D&D 5E 5e heros: Adventuring yo-yos.

[Mirtek]

If this is a persistent problem for you, I think the easiest solution would be to just adopt 4E's rules on Death Saving throws: i.e. they don't "reset" until you take a long rest.

Actually in 4e they did reset on a short rest

 

[Andor]

[MENTION=1879]Andor[/MENTION], another possible option would be just to say that you don't gain the level of exhaustion when you drop, but rather after you fail a specific number of death saves. If you want it to happen more often, they pick it up after the first failed death save; if you want it less often in your campaign, after the second.

That way there's still the risk, but it's not happening each and every time a character drops.

That's an interesting thought. In fact you could replace the death save mechanic with a 'bleeding out' mechanic.

So when dropped to 0 hp you start making death saves, every time you fail one you gain a level of exhaustion. You don't die until you hit the 6th level of exhaustion. Three successes clots/stabilizes you. So your team will be highly motivated to heal you quickly as staying down can cripple you for days. OTOH you're actually less likely to die before saving, at the cost of probable long term penalties. And the more you drop the closer to death you are each time.

I kinda dig that.

 

[wedgeski]

Actually in 4e they did reset on a short rest

Wow, just double-checked that and it does say "a rest" without specifying which type. One for a the "surprise house rules" thread!

 

[CapnZapp]

My 2 cents:

Any rule that significantly makes yoyoing back from 0 hp difficult makes the game incredibly deadly.

I wouldn't say "game breaking" because, obviously, a good GM can adjust for everything. But it does change the playing field enough to invalidate the assumptions the game is based on. Meaning that published scenarios will probably start killing the PCs unless changes are made.

And I am just too lazy for that.

The one change thrown around here that I really like so far is the "unconscious doesn't necessarily mean what it says" suggestion.

That characters at 0 hp bend the knee rather than flop to the floor. And thus, when healed, that they wearily stand rather than yo-yo back up.

This also solves the fact that the player have retained "situational awareness" while a truly unconscious character would not know where the goblins have moved, or which PC they need to help out first, etc.

 

[77IM]

You could base the character's state on the number of failed saves.

0 HP = staggering around. They are incapacitated but can still move 5' per round. They can't effectively take actions, other than to talk and lean on things, but they don't drop what they are holding.
1 failed save = fall prone, drop items.
2 failed saves = barely conscious. (This is your last chance to whisper some pithy dying words, in the desperate hope of earning inspiration for your next save.)
3 failed saves = dead.
3 successful saves = you finally pass out, unconscious, but stable. (At this point you've been bleeding for 3-5 rounds, so the yo-yo sensation is mitigated.)

I feel like it might increase the tension somewhat for the PC's condition to worsen with each step towards dying.