Death Saves Out of Combat?

[Pour]

I can't find the exact ruling on what happens to downed players once the combat is over. Do they still roll death saves?

Improvising last night, I allowed the conscious wizard who multiclassed cleric to take 10 on Heal checks and stabilize everyone to 1 hp. I'll also be allowing the paladin to do this in the future, cause I think this worked well.

But what are the actual rules?

 

[BarkingDeathSquirrel]

I would assume they make their death saving throws as normal, just keep using initiative order until every one is okay. Conscious characters can use Heal checks to either let the character use their second wind (if they haven't used it) or to grant them additional saves. Both actions are standard actions.

 

[James McMurray]

Heal checks can also give +2 to the next save, which is usually safer when you're dealing with something where failures will kill you.

 

[DracoSuave]

They spend their healing surges because it's outside of combat and therefore they can?

I didn't think there needed to be a system for 'Fighting is done, spend your surges, look he gets back up.'

 

[James McMurray]

There is a system for 'Fighting is done, spend your surges, look he gets back up.' It's called a short rest, and it's way too slow to help someone that's dying.

 

[MatthewJHanson]

Heal checks can also give +2 to the next save, which is usually safer when you're dealing with something where failures will kill you.

Heal checks can also stabilize a dying character. Then you can take a short rest and spend some healing surges.

 

[James McMurray]

Forgot about that. That's probably the best course of action.

 

[MarkB]

Is a character still in mortal peril? Then the combat is not over. Continue to track the PCs' actions in initiative order until the character's plight is resolved, whether that is by them being healed, being stabilised, or by their death.

 

[Pour]

Thanks guys.

I guess I wasn't too far off the mark then, but instead of making her roll a heal check or the downed player another death save I sort allowed auto-success for both.

My only concern with going about the rolls is the potential for an anticlimactic death from bleeding out after they managed to defeat their opponent. It just doesn't seem right to have them die at that point.

As it went, I allowed auto success, they stabilized to 1hp and then entered a short rest to burn healing surges. It worked well.

 

[James McMurray]

With no distractions and a DC of only 15, stabilization should be autosuccess for many characters anyway (and all characters after 12th level).

Normally stabilization won't bring someone to 1hp, but that probably doesn't matter unless enough people were dropped that the rest of the party can't carry them, and they can't rest where they were. Most of the time it's just going to be 1 extra hit point if they don't spend enough surges to heal completely after the fight.