Suffocation: track its Exhaustion separately

SRD 5.2.1 · Hazards

At the table

  1. Hold breath for 1 plus Constitution modifier minutes, with a minimum of 30 seconds.
  2. When out of breath or choking, add one Exhaustion level at the end of each turn.
  3. When breathing resumes, remove the Exhaustion levels gained from suffocation.

Example decision

A character already had one Exhaustion level, then gained two more from suffocation. They can breathe again. How many of those three levels remain under this rule?

One; the two suffocation levels are removed.

The recovery text removes all levels gained from suffocating. The pre-existing level had another source, so this rule does not remove it. Track the two additions separately while suffocation continues, and apply the overall Exhaustion effects to the current total during that time.

Watch for this mistake

Do not use a negative breath-holding time for a low Constitution modifier. The entry supplies a 30-second minimum before suffocation begins when holding breath is possible.

Ask the table

How long can breath be held, and which current Exhaustion levels came from suffocation?

Source rule

A creature can hold its breath for a number of minutes equal to 1 plus its Constitution modifier (minimum of 30 seconds) before suffocation begins. When a creature runs out of breath or is choking, it gains 1 Exhaustion level at the end of each of its turns. When a creature can breathe again, it removes all levels of Exhaustion it gained from suffocating.

Source: SRD 5.2.1, 189. Online guide.

Source and reuse

This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 (“SRD 5.2.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.

The explanation, example and table prompt are Table Ready adaptations; source text has been reflowed. This guide and its printable card are available under the same CC BY 4.0 license. Independent reference; no official affiliation. These rules are optional for our system-neutral adventures.