"Forcing" a potion....

[tennyson]

In my last session about a week ago, one of our PCs was very near death (I believe -7 hit points or so). At the time of the wounding blow, two of his companions showed up and helped him, one of which forced a healing potion down his throat.

I ruled (more for the sake of the great chemistry the characters had with each other) that it stabilized him at 1 hit point. What is the official rule on this? Can you truly force an unconcious and bleeding person to drink a potion? If it is possible, what would the result be (assume it was a Cure Moderate Wounds potion)?Thanks in advance.

 

[Murrdox]

I don't see why you can't pour a potion down the gullet of an unconscious party member... we do it all the time in my group. As far as the game is concerned, it's the same as using a scroll of cure on him, or using a wand of cure on him. Unless your mouth is duct-taped shut, anyone in any condition can use a potion (of course, unwilling potion drinkers can save vs. the effects)

 

[Tom Cashel]

Totally legal. My players pulled this trump card on me last game.

It's in the DMG under the description of Potions. You can "trickle" a potion down an unconscious character's throat, but it is a full-round action.

 

[Mr Fidgit]

"a character can carefully administer a potion to an unconscious creature as a full round action...." DMG p191, and after, i would roll the points healing as per normal

 

[Fleetwood]

In our campaign, we allow force-feeding a potion to be a standard action, but require the drinker to make a fort save DC12 or gag and throw up the potion, ruining it.

Also, we have the drinking skill which allows two potions to be slammed in one round if a skill check is made (DC15).

I really got a kick out of that Fox guy on the Man Show.

 

[Saepiroth]

I really got a kick out of that Fox guy on the Man Show.

ziggy socky ziggy socky Haste Heroism Healing!

 

[Caliber]

In one game I ran back in the day, you didn't actually drink Healing potions. I mean, you COULD, and they would work fine.

But most people just uncorked them and poured them in their wounds. That worked fine too.

To at least be a little on topic, I would let someone give an unconscious character a potion as a Standard Action, just to be a nice guy.

Would hate for a PC to die just because no one was standing next to him with a potion ready.

 

[Hypersmurf]

The potion of Cure Moderate Wounds would heal 2d8+3 hitpoints and stabilise the character as normal.

Note that "stable" does not have to mean 0 hit points, or 1 hit point. You can be stable at -9 - you're still unconscious, but you're not bleeding.

If the 2d8+3 brings him from -7 to -2 or -1, he's stable but unconscious. If they bring him to 0, he's staggered. If they bring him to 1 or more, he's fully functional as if nothing has happened

-Hyp.