drugs that have extreme effects, such as 3 drinks in 3-7 hours and you permanently change into a large space hamster or fundamentally changes your PC in a way that makes them unfun.
Also as a younger player and GM I have experienced what you have described.
Just want to say that i am the only healer because the REST OF MY PARTY decited that they were going to be fighters and rouges. also the party decided that they were going to throw me on the cart that they were using to travel.
Others have gone into the realism, or lack thereof, of alcohol poisoning, but that's not the point I think you should be stressing when you talk to the DM. Seven in-game days of not being able to do anything is a long time unless you're skipping over it, and if you are skipping over it then what does this add to the whole experience? Even if there was a decent reason for death saves, I'd rather the DM require me to do them instantly instead of prolonging it for tension they think they've achieved. If I don't stand a snowflake's chance in Hell in reaching a healer in seven days, I'd rather not roll at all, choosing instant death over rolling for my survival, and create a new character to join the party so I can play the game and save a ton of time.
Having to escort an established beloved NPC to a temple due to an enthusiastic night on the town is one thing; it's another to have player sat there doing naff all besides roll to get off the sauce.
Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
Your DM has definitely made a big deal out of an rather common situation, i just hope it serves the campaign story in some way and it's not just punitive measures because it's very unlikely to fall in an ethylic coma for 7 days or die from alcool poisoning. Such ruling is too delibitating to me as it disable character for too long and may cause death in a not-so heroic way for D&D.
Is it an especially large group? More than 5 players can get downright unmanageable so the DM might be looking to “bench” you for awhile to lighten their load.
How well do you, the DM and the rest of the group get along socially outside of the game? There’s the tiniest chance that the DM is trying to discourage you from playing but is required to allow all comers or lacks the social skills to tactfully say as much. If he can make playing so unfun for you that you don’t return, his problem is solved without any repercussions from authority figures or confrontation with you.
It is, however, most likely that he is just really naive regarding the effects of alcohol.
It depends on what you drank and how much. Did you put your Drow to .50 BAC, then yes you can die, and he's putting you through a chance of dying. Get a lesser restoration or protection from poison cast on you by your parties cleric/druid/artificer. And if you don't have one and die, then play one and help the party out in the future.
Is it an especially large group? More than 5 players can get downright unmanageable so the DM might be looking to “bench” you for awhile to lighten their load.
I know you're not supporting this idea, but I think it needs to be pointed out that this is a really bad idea. If you're DMing for a larger party than you feel comfortable DMing, don't bench. Learn how to deal with it, create a second party, find another DM, do whatever you need to in order to create a fun environment, but don't bench.
As HexTherapy said, it really isn't fun for the player.
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If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
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Disclaimer: i respect my DM and am not going behind his back, this was his choice on what happened and i respect his choice.
My character (drow, lv4 necromancer lv1 bard) went to a party and got drunk, Really drunk. My DM said that i pass out for 7 days and each day i roll 1 saving throw, and if i miss 4 then i die. I feel like if i get a bit drunk i should not die... but i have 4 more days till i wake up and i have already failed 2 of my saving throws. what should i do.
I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that your DM has never been drunk before, and has very little understanding what it's like. That's a good thing, since I also suspect he is on the younger side. If neither of these things is true, then he might be messing with you.
Unfortunately it's put you in a bad situation. Your not able to play your character during this time. And you risk losing it altogether. Your character should never be in danger of dying without some kind of warning.
Certain things are easy to understand. If you try to jump a gorge that's 300 feet deep, you know the consequences of failing. But there is no reason you should have suspected getting drunk could lead to a coma. Unless he warned you halfway through that this was some kind of especially dangerous alcohol and you were going to risk serious side effects, then this wasn't a great move on his part.
I would talk to him nicely. Tell him you respect him running the game how he wants. But you feel like the punishment could not have been reasonably expected. You aren't having fun missing a week of the game time. And you don't want to lose your character for something you couldn't have foreseen. Then ask if they would mind letting you recover now. Or letting your friends find some way to help, like getting a healer or herbalist to make you some medicine. If he doesn't budge, then you have to ask yourself if you want to keep playing a game like that.
Coma as a result of alcohol consumption is listed as a possibility for a Blood Alcohol Content of 0.40% or higher. For a 160lb person, this could be achieved by quickly chugging a little less than 3 bottles of wine(12%), or 11 shots of liquor(40%). So, at the very least, a 7 day coma and/or death for your character is not unfounded. However, this isn't the kind of realism that D&D tends to focus on.
Aside from that, the best path is to play along, and consider why the DM would bother to give you consequences for these actions. They may just be a stickler, or they could be irritated with you and are hoping you will change your behavior after your time in the "Penalty Box". Talk to your DM and ask directly, with humility, if there is anything you can do to save the character.
Good points. While it is possible to have dire repercussions from heavy drinking, it is only in extreme cases, and outside of the norm enough that there should have been fair warning from the DM. Most people don't expect that to happen in a DnD game in a party situation. So you should probably ask yourself if there were any warnings, and if your behavior might have been obnoxious enough to warrant this extreme penalty. Either way, a nice discussion with the DM seems in order. To either ask for mercy from a harsh ruling, or to ask how you can be a more reasonable player if you think you might have messed up.
Is it possibly that someone poisoned the alcohol, and your character just doesn't know it yet?
Personally, if it were just alcohol...I might, depending on tone and circumstance, do the prolonged "you're out of it" aspect. I can't imagine risking death over it though, unless the idea is that someone spiked the drink with poison. I mean, even then, I'd be wary of killing a PC in such a lame way, unless the situation was quite obviously dangerous (eg drinking competition with a Fire Giant or something where you're just asking to kill yourself).
