Minimum Hit Point Maximum in AL

Came to my attention (thanks to a tweet from Mike Mearls) that there is no official rule in the Player's Handbook about what the minimum value of a character's hit point maximum is allowed to be. Since there is no official rule, this means AL DMs are free to determine what the minimum hit point maximum is at their tables (but see below for a reason that there might still be an effective 'official' hit point maximum even in the absence of an explicit rule).

To provide some guidance, here are what I perceive as the correct rules interpretations revolving around the two most likely choices:

- Minimum hit point maximum is zero

A character cannot fall below zero hit points and cannot have more hit points than the character's hit point maximum (Basic Rules, p.74). This means that a character with a maximum of zero hit points cannot gain hit points to go above zero current hit points. This has a number of effects:

1. Such a character cannot gain any benefit from healing effects that increase hit points.

A spell like Healing Word that only restores hit points would have no effect on the character; since healing spells stabilize characters by raising them above zero current hit points (Basic Rules, p.76), this means spells that restore hit points do not, of themselves, cause unconscious characters to stabilize. The character could still be stabilized by a spell or effect that specifically says it stabilizes a dying character (such as Spare the Dying or making a Wisdom(Medicine) check), and would still gain the non-hit point healing benefits of spells that have those benefits (so a Heal spell would still cure disease and blindness on a dying character with a hit point maximum of zero, but it would not stabilize him). The character could also still receive a benefit from a spell like Aid that increases the character's hit point maximum, which would then allow the character to benefit from a subsequent healing spell to restore hit points.

2. Such a character dies if subjected to any damage.

A character with a hit point maximum of zero also has current hit points of zero. If such a character receives even one point of damage, that damage exceeds the characters hit point maximum and the character dies instantly. (Basic Rules, pp. 75-76)

3. The DM must determine what spells, if any, can return a character who died with a hit point maximum of zero from the dead.

Both the Raise Dead and Revivify spells specify that a character returns to life with "1 hit point". They do not specify that the character's hit point maximum increases, however. If the DM allows Raise Dead and Revivify to also raise the formerly dead character's maximum hit points to 1 along with their current hit points (note that references to 'hit points' are usually references to 'current hit points' -- Basic Rules, p.74), then the character can be returned to life.

Note that, if the DM determines that Raise Dead will not raise a deceased character's hit point maximum, then that character cannot be brought back to life via Spellcasting Services or Faction Charity, as both rules presume the use of Raise Dead as the spell that brings the character back to life. (ALDMG v4, pp. 6-7 (Spellcasting Services), 8-9 (Faction Charity)). Note also that this restriction would not apply to the Dark Powers in Season 4, as no specific spell is noted as being used by the Dark Powers (though Resurrection is suggested by the text, it is not specified that Resurrection is the spell used by the Dark Powers, also see below).

Resurrection and True Resurrection specify that a character returns to life with "all its hit points"; a DM could interpret this as allowing a character to be restored to full hit points and full maximum hit points via these spells (or via Wish, if used to duplicate the effect of Resurrection or True Resurrection). If the DM determines that "hit points" as referenced by these spells only refer to current hit points, then these spells would not bring a character back from the dead who had been reduced to zero maximum hit points. This means that, if the DM rules that Revivify, Raise Dead, Resurrection, and True Resurrection are all ineffective at restoring a character's maximum hit points, then no spell can be used to bring such a character back from the dead. Such a character would be permanently dead and retired from Adventurers League, unless it is playing in Season 4 or a similar season where some mechanic like Dark Powers Charity is available.

- Hit point maximum cannot fall below 1

None of the above problems apply if the DM rules that a character's hit point maximum cannot fall below 1. However, this interpretation arguably goes against the write-up of numerous monsters with life drain or other effects that reduce a character's hit point maximum, that specify that the monster's opponent "dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0." If a monster's power specifies that it can reduce an opponent's hit point maximum to zero, the DM arguably does not have the power to rule otherwise in an Adventurers League game.

My own recommendation, and the one I plan to follow in my own AL games, is that monsters with attacks that reduce hit point maximum can reduce that maximum to zero, but that spells that bring characters back from the dead restore both the character's current and maximum hit points to the specified value in the spell (1 hit point for Raise Dead/Revivify, full hit points for Resurrection/True Resurrection). This largely avoids the organizational problems that might otherwise result from allowing characters to be reduced to zero maximum hit points.

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Pauper

Most things that reduce HP maximums do so until the end of a long rest or the character dies (at which point something else usually happens such as the character becoming an undead spawn).

