Falling

These are the most common reasons for a character to fall: - failure to make a Dexterity check - being forced off a ledge from a collision - equipment failure (see Climbing)

Rate of Falling

A round lasts twelve seconds. Since the rate of acceleration under Earth-like gravity is 32 feet per second, per second, an individual can fall as far as 2496 feet in one round: 32 feet the first second, 64 more feet the second second (for a sum of 96), 96 more feet the third second (for a sum of 192), and so on.

Of special interest is the two-second mark, at which point the character has fallen 96 feet, nearly a round 100 feet. Since a round is twelve seconds, such a fall would consume 1 AP (as fractional AP are always discounted.) In the unlikely scenario that a character is not stunned, knocked unconscious, or simply killed by such a fall, they will thus be able to act as normal with 1 AP less.

Base Falling Damage

The base falling damage is simply 1d6 per 10 feet fallen. Base falling damage is used when all of these are true:

• the character’s fall is not arrested in any way
• the surface upon which the character falls is sloped less than 45 degrees
• the surface is earth or wood, rather than stone
• the surface is clear, and not covered in rocks or plants

Modifiers which Decrease Damage

If the surface fallen upon has a slope of 45 degrees or greater, then the fall is treated as 10 feet shorter in length.

If the surface onto which the character falls is soft and yielding, such as muck, mud, hay, or shrubs, then roll d4s instead of d6s.

Falls into water are treated as falling onto a slope of more than 45 degrees.

Modifiers which Increase Damage

For each of the following which is true, increase the die size by one step. Thus a fall through trees onto a stone face would use d10s for damage.

• the surface is a stone face
• there are trees growing on the surface
• the surface is covered in rocks, ridges, or other hazards

Making a Deliberate Jump

If a character deliberately jump from a high place, then the character receives a Dexterity check. Success means removing 1 die from the damage pool, and the chance to make another Dexterity check. This continues until one of the checks fails; a character can potentially avoid much or all of the damage in this way. Take note that characters cannot choose to deliberately jump if they have already been forced into a situation that means potentially falling.