I'm a DM still using 3.5 and one of my players is playing as a half-dragon human (female). She asked me what would happen if her character managed to use her breath weapon inside another creature's mouth, like if she feinted a kiss to just burst the breath weapon directly inside, and I genuinely have no ideas. Should it be as harmful as a normally used breath weapon, more lethal (like maximized damage) or have even other conditions on the one suffering the blow? The only sure thing is that there will be no possibility of a Reflex saving throw.
The only problem I can see is that for a breath attack to be effective, the user has to have enouth "breath". In other words they would either have to take a deep breath before the kiss or during. Either of these options would be suspicious to the receiver.
Not to mention at that range the user would probably also get some blow back damage from the attack as well.
Bluff check against Sense Motive would be of some use in this occasion, even if with some penalties for her if she didn't win the victim's trust, but if she's going to play as she plans, that is, as an occasional escort with cheap fee, that penalty would be reduced.
As half-dragon, she's perfectly immune to her element, acid.
Is the breath normally an attack roll? If it is, I'd give it autocrit, as the target is practically helpless. Something like a coup de grace. Maybe a debuff too, because of the acid inside the target's system.
It would probably look weird when breathing in to do a dragonbreath and at the same time pretend that they're going in for a kiss though.
You said you're playing 3.5 which means the other character typically makes a reflex save to attempt to take half damage, breath weapons also don't have crits because you don't make an attack roll.
You can ignore the reflex save and make the character automatically take full damage or if you want a pseudo sort of crit have them roll reflex, if they succeed they take full damage as per usual and if they fail have them take 1.5x damage rounded down.
You could also look at 3.5 environmental effects and use them for flavour due to the ingestion/exposure/prolonged effects of the breath weapon based on the type of weapon. Until treated: Acid: 1d6 points of corrosive damage per round Poison: Well it already poisons them so it doesn't much matter how close you are Cold/Fire: 1d4 points of nonlethal frostbite/burn damage per round Lightning: DC 13 Fortitude saving throw to recover from paralysis etc
Important thing is to maintain consistency once you make a ruling.
When my DM managed to grab one of us in in the dragon's bite and use it's breath weapon against the rest of the party, the poor chump in the dragon's mouth would take full damage without a save. No extra damage, no maximize, simply no save. I don't see this being much different.
I know it's tempting to increase damage as the 'victim' has had it's internals exposed to the element of the breath weapon, but I don't really think it matters when the game isn't really designed to account for organs and body parts. It's entirely conceivable that any failed reflex save ends up with the victim inhaling/ingesting some of the offending material/element anyway. (Lord knows how many players have ended up with sewer water in their mouth because they failed a balance check).
If you feel like you need to reward the scenario with something else, consider taking away the victims next action, but not their move. Or make them flat footed for an extra round (I imagine this whole thing would kick off initiative with the surprise round over, lol). Have some other effect that gives the players some advantage, but only if they act.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
I'm a DM still using 3.5 and one of my players is playing as a half-dragon human (female). She asked me what would happen if her character managed to use her breath weapon inside another creature's mouth, like if she feinted a kiss to just burst the breath weapon directly inside, and I genuinely have no ideas. Should it be as harmful as a normally used breath weapon, more lethal (like maximized damage) or have even other conditions on the one suffering the blow? The only sure thing is that there will be no possibility of a Reflex saving throw.
Any ideas that could help?
The only problem I can see is that for a breath attack to be effective, the user has to have enouth "breath". In other words they would either have to take a deep breath before the kiss or during. Either of these options would be suspicious to the receiver.
Not to mention at that range the user would probably also get some blow back damage from the attack as well.
Bluff check against Sense Motive would be of some use in this occasion, even if with some penalties for her if she didn't win the victim's trust, but if she's going to play as she plans, that is, as an occasional escort with cheap fee, that penalty would be reduced.
As half-dragon, she's perfectly immune to her element, acid.
I'd give her opponent disadvantage on their saving throw.
Professional computer geek
Is the breath normally an attack roll? If it is, I'd give it autocrit, as the target is practically helpless. Something like a coup de grace. Maybe a debuff too, because of the acid inside the target's system.
It would probably look weird when breathing in to do a dragonbreath and at the same time pretend that they're going in for a kiss though.
You said you're playing 3.5 which means the other character typically makes a reflex save to attempt to take half damage, breath weapons also don't have crits because you don't make an attack roll.
You can ignore the reflex save and make the character automatically take full damage or if you want a pseudo sort of crit have them roll reflex, if they succeed they take full damage as per usual and if they fail have them take 1.5x damage rounded down.
You could also look at 3.5 environmental effects and use them for flavour due to the ingestion/exposure/prolonged effects of the breath weapon based on the type of weapon.
Until treated:
Acid: 1d6 points of corrosive damage per round
Poison: Well it already poisons them so it doesn't much matter how close you are
Cold/Fire: 1d4 points of nonlethal frostbite/burn damage per round
Lightning: DC 13 Fortitude saving throw to recover from paralysis
etc
Important thing is to maintain consistency once you make a ruling.
@quickstudy Unless otherwise stated breath weapon users are immune to their breath weapon type.
When my DM managed to grab one of us in in the dragon's bite and use it's breath weapon against the rest of the party, the poor chump in the dragon's mouth would take full damage without a save. No extra damage, no maximize, simply no save. I don't see this being much different.
I know it's tempting to increase damage as the 'victim' has had it's internals exposed to the element of the breath weapon, but I don't really think it matters when the game isn't really designed to account for organs and body parts. It's entirely conceivable that any failed reflex save ends up with the victim inhaling/ingesting some of the offending material/element anyway. (Lord knows how many players have ended up with sewer water in their mouth because they failed a balance check).
If you feel like you need to reward the scenario with something else, consider taking away the victims next action, but not their move. Or make them flat footed for an extra round (I imagine this whole thing would kick off initiative with the surprise round over, lol). Have some other effect that gives the players some advantage, but only if they act.