You are correct that there are no rules stating what happens to a dead characters HP max. As such this is a situation the rules don't cover (or if it does - it is obscure) and as such it would be subject to table variation.

With that being said - I can't imagine any DM being cruel enough not to let the characters HP maximum be restored to normal upon being raised. Worst case scenario would be to have their HP Max be reduced to 1 until they have a long rest but even that is extreme and would be something I as a player would not accept (if a DM tried that, I would simply leave the table and not record the session on my log sheet. Don't need that kind of drama nor do I need such an antagonistic and sadistic DM)

kalani said:

Most things that reduce HP maximums do so until the end of a long rest or the character dies (at which point something else usually happens such as the character becoming an undead spawn).

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The alternative options are varied depending on the creature doing the drain -- a character killed by a vampire must be buried overnight to turn into a vampire spawn, while a character killed by a wraith can be brought back as a specter on the wraith's next turn, if desired.

This actually runs into another rules issue -- the text of Raise Dead specifically says that it can't return an undead creature to life, and once a character has been transformed into an undead creature by one of these effects, there are no explicit rules for how to undo that transformation. Except one -- AL, by fiat, has decided that vampire spawn can be returned to their pre-spawn state by the Raise Dead spell. While this leaves the implication that other undead transformations can be similarly undone by Raise Dead, this doesn't completely jibe with the text of the spell, nor is it explicitly stated in AL rules, which only apply to vampire spawn in this case.

That's why I feel a comment like this...

With that being said - I can't imagine any DM being cruel enough not to let the characters HP maximum be restored to normal upon being raised.

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...isn't being terribly helpful. AL puts some effort into communicating that DMs should follow the printed rules of the game when running AL tables. Where the rules of the game suggest a particular combination of effects that are not beneficial to players, should the DM abandon the rules in favor of protecting the players? Does that not just encourage the DM to do the same thing any time a 'pesky rule' would interfere with her players' enjoyment? And in the end, doesn't this cause exactly the problem that some DMs view the rules as being optional, if the rules don't produce the sort of play the DM wants?

I'll agree that it's one thing to put arbitrary roadblocks into the players' way in the name of 'playing by the rules', and that DMs should avoid that where not explicitly authorized by the rules. Yet, AL is moving to a slightly different mode of using in-game raises to keep players involved in the story even after their characters die -- without a more explicit ruling about what happens with a player's hit point maximum (even the existing Dark Powers Charity rule only says that a character returns with "full hit points and spells", leaving class abilities that recharge on rest that are not spells as a grey area), it's an open question whether the restrictions of Raise Dead (return with 1 hit point, in the midst of an adventure) are intended by the AL admins, and whether the DM should enforce those restrictions or hand-wave them.

I'm inclined to enforce the restrictions -- Greater Restoration is available as a spellcasting service, after all, and high level parties may even have access to the spell within the party itself. Wights are meant to be more dangerous opponents than dire wolves, and the energy drain is one reason why.

While the DM and the players are not enemies, they're not on the same team, either -- the AL trusts DMs to represent the League at AL tables, not to throw softballs to the players because they'd rather cast their spells on enemies than use them to help their allies.

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Pauper

RAISE DEAD
You return a dead creature you touch to life, provided that it has been dead no longer than 10 days. Ir the creature's soul is both willing and at liberty to rejoin the body, the creature returns to life with I hit point. This spell also neutralizes any poisons and cures nonmagical diseases that affected the creature at the time it died. This spell doesn't, however, remove magical diseases, curses, or similar effects; if these aren't first removed prior to casting the spell, they take effect when the creature returns to life. The spell can't return an undead creature to life.

It's generally going to depend on the spell. You return to 1hp with your HP Max reduced. You would then need to get Greater Restorationcast to regain the HP Max.

Other spells can likely by-pass this problem, but they are all 5th level or higher which means the Healer could just toss a Greater Restoration on them right after they revive them.

Pauper said:

This actually runs into another rules issue -- the text of Raise Dead specifically says that it can't return an undead creature to life, and once a character has been transformed into an undead creature by one of these effects, there are no explicit rules for how to undo that transformation. Except one -- AL, by fiat, has decided that vampire spawn can be returned to their pre-spawn state by the Raise Dead spell.

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Small clarification: Raise Dead cannot return an undead creature to life, as in - it cannot bring back a slain vampire as a vampire.... Nor can it bring back a currently animated undead creature to life (i.e transform a ghoul back into a human for example).

