However, I'm surprised that D&D has not had a similar mechanic. The dying words plot device is perhaps a little cliche but at the same time, it would be handy to have it actually available in the rules.
The main reason for this is to prevent characters dying. If a PC falls unconscious by being hit into the negatives, they are taken out of the immediate combat but hopefully will be healed up for the next one. If you take this "phase" out, I think you have to acknowledge that PC deaths are more likely to happen. You could still have a character fall to the ground and enforce a prone condition upon them I suppose - this would help, they just aren't automatically unconscious and they cannot get up from prone.
But if a PC falls unconscious and then bleeds to death before healing arrives (in other words, would die anyway), we have a fine place for a "dying words" situation; as you proposed to begin with. If they go through the -10 barrier via actual injury e.g. a sword strike takes them from -4 to -12 then they're dead on the spot, no dying words or anything else. It's the slow bleed out that holds the promise here.
In what I'm penning up, I've got something different again for what's going on when you are at 0 or negative hit points. However, for what you want, you could still have the -1hp loss each round until dead. However, even if a character is brought abruptly to -20hp, there should still be a chance for them to be able to dribble out a few last words. Perhaps a fortitude save with the DC, the amount of damage that was taken from the killing blow. If successful, they have a chance to say their dying words. Roll a d4 to determine how long they stay alive for:
1) Dead - no last words
2) ...Dead - 1 round
3) Almost Dead - 3 rounds
4) Wishing they were dead - 1 minute or longer (DM's call)
If they're as far gone as -20 I'd say a short scream becoming a gurgle is all they get.
Now, that dying scream might be a word or two e.g. William Wallace's "Freedom!" from Braveheart, but they sure won't get a round or three to do it.
Can you expand upon what you mean by Death's Door?
It's a 1e spell introduced in Unearthed Arcana; 3rd-level Cleric. I've modified it almost beyond recognition. I mentioned it here as it is exactly the sort of spell that interacts really badly with dying-words scenarios; by "badly" I mean it negates them completely.
Mustrum_Ridcully's charisma-based idea has me thinking also. I'd want the nearly-dead (can't call them undead, can I?) to be able to do just a bit more than talk, to allow for the following cinematic situations:
- with the battle over and the last of the attackers down, the dying soldier drags himself painfully into what he hopes is a safe hiding place, knowing the Queen's message he bears cannot fall into the wrong hands; he manages to scrawl a few too-brief words in the dirt before succumbing to his wounds, hoping against hope that royal agents find him before the rebels do.
- the valiant cowboy, blood pouring from the bullet hole in his throat and left for dead by the bearded villain, props his gun across his arm for one last-ditch shot.
- stricken with disease and beyond the abilities of any healer, the father clings to life, desperately waiting for his daughter to arrive so he can pass on the family secret that could change the world.
And so on.
In mechanics terms, any such action would at least require a save vs. death (or, in 1e, a system shock roll; why did they *ever* do away with that?) immediately on completion; for some actions, such as the father-daughter example above, death would be automatic.
In truth, I think of dying-words as something more useful for DMs than players, to provide drama, adventure hooks or climaxes, and so forth. But it also has to work the same way for the PCs, at least in my world, and these suggestions you're coming up with are great.
Lanefan
