D&D 5E Is Dying really hard?

[Henry]

If you want to see people act differently, have the DM start making death saves on behalf of the characters, in secret. No one knows until they can check outside of combat, or if the DM rolls that 20 that means you revive. Stable? Dying? Who knows? You need to go spend your action and diagnose them!

 

[Stalker0]

If you want to see people act differently, have the DM start making death saves on behalf of the characters, in secret. No one knows until they can check outside of combat, or if the DM rolls that 20 that means you revive. Stable? Dying? Who knows? You need to go spend your action and diagnose them!

I like it!

 

[Sunseeker]

At levels 1-3, yes I think it is. A good hit from an arrow or a wolf can take out a player. Above that characters tend to have enough features and HP to make dying outside of "Deadly++" encounters very rare.

However, I also houserule the way death works. I think the dying, death saves and attack rules are contradictory. Like...if you get crit while dying, it counts as two failed saves...but all hits while dying are auto-crits. So...if you get hit at all while dying it's two death saves lost. This feels like a rule written by someone who wanted to write "When you get hit while dying, it's insta death." but someone else told them that was too harsh.

So...

Everyone has negative Con Score "negative HP". "Zero" is always unconscious and stable. No death saves, no losing HP. However when you are at -1 HP or lower, you are "dying". Attacks against you are no longer auto-crits, they simply subtract their damage from your remaining negative HP, when you reach your maximum negative HP, you are dead-dead. However, each round while dying you get a "death save" to attempt to stabilize. The DC is 10+how far into the negatives you are. (so, if you have a Con of 12, and you're at -5, the DC for your Death Save is 15). If you fail your save, you lose 1 HP. If you make your save, you do not lose a HP that round.

First: This gives people more time. Rarely will you see a con score lower than 8.
Second: This maintains the feel that one good hit while you are dying could end you forever, as for the majority of the game, no con score will ever exceed 20.
Third: This streamlines the death rules. Dying is a progression towards death, not a whimsy of the dice.

 

[Hussar]

If you want to see people act differently, have the DM start making death saves on behalf of the characters, in secret. No one knows until they can check outside of combat, or if the DM rolls that 20 that means you revive. Stable? Dying? Who knows? You need to go spend your action and diagnose them!

Oooh, I rather like that idea. Hrm, I wonder if there would be a way to implement that on Fantasy Grounds. Have Death saves only visible to the DM.... Cool idea.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

If you want to see people act differently, have the DM start making death saves on behalf of the characters, in secret. No one knows until they can check outside of combat, or if the DM rolls that 20 that means you revive. Stable? Dying? Who knows? You need to go spend your action and diagnose them!

Stolen!

 

[Stalker0]

Like...if you get crit while dying, it counts as two failed saves...but all hits while dying are auto-crits. So...if you get hit at all while dying it's two death saves lost.

Not quite. Hits from attacks within 5 feet are auto-crits. This is effectively representing the "coup de grace". Reach attacks, ranged weapons, and most spell damage will only trigger a single failed save.

 

[Sunseeker]

Not quite. Hits from attacks within 5 feet are auto-crits. This is effectively representing the "coup de grace". Reach attacks, ranged weapons, and most spell damage will only trigger a single failed save.

And that just makes it more complicated. Btw: you get no save against save inducing attacks while dying, ya kno, unconcious and all that.

See, its all just odd little fiddly bits.

 

[Stalker0]

And that just makes it more complicated. Btw: you get no save against save inducing attacks while dying, ya kno, unconcious and all that.

See, its all just odd little fiddly bits.

While true that is a bit more complicated, I think its debates your notion that the rules are contradictory.

 

[Zippee]

Massive damage insta-death is still on the table for 0HP unconscious PCs - I've had a few players sit dumbstruck when they think they're safe on Death Save Row

Game styles vary but in a game where the PCs are combat focused, I see absolutely nothing wrong in NPCs and critters taking out fallen PCs. The arguments that it's 'unrealistic' seem deeply flawed to me, if it's effective and worth doing because, you know if you don't the fighter just gets up again in the game framework, then it is perfectly realistic in the game framework to put them down hard. That's not meta, that's how the world works.

In theory I like the secret DM roll of death saves but
a) it's just another admin burden I'd have to take on
b) my players would hate it, because stealing their precious control prerogative

 

[Sunseeker]

While true that is a bit more complicated, I think its debates your notion that the rules are contradictory.

Perhaps contradictory was the wrong word choice, I may have been looking for convoluted when I wrote the post.