Strangulation (3.5e Variant Rule)
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Strangulation[edit]
The special attack of garroting first appeared in Song and Silence. Attempting to strangle someone is a form of grappling, and follows all the normal rules for a grapple, except as follows.
Strangulation doesn't work against any creature that does not breathe (such as constructs, deathless, elementals, and undead), nor against oozes, plants, vermin, incorporeal, or ethereal creatures. Your DM might designate other creatures immune to strangulation as well.
When you are grappling, in addition to the other actions you can take (Player's Handbook, 156) you may attempt to gain a strangle hold on your opponent by making a special melee touch attack. If you succeed at this special melee touch attack, you grab hold of your opponent's throat (or slip a garrote around his neck) and can begin to strangle him on the following round. You do not ignore all of your opponent's armor bonus to his AC when making this attack, as shown on the accompanying chart.
To strangle your opponent you must win an opposed grapple check every round (made in place of an attack, If you use only your hands in the strangle attempt (and not a garrote or other appropriate weapon) you take a -4 penalty on the initial opposed grapple check (but not on any subsequent grapple checks) and cannot strangle a creature larger than yourself. You must use both hands to strangle (unless you have a locking garrote-see below) and cannot take any of the following grapple actions: attack your opponent, draw a light weapon, pin an opponent, retrieve a spell component, or use an opponent's weapon. A creature being strangled cannot attempt to pin an opponent, take an opponent's weapon used to garrote him, speak, or take any vocal actions (such as casting a spell with a verbal component).
If you succeed at your strangle attempt, your opponent can no longer breathe but can still hold his breath for up to 2 rounds per point of Constitution (beginning that same round). After this period of time, the creature must make a DC 10 Constitution check to continue holding his breath. The save must be repeated each round, with the DC increasing by +1 for each previous success.
When the strangled creature fails one of these Constitution checks, he begins to suffocate. In the first round, he falls unconscious (0 hit points). In the following round, he drops to -1 hit points and is dying. On the third round, he suffocates. If you stop strangling your opponent once he falls unconscious he remains unconscious for 2d6 minutes. An opponent who drops to -1 hit points before you release your strangle hold is automatically stable at -1 hit points. A strangled creature may pretend to fall unconscious by making a successful Bluff check.
Dragon #355
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