death save clarification?

[TheWriterFantastic™]

I have heard a couple of times, during RPGA events, that the three death save limit is until an extended rest, yet in both the Player's Handbook and the errata, it just states "rest," it doesn't specify short or extended. Is there an actual official source stating that it's supposed to be extended, or is it any rest, as specified in the Player's Handbook and errata?

 

[Obryn]

It's any "rest"; there hasn't been any change or clarification.

Given that short rests and extended rests are both "rests," I'd say a short rest counts.

-O

 

[the Jester]

AFAIK it's until any rest.

Looking at it from a game design perspective, making death saves "stick" until you take an extended rest brings the 15-minute adventuring day right back, the banishing of which was an explicit goal of 4e.

 

[MrMyth]

It resets at any rest.

I know that previously, there was a debate because people hoped it reset whenever you got healed back to being conscious, and many people use that as a house rule. I suspect someone got their wires crossed from that discussion, and started the short rest / extended rest debate - I ran into at least one DM who was convinced of that, and would even accept what the book said to the contrary until the Con Organizer set them straight.

 

[TarionzCousin]

... unless you're a walking corpse, in which case you're pretty much doomed to die sooner or later.

 

[Squire James]

I suppose a fairly easy house rule if you want a "grittier" campaign is to change the reset condition to something longer, like a day, a week, or until the character gains a level...

Looking at it this way, HP can represent morale, Healing Surges can represent fatigue, and Failed Death Saves can represent life-threatening injuries.

 

[Jdvn1]

This came up in my game recently--I was telling my players it was any rest, and my players said it was at an extended rest.

Why are they making the game more difficult for themselves?