Once an undead creature is destroyed however, it is just a corpse. As such - it can be returned to life by any of the normal means. Revify wouldn't work unless they had only been killed within the last hour. Raise dead also has a limit (I think it is 1 day, but it might be longer). If someone had been a ghoul for several years for example, they might need a True Resurrection spell in order to bring them back to life... This is of course subject to table variation, depending on whether the DM counts time spent as an undead creature toward the duration the character has been "Deceased".

Just opening up the Monster Manual to Vampire, Wight, and Wraith, all of which have special attacks that do some form of life drain, it specifically says the maximum hit point reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest, but if the attack reduces hit point maximum to zero, the target dies. Same with the Demilich, except that with it's attack, it does not mention rest at all and only says the reduced hit points can be recovered with a Greater Restoration or similar magic. So it sounds to me that being reduced to zero max hit points is death, no death saving throws, no stabilizing, no healing. And recovering lost max hit points requires a long rest unless the attack specifically says something different.

As for bringing a character back to life from being reduced to zero max hit points, unless the attack that did it says differently, I do not see why a raise dead or revivify would not work like it normally would in any other death situation.

Enevhar Aldarion said:

As for bringing a character back to life from being reduced to zero max hit points, unless the attack that did it says differently, I do not see why a raise dead or revivify would not work like it normally would in any other death situation.

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In a situation where you get a Raise Dead between adventures, it doesn't really matter -- the character is presumed to get a long rest between adventures already.

But starting with Season 4, Faction Charity can actually bring your character back *during* the adventure ("If the character is of level 1 to 4 and a member of a faction, a patron from the faction ensures that he or she recieves a raise dead spell. The character can continue to play the adventure and receive full rewards, though he or she has only 1 hit point (unless another member of the party heals the character further)." ALDMG, pp.8-9, emphasis mine). While we're not using that rule for Season 4 adventures, my presumption is that this is the new version of Faction Charity to be used for prior seasons, and for upcoming seasons (unless it gets changed again in a subsequent AL guide).

Because of this, it's important to decide if a character who was killed via energy drain is brought back via Raise Dead with 1 maximum hit point or full maximum hit points. And, if it's decided that Raise Dead doesn't restore the characters maximum hit point value (because if it did, the spell would say so, and it doesn't -- this is a common answer for other spell questions), then it's pretty significant to note that Raise Dead won't bring back characters reduced to zero max hit points at all.

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Pauper

kalani said:

Small clarification: Raise Dead cannot return an undead creature to life, as in - it cannot bring back a slain vampire as a vampire.... Nor can it bring back a currently animated undead creature to life (i.e transform a ghoul back into a human for example).

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While we're not using Crawford rulings as official AL rulings, this goes against a ruling Crawford made about the Revivify spell -- a character transformed into an undead creature and then killed would be brought back as the undead creature if subjected to the Revivify spell, and as such would no longer be eligible to be brought back by Raise Dead (since the character, transformed, is now undead).

A Wish spell cast as a Wish (not copying the effect of another spell) could probably manage to undo the transformation and bring back the original character, though.

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Pauper

Pauper said:

Because of this, it's important to decide if a character who was killed via energy drain is brought back via Raise Dead with 1 maximum hit point or full maximum hit points. And, if it's decided that Raise Dead doesn't restore the characters maximum hit point value (because if it did, the spell would say so, and it doesn't -- this is a common answer for other spell questions), then it's pretty significant to note that Raise Dead won't bring back characters reduced to zero max hit points at all.

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Pauper

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Eh, I prefer to be an inclusive DM, not an exclusive one. So if there is nothing in the printed rules, the AL Guide, or Sage Advice (which I use for all my games, AL or not) that specifically says it cannot be done, then I generally allow it. Rather than being an exclusive DM, who says that if something is not specifically allowed in the rules, then it cannot happen. 5th Edition requires a lot more flexibility from the DM than the previous two editions or Pathfinder and I have seen that mess up a lot of DMs who are used to having every little variation clarified in print, something the AL Admin has repeatedly refused to do.

Enevhar Aldarion said:

Eh, I prefer to be an inclusive DM, not an exclusive one.

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Again, not helpful. You're trying to equate making a ruling that isn't in the player's favor with being a bad DM, and that's not even close to being true. There's a difference between 'making a ruling that arbitrarily throws roadblocks in the players' way' and 'making a ruling to preserve the challenge in an adventure'.

Of course, if challenge isn't supposed to equal fun, then I'm not sure why we're even running AL -- the online Neverwinter game does just fine along those lines, I understand.

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Pauper