D&D 5E When you reduce a creature's hit points to 0

[Rya.Reisender]

Some traits like Dark One's Blessing refer to reducing the hit points of the target to 0. How would you rule it if the target dies from falling damage? Did the attacker reduce the hit points of the target to 0 or did the fall do that?

 

[jaelis]

I would say the fall did it. But probably see a lot of table variation.

 

[Mistwell]

Some traits like Dark One's Blessing refer to reducing the hit points of the target to 0. How would you rule it if the target dies from falling damage? Did the attacker reduce the hit points of the target to 0 or did the fall do that?

Did YOU, the Warlock, cause them to fall and die? If so, I'd say Dark One's Blessing triggers. If they happened to fall unrelated to what you did, then it would not trigger. The only trigger is "when you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points". Whether the cause is a sword you wield, or a blast you shot, or the ground which you accelerated them towards, or a poison you gave them, it should not matter. The Fiend you're attached to just wants you to extinguish life, and I don't think it cares what the specific cause of death might be.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Did the attacker reduce the hit points of the target to 0 or did the fall do that?

The sudden stop at the end did.

But, sure, I'd rule that if you push someone off a cliff & that reduces them to 0 hps, you get the Dark One's Blessing - just like you'd get the murder rap.

 

[Rya.Reisender]

I see, so you see it like a reward from the Dark One for extinguishing life. I was thinking of it more like sucking out life force through magic, so I was thinking that maybe it only applies to when for example Eldritch Blast kills the target and not the fall caused by its (extra) pushback effect.

 

[Fanaelialae]

I see, so you see it like a reward from the Dark One for extinguishing life. I was thinking of it more like sucking out life force through magic, so I was thinking that maybe it only applies to when for example Eldritch Blast kills the target and not the fall caused by its (extra) pushback effect.

I'm AFB but pretty sure that a Warlock would get the bonus if he zeroed the creature with a bow (regardless of whether it's a pact weapon or not). If the magic can draw out the life essence from a long distance bow shot, then why not a fall?

 

[Rya.Reisender]

Yep. I think it's actually the easier way to rule it too. So I'll use it. Thanks.

 

[jaelis]

If the magic can draw out the life essence from a long distance bow shot, then why not a fall?

Because you have to draw the line somewhere. For instance, which of these would count:
- Warlock pushes target over the cliff
- Warlock uses suggestion to convince target to jump off cliff
- Warlock uses suggestion to convince 3rd party to push target off cliff
- Warlock cast an illusion concealing cliff, and target walks off
- Warlock convinces target to camp near cliff, knowing there is a ogre living nearby who likes to throw sleeping adventurers over

You are welcome to rule on those however you like, I won't argue. Some of them make my brain hurt though, so I'm inclined to rule you get the benefit only when they are killed by damage you did directly, via either an attack or a spell.

 

[Mistwell]

Because you have to draw the line somewhere. For instance, which of these would count:
- Warlock pushes target over the cliff
- Warlock uses suggestion to convince target to jump off cliff
- Warlock uses suggestion to convince 3rd party to push target off cliff
- Warlock cast an illusion concealing cliff, and target walks off
- Warlock convinces target to camp near cliff, knowing there is a ogre living nearby who likes to throw sleeping adventurers over

You are welcome to rule on those however you like, I won't argue. Some of them make my brain hurt though, so I'm inclined to rule you get the benefit only when they are killed by damage you did directly, via either an attack or a spell.

And ruling that way is fine, but is it the most fun for your game? I mean, these are all corner cases they will not come up very often. And most of the time, if they're doing those things, the temporary hit points will be meaningless anyway - you're not in combat so it's not going to help anything anyway. So wouldn't it be more fun for the game if your Fiend patron gave you a boost you felt for doing those things? Doesn't it help the role playing aspect of that sort of character if it worked that way?

 

[green_destiny]

Well if person A pushes person B along the curb while person C is driving by... who gets to jail for killing person B?

Well it was because of the Warlock pushing him over the cliff to die.