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No rules that I'm aware of.

This is basically how we've always done it - although details may have escaped me since it's not something that has come up very often.

For humans we use 4 melee rounds (60 seconds), although in reality it can last a lot longer since this can be practised and developed. If the PC is doing something besides swimming, cut that in half.

Once drowned they need First Aid (no roll necessary, just somebody with the skill) attention within another 4 melee rounds (60 seconds), or they go into a coma, in which coma rules take over.

Can't wait for cyberyukon-gil to roll by this topic.

1 min + 2xPE bonus in seconds to hold breath. Special rules are presented based on OCC or super powers. Anything more that the character starts taking 3d6 hp per melee, Once HP are lost save Vs coma death.

a couple of years ago Mr. R. Stott answered the question like this:

There is no damage as such from asphyxation / drowning, but they can result in coma or death. Lack of oxygen will lead to unconsciousness (and later death): Roll versus PE for every subsequent Melee Round after the sixth (apply modifiers as GM sees fit).

I believe I saw a rule for strangulation in rifts ultimate under roping or one of the other skills that would work for drowning if you are still interested I can see what page but one thing I would say if you used that because I know I have is do some more realistic changes because if I recall it take like 2 minutes just to get dizzy and double or triple that till it really starts to affect you. I would think just listing the rule here would be against the board rules. Anyways I'm off to bed to night and I don't have time to look for my book let alone the page.

Coincidentally I have been thinking about this. I surmised thusly;
if it takes 5 minutes to choke a normal human to death
and a normal human PE is 10
then PE/2=time til death by choking/asphyxiation
Or just say 5 minutes for everyone

KillWatch wrote:Coincidentally I have been thinking about this. I surmised thusly;
if it takes 5 minutes to choke a normal human to death
and a normal human PE is 10
then PE/2=time til death by choking/asphyxiation
Or just say 5 minutes for everyone

The problem with that is drowning isn't generally death by asphyxiation like strangulation. Drowning is death by water inhilation because your body automatically starts breathing when you lose consciousness and your lungs fill with water. The water displaces air that would have been available during strangulation and the drowning victim dies quite a lot faster than a choking victim.

I wold say yes and no
Faster eh
Ok a chokign victim is probably going to keep fighting and thereby use the oxygen in the blood even faster than a drowning victim who COULD just stay calm.

But the choking victim once they simply appear dead may be let go and breathing MAY resume

but like you said the drowning victim will just drown.

as for damage afterwards? 1d4/1d6 to HP per melee?

IIRC, there was something in MercOps or Mercenary Adventures SB under chocking cord equipment. I'll check it out.

i would say use swimming skill once (if no swimming skill, do a PP check under prowess?, or use a base skill of like 20%)
(anyway, someone without the swimming skill shouldnt be trying to swim)

like with climbing a failed roll would mean the character loses his abilty to stay above the water

roll swimming once more to save (a successfull roll means character regains ability to keep head above water)
a failed roll means the character is beginning to drown.

use the characters PE todetermin how long the character can stay underwater. PE=8 would mean 8 melee actions or 8 tries to get a successful swim skill roll. each time the character fails (including the first two times) the character submerges 10 feet. so more than one sucessful swim roll may be nessasary in order for the character to get his head out of the water.

once PE is gone, character slips into a coma and must be rescued imediately!!! for each melee that goes by afterward i would add a modifier to the save vs coma roll making it harder to save. the character would need medical attention (as stated in another post above) and a susseful first aid skill roll (or similar) before he saves vs coma. or he will die

or at least that how i would do it....
maybe throw a phobia against water if the character nearly drowns...

sorry for the bad spelling..

oh and one other thing
DONT FORGET ARMOR MOVEMENT PENALTIES....IM SURE SWIMMING IN MD COALITION ARMOR OF PLATE MAIL (DEPENDIND ON GAME) IS NOT EASY.

I finnaly got it:

Pg 31 Mercenary Adventures under Hold Breath Paratroper special ability.

Hope this helps.