Asphyxiation
Asphyxiation Damage is physical damage caused by the body's inability to obtain sufficient oxygen and deliver it to the bloodstream. The brain and other organs depend upon a continuous supply of oxygen, so when breathing is obstructed or oxygen becomes unavailable, the entire body begins to fail. Unlike most forms of physical damage, Asphyxiation can become increasingly debilitating simply through continued exposure, even when the body suffers no obvious wound.
Asphyxiation may result from the complete absence of breathable air or from anything that prevents the body from using the air available to it. Drowning, strangulation, suffocation, depleted atmospheres, and magical effects can all produce the same fundamental problem: the body is running out of oxygen.
Asphyxiation Sources
Asphyxiation Damage can result from environmental conditions, physical attacks, substances in the air, or supernatural effects. The source does not necessarily need to be poisonous; an environment containing too little oxygen can be just as deadly as one filled with a harmful gas. Some magical effects can also interfere directly with breathing or prevent oxygen from reaching the bloodstream.
Examples include:
- Drowning or being submerged without the ability to breathe
- Strangulation and other forms of physical suffocation
- Gas attacks that prevent normal respiration
- Sealed environments in which breathable oxygen has been depleted
- Oxygen-depleting magic or supernatural effects
- Magical or physical effects that prevent a creature from breathing normally
Asphyxiation Saving Throws
Endurance is the primary Saving Throw against Asphyxiation Damage. Endurance represents the body's ability to continue functioning under prolonged physical stress and to endure the increasingly severe effects of oxygen deprivation. A character with exceptional Endurance may be able to continue functioning when another character would already be incapacitated.
In situations where the source of the Asphyxiation can be avoided rather than endured, Agility may also be relevant. A character might escape a collapsing structure, break free from a restraint, or move out of a contaminated area before oxygen deprivation becomes severe. Agility avoids the circumstance; Endurance allows the body to withstand it.
Asphyxiation Mitigation
The most effective way to mitigate Asphyxiation is to restore access to breathable air or provide another means of supplying the body with oxygen. Unlike damage that can simply be endured, Asphyxiation generally becomes more dangerous the longer its source remains in place. Removing the victim from the environment is therefore often more important than treating the resulting damage.
Active forms of mitigation include:
- Breathing spells that allow respiration in otherwise unbreathable environments
- Breathing potions or similar magical preparations
- Removing oneself from a low-oxygen or depleted environment
- Breaking free from restraints, strangulation, or other physical obstructions
- Creating or restoring a supply of breathable air
- Magical effects or artefacts that replenish or preserve oxygen
- Destroying or neutralizing the source of the Asphyxiation
Asphyxiation Related Conditions
The primary condition associated with severe Asphyxiation is Unconsciousness. As oxygen deprivation progresses, the brain can no longer function normally, eventually causing the victim to lose consciousness even if the body remains otherwise intact. An unconscious victim is generally unable to take meaningful action to escape the source of the damage without assistance.
If Asphyxiation continues after unconsciousness, it ultimately results in death. Unlike many forms of physical injury, there may be little visible evidence of the damage until the victim suddenly collapses. Once the body can no longer sustain its vital functions without oxygen, death follows.
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