Improvised Damage
Generic Hazard
In some cases you need to determine damage on the fly. The Improvising Damage table gives you suggestions for when you do so.
The Damage Severity and Level table is a guide to how deadly these damage numbers are for characters of various levels. Cross-reference a character’s level with the damage being dealt to gauge the severity of the damage.
Damage Severity and Level
| Character Level | Setback | Dangerous | Deadly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st-4th | 1d10 | 2d10 | 4d10 |
| 5th-10th | 2d10 | 4d10 | 10d10 |
| 11th-16th | 4d10 | 10d10 | 18d10 |
| 17th-20th | 10d10 | 18d10 | 24d10 |
| ^damage-severity-and-level |
Damage sufficient to cause a setback rarely poses a risk of death to characters of the level shown, but a severely weakened character might be laid low by this damage.
In contrast, dangerous damage values pose a significant threat to weaker characters and could potentially kill a character of the level shown if that character is missing many hit points.
As the name suggests, deadly damage is enough to drop a character of the level shown to 0 hit points. This level of damage can kill even powerful characters outright if they are already wounded.
Source: Dungeon Master’s Guide p. 249