I’ve tried to fix falling in D&D twice already. Maybe, I even succeeded. But since I wasn’t able to recall my own house rules during a recent session, without looking them up, they don’t quite fulfil my twin needs of being a) more realistic than the official rules but also b) being simple enough to remember on the fly.
So I put my grey matter to work again and I think I now have a formula that makes falling damage progressively more dangerous as the size of the falls increase, while still being simple enough to recall and implement… so that I don’t have to Google my own blog during the middle of combat.
My new fall damage formula is: 1d6 damage per 10 feet, plus the units of 10 feet squared.
So a 10 feet fall does 1d6 + 1² damage.
Expanding that formula out to other fall heights and we get:
10 ft. = 1d6 +1 (average damage = 4.5 HP)
20 ft. = 2d6 +4 (average damage = 11 HP)
30 ft. = 3d6 +9 (average damage = 19.5 HP)
40 ft. = 4d6 +16 (average damage = 30 HP)
50 ft. = 5d6 +25 (average damage = 42.5 HP)
60 ft. = 6d6 +36 (average damage = 57 HP)
100 ft. = 10d6 +100 (average damage = 135 HP)
I think after 100 ft. I’ll just add a fixed 100 hp extra (I’m too old to square numbers larger than 10!) so larger falls are:
200 ft. = 20d6 + 100 (average damage = 170 HP)
500 ft. = 50d6 + 100 (average damage = 275 HP)
1000 ft. + 100d6 = 100 (average damage = 450 HP)
I’m pretty confident I can remember this formula, because it’s just the official rules (that I already remember!), plus the extra flat damage (the number of 10 feets fallen, squared… or the number of dice rolled squared, if you prefer).
Johnny Utah’s DM clearly plays the rules as written…
Meanwhile, I will keep my “rolling with the fall” rules, which I still like, from my last post on the topic. They read:
A creature may attempt to half the damage of a fall by succeeding on a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check, the DC of which equals the height fallen in feet. The check is made with disadvantage if the creature was pushed or started the fall uncontrolled (instead of jumping of their own volition).
Overall, I am pretty happy with this latest attempt to house rule falling damage, the one significant weakness I can think of being how deadly this makes falls to low level characters. In the case of a level 1 character falling 60 feet, or similar, I would probably just ignore massive damage / instant death rules, and give disadvantage on death saving throws instead if they would, rules as written, take enough damage to kill them outright.
RPG Blog Carnival
The RPG Blog Carnival is something that’s been in my peripheral vision for a while now, but come January I will be focusing my full gaze upon it… and I am hoping to attract yours too.
The Carnival is the project of Scot Newbury from Of Dice and Dragons and is essentially a collaboration between bloggers who all publish articles around a single theme for a month. Each month is championed by a host blogger who chooses that month’s theme, and then provides a wrap up post linking to all the content produced during that time.
For example, Scot himself hosted the Carnival in November 2025 with the theme “feasts and festivals” and you can check his wrap up post where he shares all the participating bloggers’ posts on the theme… the majority of which were some cool homebrewed festivals you could incorporate in your games (Weasel Stomping anyone?). There were also some good “think-piece” posts on the nature of such celebrations and incorporating them into your TTRPGs.
In January 2026 I will be hosting the RPG Carnival myself, with the theme “Fantasy Locations”, to help celebrate and announce the publication of my book The Creative Game Master’s Guide to Extraordinary Locations.
I will share my tips on how to design locations like The Serpentine Baths, one of my favourite from my forthcoming book…
Designing great fantasy locations is a key skill of any GM and I will be sharing my design tips on the topic (in what will essentially be an abridged version of Chapter 1 of my book), and of course providing a wrap up of what everyone else contributes during the month of January. Time permitting, and I think I will also publish a little something on temples.
Some topics I’d love to hear about from other DMs and GMs are:
- Their own design tips for creating unforgettable locations.
- Their favourite locations from the world of TTRPGs (think Candlekeep, Ravenloft Castle etc), and what makes them great.
- Their favourite locations from the world of fiction, or a specific series (Game of Thrones, Arcane, Lord of the Rings), why they love them, and how they could be used or adapted for RPGs.
- Think pieces on the importance of locations in TTRPGs.
- Deep dives into specific types of locations (taverns, shops, castles, dungeons) and how to make them sing at the table.
- A great homebrew location that fellow GMs can drop into their games.
- A list of unusual location types we don’t use enough as GMs (beyond taverns and temples!).
- Examples of real world locations that might inspire great fantasy locations.
- Anything else location based!
If you’re a blogger or content creator of any kind please do join in the Carnival this January! I’d love to have you contribute.
If you’re not a blogger but have thoughts to share, keep them warm for now, and prepare to comment on my next post…
JW
I would assume that after falling some number of feet (I don’t know how many), an object would reach terminal velocity, so, at that point, the amount of damage would stop increasing with further distance fallen.
duncan
Yes, at some point. I’ve read estimates between 580 and 1500 feet on when that would happen.
Rick Coen
We have experimented with several sets of rules – which I’ve posted on the other articles – and I have to commiserate with trouble remembering what the current ruleset is at times. So we, too, went with something simple:
1) 1d6, summation, per 10′.
2) Acrobatics check to reduce damage — no DC, just reduce the damage by the skill check, halved if you aren’t trained. If roll is even, you land on feet; if roll is odd, you land prone.
#1 makes falls over 30′ fairly deadly (30′ = 6d6, 40′ = 10d6, 50′ = 15d6!!), which RL supports, but a really lucky roll makes still survivable. A 100′ fall is 55d6, you’re dead… I don’t need the rules to support the aircraft attendant who miraculously fell 33,333′ and survived — it says in the “title” that it was “miraculous”, I’m fine with the anomaly!
