D&D 5E Negative Hit Points & Dying. I think I may have been playing it wrong. Please help.

[painted_klown]

Hello all,

I think I may have been playing dropping to zero hit points, or less, incorrectly.

What I have been doing is this:

When a player drops to zero HP, they fall unconsious and have to make death saving throws at the start of their turn until they are stabalized by 3 saves or a healers kit (taking them to 0 hit points, but stable & not requiring saving throws), they fail 3 saving throws and die, or they are healed by a spell that gives them hit points.

Where I think I may have been going wrong, is that I have been counting negative hit points, and was going to rule that if they reach their hit point max as a negative, then they would die.

For example:

A player has a HP max of 10. That player currently has 3 HP. Said player gets hit for 4 HP and I would have them drop to -1 (negative 1) and if they were to get hit again while unconsious then they would take the damage and be even more in the negative. If the player were to reach a negative equal to their hit point max (10 in this scenario) then they would die.

Is this correct?

I read elsewhere that there are no such things as negative hit points in 5E. If that is true, then does that mean you can beat on an unconsious player with them never dying? Surely, that isn't the case...

Alternately, if a player was at zero or less hit points and the cleric healed them, I would simply add the healing HP to the player and if it made them have 1 or more HP, I would allow them to essentially pop back up and continue to fight like all was good again.

I am now confused about this, and think I may have been playing it wrong. Can someone please clarify?

Thanks!

 

[Nebulous]

From the rules:

Instant Death
Massive damage can kill you instantly. When damage reduces you to 0 hit points and there is damage remaining, you die if the remaining damage equals or exceeds your hit point maximum.

For example, a cleric with a maximum of
12 hit points currently has 6 hit points. If she
takes 18 damage from an attack, she is reduced
to 0 hit points, but 12 damage remains. Because
the remaining damage equals her hit point maximum, the cleric dies.

This is mainly at threat a low level, as at higher levels PC hit points will be high enough that most single attack won't be able to drop them to negative max hit points.

 

[thalmin]

There are no negative HP. But each time you take damage while at 0, you gain an automatic failure when you take the damage (2 failures for a crit).

 

[Nebulous]

Any hit on a downed character automatically counts as a Hit, which is ONE FAILED DEATH SAVE.

Note that the Paralyzed condition: Any attack that hits the creature is a critical hit if the attacker is within 5 feet of the creature, so that's TWO DEATH saves failed if your are hit while down and paralyzed, such as from a ghoul.

 

[PnPgamer]

and remember, beating a helpless victim always gives you advantage, and automatic critical.

EDIT: Ninjaed.

 

[Cernor]

There's no such thing as negative hit points as you're always considered at 0 once you reach zero. However, being hit gives an automatic failure on a death save (2 on a critical), or if an attack takes you to your negative maximum number of hit points (like the example in the PHB) you automatically die.

 

[Astrosicebear]

What I have been doing is this:
When a player drops to zero HP, they fall unconsious and have to make death saving throws at the start of their turn until they are stabalized by 3 saves or a healers kit (taking them to 0 hit points, but stable & not requiring saving throws), they fail 3 saving throws and die, or they are healed by a spell that gives them hit points.

Where I think I may have been going wrong, is that I have been counting negative hit points, and was going to rule that if they reach their hit point max as a negative, then they would die.

For example:

A player has a HP max of 10. That player currently has 3 HP. Said player gets hit for 4 HP and I would have them drop to -1 (negative 1) and if they were to get hit again while unconsious then they would take the damage and be even more in the negative. If the player were to reach a negative equal to their hit point max (10 in this scenario) then they would die.

Is this correct?

YES. With one stipulation. Anytime a character takes damage while dying they take a death failure. A critical hit imposes 2 death failures.

Once they have either 3 death failures or their negative HP equals their max HP, they die.

Alternately, if a player was at zero or less hit points and the cleric healed them, I would simply add the healing HP to the player and if it made them have 1 or more HP, I would allow them to essentially pop back up and continue to fight like all was good again.

I am now confused about this, and think I may have been playing it wrong. Can someone please clarify?

Thanks!

Correct. All healing no matter how negative they might be heals from 0.

 

[painted_klown]

WOW! Combat is more deadly than I was actually playing it.

Thanks for the clarifications all. I appreciate your help.

 

[Nebulous]

WOW! Combat is more deadly than I was actually playing it.

Thanks for the calrifications all. I appreciate your help.

Yes, if you ever, ever have enemies beating on a downed character, it's deadly. Even 1 hit point of damage is going to equal a failed death save, so you could have kobolds poking you with tiny sticks and still die...

 

[thalmin]

YES. With one stipulation. Anytime a character takes damage while dying they take a death failure. A critical hit imposes 2 death failures.

Once they have either 3 death failures or their negative HP equals their max HP, they die.

Correct. All healing no matter how negative they might be heals from 0.

Except you don't accumulate negative HP. You are either in positive HP, 0 HP, or dead. Massive damage (further damage after 0 in any single attack greater than or equal to your HP maximum) will kill you outright.