Hello, I am wondering if anyone is aware of the rules governing the calculation/damage dice need when dropping a heavy item onto something.
I am running Shemshime's Bedtime Rhyme and the titular monster's stat block says that Shemshime cannot be defeated unless it is crushed by something 1,000 lbs or more.
Considering that Shemshime only has 31 hp, even if it has resistance to bludgeoning, I was just going to say that if it gets crushed it will be defeated even if it has full health, but the pedantic side of me is curious if there is a rule regarding damage in these cases. If there are not any rules regarding dropping heavy things onto other things, I'll just stick with a crush equals a win.
I would just be careful when deciding the damage done for a player's improvised action. If it is something that is easy and repeatable then you want to err on the conservative side so players don't use their improvised action in lieu of other features and mechanics.
There is a rule in Tasha's for if a creature falls onto another creature:
If a creature falls into the space of a second creature and neither of them is Tiny, the second creature must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be impacted by the falling creature, and any damage resulting from the fall is divided evenly between them. The impacted creature is also knocked prone, unless it is two or more sizes larger than the falling creature.
You could apply the same rule for an object falling on a creature. (The damage t o the falling object / creature is 1d6 for each 10 ft of the fall to a maximum of 20d6.)
Creatures abilities should be exactly as described, if all it says is "Shemshime cannot be defeated unless it is crushed by something 1,000 lbs or more" I would be looking to see if it defines "defeated" anywhere if it means killed then being crushed kills it end of story and hit points are pretty much irrelevent.
If you compare it to a jabberwock it is sometimes abbreviated to a jabberwock can only be killed by slashing damage but the actual text is much more precise "The jabberwock regains 10 hit points at the start of its turn. If the jabberwock takes slashing damage, this trait doesn’t function at the start of its next turn. The jabberwock dies only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn’t regenerate."
Hello, I am wondering if anyone is aware of the rules governing the calculation/damage dice need when dropping a heavy item onto something.
I am running Shemshime's Bedtime Rhyme and the titular monster's stat block says that Shemshime cannot be defeated unless it is crushed by something 1,000 lbs or more.
Considering that Shemshime only has 31 hp, even if it has resistance to bludgeoning, I was just going to say that if it gets crushed it will be defeated even if it has full health, but the pedantic side of me is curious if there is a rule regarding damage in these cases. If there are not any rules regarding dropping heavy things onto other things, I'll just stick with a crush equals a win.
Any insight or help would be appreciated!
There aren't rules specifically for handling falling debris, however I would highly recommend checking out the improvised damage rules in the DMG: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dmg/running-the-game#ImprovisingDamage
I would just be careful when deciding the damage done for a player's improvised action. If it is something that is easy and repeatable then you want to err on the conservative side so players don't use their improvised action in lieu of other features and mechanics.
There is a rule in Tasha's for if a creature falls onto another creature:
If a creature falls into the space of a second creature and neither of them is Tiny, the second creature must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be impacted by the falling creature, and any damage resulting from the fall is divided evenly between them. The impacted creature is also knocked prone, unless it is two or more sizes larger than the falling creature.
You could apply the same rule for an object falling on a creature. (The damage t o the falling object / creature is 1d6 for each 10 ft of the fall to a maximum of 20d6.)
Creatures abilities should be exactly as described, if all it says is "Shemshime cannot be defeated unless it is crushed by something 1,000 lbs or more" I would be looking to see if it defines "defeated" anywhere if it means killed then being crushed kills it end of story and hit points are pretty much irrelevent.
If you compare it to a jabberwock it is sometimes abbreviated to a jabberwock can only be killed by slashing damage but the actual text is much more precise "The jabberwock regains 10 hit points at the start of its turn. If the jabberwock takes slashing damage, this trait doesn’t function at the start of its next turn. The jabberwock dies only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn’t regenerate."
Thank you, this is exactly what I was looking for!