Asphyxiating

Condition Severity: Strong

   You are dying from lack of air.

Effects

• If you choose to take no actions at all (i.e. conserve the last of your air), you do not need to make a saving throw.
• If you take any actions at all, you must must make a saving throw at the end of your turn. The DC for this saving throw is the same DC as the original effect (or an Average DC for the CR (challenge rating) of the encounter).

• If you fail the saving throw, you take Primal (undefined damage type) damage equal to four times (4x) the CR of the creature or effect causing the condition.
• If you succeed on the saving throw, you take Primal (undefined damage type) damage equal to two times (2x) the CR of the creature or effect causing the condition.

• If you fall unconscious, you either begin breathing normally (if you were holding your breath on purpose) or you must make a save each round (if there continues to be no air to breathe after you pass out).

• Regardless of whether you succeed or fail on the save, you are still Asphyxiating.

(Note that creatures which do not need to breathe, such as undead, constructs, oozes, etc., are typically immune to the Asphyxiating status condition.)

Ended By

If the ability, trap, or effect description includes specific directions for how the condition is ended, then that is the primary means of ending this condition. In many cases, it is the only way to end the condition. If nothing is specifically listed for ending the condition, then the following methods can be used to end it, instead:

• Frequently, the effect causing the Asphyxiated condition is contained in a particular area, and moving out of this area immediately reduces the condition one step, and another step each round at the end of your turn until the condition is ended. If you are underwater, for example, moving to the surface to catch your breath immediately reduces this condition to Choking, and on the following round at the end of your turn, reduces it to Gagging, and on the following round at the end of your turn, the condition is cleared entirely.
• Any spell or effect which grants you a different means of breathing, or eliminates your need to breathe will reduce this condition to Choking, and on the following round at the end of your turn, reduce it to Gagging, and on the next round at the end of your turn, the condition is cleared entirely.
• Alternatively, an adjacent ally can give you mouth-to-mouth, providing you air temporarily, as a standard action. Your ally's action provokes attacks of opportunity from any enemies which threaten your ally. This action immediately reduces the Asphyxiated condition to the Gagging condition. Your actions on your turn can cause you to make new saving throws, potentially escalating back to Choking or Asphyxiating again.
• You can spend a move action to attempt an Escape Artist check against the Maneuver Defense of the creature who inflicted this status. If there is no creature involved, the target is a challenging DC based on the CR (challenge rating) of the effect. If you succeed on this check, you can act this round without the need to make a saving throw. If you fail the Escape Artist check, you must make a saving throw this round, even if you take no other actions. A successful Escape Artist check does not end the condition; it only shrugs off its negative effects for the round.
• Otherwise, Asphyxiated only ends when the effect expires or the source of the effect is eliminated.
• Note that the Primal damage caused by Asphyxiated remains even after the condition ends.

Array

Gagging → Choking → Asphyxiating