DND_Reborn
The High Aldwin
The going to -10 reminds me of the Damage Threshold we used to use, DT = CON score + proficiency bonus. That was the damage it took to kill you in a single blow while a 0 HP. We dropped it for incorporating exhaustion into it so it represent the death spiral, but I know that most people don't want that.the “healing yo-yo” problem exists because the threshold to die on a single attack is simply too high. Once characters are 5-6th there’s just no amount of damage on a single attack that is going to finish them off, so there is no risk in waiting to heal.
I have tried lots of house rules on death saves...automatic death save on unconscious, hidden saves (you don’t roll them until your healed),failures last until long rest.
nothing ever really did the job. Then I lowered the death threshold back to the old negative 10 and it worked like a charm. I noticed an immediate change in party behavior, people took healing seriously.
So I think the change is very simple.
1) if an attack would put you at negative 10, you die. Otherwise your unconscious at 0 hp.
2) any new hit that does 10 or more damage kills you. Otherwise it gives a death save (no need for crits to add 2 Saves anymore)
3) roll Death saves like before.
4) healing starts at 0 and goes from there.
This removes the negative hit point tracking from previous editions but eliminates the yo-yo problem, because no person is going to be comfortable at low hp with no healing, as they are risking death with the next hit.
if people like con score instead that’s fine too, the key is to a number that a decent attack or spell could manage to do