D&D 5E 0 Hit Points and Polymorph

[Warmaster Horus]

DMs - how do you handle the following circumstance?

A PC is reduced to 0 HP and falls unconscious. Wizard targets their unconscious body with Polymorph, transforming them into a large beast at full HP. There is a clause in Polymorph saying the transformation lasts for the duration or until the target falls to 0 HP or dies. Does that negate the ability to polymorph someone already at 0 HP? If not, are there any limitations to an unconscious PC so transformed?

 

[Dausuul]

Interesting question!

I don't see any reason this trick wouldn't work according to the rules. Polymorph's trigger happens when your new form's hit points drop to zero, not your underlying "real" hit points. And it's a clever and creative use of polymorph, which deserves to be rewarded. So, I would say that this works perfectly; the target revives (prone) when polymorphed, and reverts to unconscious-and-dying when the spell ends.

If I were feeling evil, I might require the target to keep making death saves while polymorphed. If you fail enough death saves to die, you don't die immediately - but you will die when the spell ends, and you know it. Cue the mad scramble as the PCs try to figure out a way to sustain the spell past its regular duration and enable their comrade to survive its ending.

However, that's only if I'm feeling evil, and am confident that my play group will see this as an exciting challenge rather than a "screw you" from the DM.

 

[jaelis]

I think that I would rule the creature is still unconscious while polymorphed. I don't think there is a general rule about polymorph removing conditions... Dausuul for instance asserts that the target would still be prone. And if the target were cursed or something I think they would still be cursed. So it seems simplest to me to apply the same logic to the unconscious state.

It could still be useful, the polymorph form would have a lot of hp so the creature wouldn't be at risk of dying if hit by an attack. I wouldn't require death saves since the poly form is not at 0 hp.

 

[RulesJD]

Just beware:

If the character who was at 0hp takes enough damage to knock it out of Polymorph +1, it will have 1 automatic death save because it would take damage while unconscious. And the enemies might want to ensure the character is finished off and thus follow up with a 2nd attack, which in melee is an auto-crit, thus forcing another 2 death saves and instant death.

 

[Warmaster Horus]

Good ideas. My on-the-fly judgement was to allow it but compel a turn-by-turn Wisdom save for the new form to perform move/actions since it's underlying 'mind' was unconscious. It definitely helped that character survive, though they later died but were able to be Revivified in that spell's short window.

 

[Sunseeker]

I'd probably give them some kind of wisdom save to become conscious in the new form, otherwise the new form just lays there unconsciously.

 

[Plaguescarred]

I would not allow it to work as i don't think it's intended to revive an unconscious or even dead character.

 

[Plaguescarred]

It doesn't work it has received an errata.

Polymorph (p. 266). This spell can’t affect a target that has 0 hit points.

 

[Warmaster Horus]

I really need to toss the Errata up as a 1-pager on my DM screen. :>

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

I had not had the question come up around my table before the errata removing the question arrived - but I would have ruled precisely as the errata happens to: the intent of the polymorph spell is not to serve as quasi-healing for unconscious characters.