But a normal person (9ish hp) who falls 30′ will take about 21 damage and die (reduced to – MAX HP) … but might survive with serious injuries (i.e. untrained Acrobatics roll of 10 reduces damage by 5, so “0hp and dying”). A 10′ fall will just hurt. A lucky roll from 40′ might only be 15ish damage… but is more likely to be 40ish, and a serious blow to even a veteran adventurer or fearsome foe.
I guess my point is your idea for a flat modifier keeps the number of dice in check, but quickly and significantly raises the flat minimum. And “Acrobatics DC = height fallen” means the skill check is irrelevant after about a 20′ fall — only a legend is going to make the DC on a 30′ fall. I’d rather risk 10d6 – d20+2 (DEX 14 untrained Acrobatics) than 4d6+16 and DC 40 on the skill check. Plus rolling lots of dice is fun! 😉
duncan
Hi Rick
Now that you remind me I think that “summation” system was used by Gygax himself?
This is what it looks like up to 100 ft.
10 ft – 1d6 (3.5 hp)
20 ft – 3d6 (10.5 hp)
30 ft – 6d6 (21 hp)
40 ft – 10d6 (35 hp)
50 ft – 15d6 (52.5)
60 ft – 21d6 (73.5)
70 ft – 28d6 (98)
80 ft – 36d6 (126)
90 ft – 45d6 (157.5)
100 ft – 55d6 (192.5)
That feels realistic, and would be pretty happy about using this system…. but since I can’t calculate more than a 40 ft or 50 ft fall on the fly, using summation maths (1+2+3+4 +5 etc), I would need a chart handy at all times. It also takes a lot longer to roll 55 dice than 10 for example, so for speed of play I prefer my method. Reducing dice rolls was one of my goals.
Your Acrobatics solution is much more fun than mine, and I might well use it. (Note, however, I don’t think parkour helps much once you get above 20 or 30 feet… so I don’t see that as a design flaw, more a nod to realism! But players might prefer your system).
Tom Miskey
I like it, but I think I’d be a little easier on the Save for half damage DCs. What about DC = 10 + the bonus damage (number of 10’s of feet squared). This would mean it’s DC11 for a 10′ fall, DC 14 for a 20′ fall, DC 19 for a 30′ fall, etc.
Not only will this require you to remember and calculate that bonus damage for the save DC, the task is easier than simply using the number of feet fallen, which very quickly becomes a DC 30, 40 50 and higher, with almost no chances of successes.
Under my suggestion, that 30.’ fall’s DC 30 becomes DC 19, 40’s DC 40 becomes 26, and a 50′ fall’s DC 50 becomes DC 35. Still very hard DC’s to beat, and quickly getting harder the farther you fall, but at least it’ a slower progression.
I too would probably create a cap on the DC, maybe at 50 for falls from higher than 70’+ (60′ = DC 46 (36+10), 70’+ – DC 50) unless you have players that can actually beat a DC 50 Acrobatics (Dex) save with something other than a nat, 20.
duncan
Hi Tom
That’s a great tweak… I think those final DCs are a bit more player friendly and epic, (and I can remember the maths since I will have just used that flat damage modifier).
I think I would cap it at 50 feet fall. That’s a 5 storey building! And DC over 35 is basically impossible anyway.
Cheers for the input!
d
DB
I once read that the original 1st edition falling damage never made it into the book correctly.
It was supposed to be 1d6 for the first ten feet, 2d6 for the next ten, 3d6 for the next ten, etc. and you add them all together; so 6d6 for a 30-foot fall.
I’ve always used this rule in all editions, super simple to remember, makes falling damage a bit more believable, and stops the existence of pit traps with silly depths.
duncan
Hi DB
Yes, I have also heard that that was Gary Gygax’s intention all along… (see previous comments!).
The system is easy to remember, but hard to calculate on the fly (for me at least)! And it can quickly add up to too many dice.
But still the results feel much better than RAW. And if you’re finding that it works then that’s all the proof you need right there…
Thanks for dropping by the blog!
Duncan Idaho
I like where this is going. Unless one is using the massive damage optional fall, a 5e Level 10 Fighter (with at least 64hp) will always survive a 100′ (10d6) fall. That doesn’t sit well with me.
I tend to run more grounded, lower-level campaigns and shy away from the wild high fantasy that 2024 5e embraces. I occasionally think about doing away with rolling HP damage for falls (and crushing, drowning, lava, and a handful of other things) and just using flat percentages. Ex “A fall from 30′ means a character looses 60% of their HP. Make a CON Save for half.” I’ve not explored how such a system would work, but I’m tossing the idea into the universe.
Rick Coen
This has the uniformity of falls being “X-level lethal” regardless of your HP, but removes the chance of a “I bruised my bum sliding down 3 flights of stairs” and “she broke her neck falling down 10 steps” options. Maybe a combination? Like “1d6 CUMULATIVE per 10′ fallen, but no less than 10% cumulative per 10′.” This way a 10′ fall will still have the potential to kill the weakest 6hp peasant, but will at least do 10% damage to a PC – which will be anywhere from 2 to 10 damage… very survivable for a PC. A 20′ fall is lethal to most normies (3d6 = 10.5 dmg), but nothing to laugh at for the even the 70-hp 9th level PCs (21 damage). 30′ is lethal for all but the very lucky (6d6), but those mid-level PCs are going to take the “minimum” 42 damage. At 40’… well, you can decide if the max “% damage” should cap at 90% or some other number, counting on 10d6 (15d6 at 50′, 21d6 at 60′) to kill.
I just never again want to see a player say and do “It’s only a 30′ fall? I’ve got 42hp, I jump off the roof and keep chasing him…”