I'd speak with the DM and say that you're uncomfortable with the idea of your character dying from such an inglorious death as alcohol poisoning. Ask if perhaps an NPC can intervene and save your character or something.
I'm not sure if there's more to this than I can see, this is a wind up or if the DM genuinely but falsely thinks that this would be a fun avenue to explore. I just don't see it.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
I'm not saying you should take what I say and go lecturing to your DM on how to run a game, but I'll share one thing about DM:ing that I've learned. Actually this is a general thing about all things involving a story.
In my experience and opinion: Everything that happens in a game, mechanically or story-wise, should ALWAYS help the game/story advance, even if it's in the wrong direction. Nothing should ever halt the story and even more important, nothing should ever move the story backwards / undo things.
Your case is a case of halting.
So when something bad happens or a player does something stupid or someone rolls 1, it should always lead to something interesting and fun, even if it's something bad.
For example. You go missing after a night of heavy drinking. Suddenly you appear completely hungover out of nowhere some hours later with 1 lvl of exhaustion and the party has no idea where you've been. Neither do you. In your pocket you have an old handkerchief with what appears to be a cultist symbol and some bloodied fingerprints. With closer inspection, it appears that a blood pact has been struck. To be continued...
Finland GMT/UTC +2
Thanks for all of these replies. my whole group including dm are just middle schoolers trying something new and thanks for some ideas. i just wanted to clairify that these are in game days and not in real life days. there were no stakes other then we just were at a party and i decided that it would be funny if i did that. there was no warnings just passed out to die. thanks for the advice because i was really torn on what i should do.
What are the rest of the party doing? Just letting you lie there in a drunken coma for 7 days? No healing?
That's great! It's awesome that you're all getting into the game together. Try not to sweat this event . It sounds like everyone just got carried away a little with the fun. Just talk to your DM and see if your party can help you recover. It might even give them a short quest to go on to save your character. The most important thing is that you all have a good time. Welcome to the hobby, and I hope you have many more years of fun with it!
Oh the glorious middle school games. I remember those games like it was yesterday. Great times. The games were absolutely bonkers but we had so much fun. 😅
Glad to see you playing.😄 Be wary, this hobby may consume you very soul and never let go.
Finland GMT/UTC +2
Yeah, you should talk to your DM about how getting drunk usually doesn't kill you
I think I'm cool.
Well just wait till one of them gets drunk in a few years.
Normally if I drank that much( and yes I did) I would puke and pass out. Sleep for 12 hours and wake up hung over. Its called alcohol poisoning.
Those people you hear about that die while drunk normally die inhaling their own puke or are already blind drunk when they chug a whole bottle of hard liquor. Or other drugs were involved.
Going into a coma is normally a result of something else other than just alcohol.
A quick remove poison spell should clean out the victim of any alcohol.
Just want to say that i am the only healer because the REST OF MY PARTY decited that they were going to be fighters and rouges. also the party decided that they were going to throw me on the cart that they were using to travel.
Learning is a major part of playing the game, that includes the GM. The more your GM knows about the world and how things work often the more realistic and better your games can be.
Having said that alcohol poisoning is different then being drunk and in rpgs at times one races alcoholic drink is another races alcohol poison.
I knew a person who drank so much that they started bleeding from their nose and ears and it is a very dangerous situation. But having said that it is something that does not happen in reality that much.
A side note: at times in anime and other fiction there are drugs that have extreme effects, such as 3 drinks in 3-7 hours and you permanently change into a large space hamster or fundamentally changes your PC in a way that makes them unfun.
Also as a younger player and GM I have experienced what you have described.
Good Luck
At least they brought you along.
Maybe they can find another healer to fix you.
Others have gone into the realism, or lack thereof, of alcohol poisoning, but that's not the point I think you should be stressing when you talk to the DM. Seven in-game days of not being able to do anything is a long time unless you're skipping over it, and if you are skipping over it then what does this add to the whole experience? Even if there was a decent reason for death saves, I'd rather the DM require me to do them instantly instead of prolonging it for tension they think they've achieved. If I don't stand a snowflake's chance in Hell in reaching a healer in seven days, I'd rather not roll at all, choosing instant death over rolling for my survival, and create a new character to join the party so I can play the game and save a ton of time.
Having to escort an established beloved NPC to a temple due to an enthusiastic night on the town is one thing; it's another to have player sat there doing naff all besides roll to get off the sauce.
Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
- The Assemblage of Houses, World of Warcraft
Your DM has definitely made a big deal out of an rather common situation, i just hope it serves the campaign story in some way and it's not just punitive measures because it's very unlikely to fall in an ethylic coma for 7 days or die from alcool poisoning. Such ruling is too delibitating to me as it disable character for too long and may cause death in a not-so heroic way for D&D.
Is it an especially large group? More than 5 players can get downright unmanageable so the DM might be looking to “bench” you for awhile to lighten their load.
How well do you, the DM and the rest of the group get along socially outside of the game? There’s the tiniest chance that the DM is trying to discourage you from playing but is required to allow all comers or lacks the social skills to tactfully say as much. If he can make playing so unfun for you that you don’t return, his problem is solved without any repercussions from authority figures or confrontation with you.
It is, however, most likely that he is just really naive regarding the effects of alcohol.
It depends on what you drank and how much. Did you put your Drow to .50 BAC, then yes you can die, and he's putting you through a chance of dying. Get a lesser restoration or protection from poison cast on you by your parties cleric/druid/artificer. And if you don't have one and die, then play one and help the party out in the future.
I know you're not supporting this idea, but I think it needs to be pointed out that this is a really bad idea. If you're DMing for a larger party than you feel comfortable DMing, don't bench. Learn how to deal with it, create a second party, find another DM, do whatever you need to in order to create a fun environment, but don't bench.
As HexTherapy said, it really isn't fun for the player.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.