D&D (2024) Gain 1 exhaustion when dropping to 0hp?

[OB1]

I voted yes but have a small tweak.

You gain a level of exhaustion when you fail a death save (either rolled or forced).
When you drop to 0 HP, you immediately make a death saving throw of 10 or 1/2 the damage taken (whichever is higher). You can add your con modifier to this death saving throw.

 

[rules.mechanic]

I voted yes but have a small tweak.

You gain a level of exhaustion when you fail a death save (either rolled or forced).
When you drop to 0 HP, you immediately make a death saving throw of 10 or 1/2 the damage taken (whichever is higher). You can add your con modifier to this death saving throw.

I like it, we have something similar that uses negative hp and has worked well. But I like that your approach avoids negative hp for those wanting to stay closer to the core rules

 

[mellored]

Definition of "gritty" and "heroic" aside. I still agree that there should be per-table adjustments.

Would it work well as a default rule introduced in the 5.5 update, without further tweaks and balance adjustments?

I absolutely expect this would need playtesting. And with some tweaks it could completely replace the 3 death save mechanics somehow.

That said, weve played with just the basic rule of 1 when you drop, recover 1 on a long rest, and that has been far more good than bad for us.

The only real complaint being the fighter with 4 exhaustion still wanting to protect the wizard with 0. So having some small way to pass around exhaustion would be good.

I'll have to try out using heroic dice to recover an exhaustion. I think that would be the light touch I am looking for. The rogue can trade his advantage to let the front liner recover exhaustion if he wants.

That said, I will consider implementing this house rule if I happen to run a grittier-than-average 5e game in the future.

Let us know how it goes.

 

[mellored]

So a bit more playtest and my group decided on this, replacing the current rules.

• 1 exhaustion when you fall to 0
• 1 exhaustion if you are damaged at 0
• 2 exhaustion if you are melee attacked at 0
• Recover 1 on a long rest
• Recover 2 on a comfortable long rest (i..e. in town, Mordenkainen's mansion).
• Recover 1 on a short rest by spending heroic inspiration.
• While at 0, roll a flat DC20 to spend a hit die. Decrease the DC by 1 each time you roll this, resets back to 20 when you take damage.
• Spare the dying lets you spend a hit die while at 0.
• Dead at 11 exhaustion.

So that provides a nice buffer between forced to retreat and dying. Monsters can also kick downed players now and then.

Gritty: increase each exhaustion gain by 1. (2 when dropped, 2 on damage, 3 when melee).
Heroic: Recover 1 exhaustion on a short rest, all on a long rest.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

I like this as an option in a toolbox for trying to add some of a survival horror style that early D&D editions evoked.

I can think of more to for such a play style toolbox too.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

Whilst I could support some sort of negative status effect for nearly dying I don't think exhaustion particularly models it well in 5e, since it was designed to model the problems that would come from strenous activity and a lack a food, drink, and sleep. The proposed 5.5 system is less specific, but I still don't see a reason to use exhaustion per se. Frankly I don't find -1's interesting enough to bother with.

And really I think if you want dropping to zero to be an intense experience ultimately it's a matter of roleplaying that, which most people I know at least somewhat do. Adding status effects to make gameplay more tedious while they're doing it doesn't necessarily add anything, so if they are going to be added they should be narrowly tailored to model the specific effects of being dropped, not a direct import of exhaustion rules.

If nothing else my suggestion would be that rather than getting one or more levels of exhaustion when dropping to zero, one should get one or more levels when the party goes out of initiative during a fight in which you've dropped to zero. This avoids the issue that exhaustion does not really model a nearly dead person who presumably is on an adrenaline high nearly as well as a nearly dead person after they calm down. It also keeps it a fun, roleplay encouraging penalty rather than one that gets the party killed.

 

[Greg Benage]

I tried this early in 5e and was surprised how much I hated it.

 

[Horwath]

I voted yes but have a small tweak.

You gain a level of exhaustion when you fail a death save (either rolled or forced).
When you drop to 0 HP, you immediately make a death saving throw of 10 or 1/2 the damage taken (whichever is higher). You can add your con modifier to this death saving throw.

I like this.

I would maybe not add damage to equation here.

also, if crit dropped you, gain one failed save and roll another.
when you suffer crit hit and do not drop to 0, roll a death save to avoid exhaustion level.
when your roll a 1 on any saving throw, gain an exhaustion level.

Exhaustion level:
-1 to every d20 check
-1 to all your DCs
-1 to AC
-5ft move speed per two levels(round down)

you die at 11 death levels.

you remove one exhaustion level on short rest and prof bonus amount of exhaustion on long rest.

optional feat:

Endurance:
+1 ASI
Advantage on death saves
Halve you effective exhaustion levels(round down, you die when you get 22 of them)
remove prof bonus of exhaustion levels on short rest and all on long rest.


Optional 2:

take exhaustion for benefits.

Suffer on level of exhaustion to get Heroic inspiration

Action surge, Action: take additional Action this turn.
Suffer 2(or maybe 3) levels of exhaustion.
You can do this only once per turn.
You need to take a short rest to take action surge again.

Action surge, Bonus:
take additional Bonus action.
suffer 1 exhaustion level
once per turn only.

recover a spell slot. Bonus action
1 exhaustion level per slot. max 5th level spell slot.

second wind:
Bonus action,
suffer exhaustion level
use a number of HDs to heal yourself up to your prof bonus.

 

[mellored]

I voted yes but have a small tweak.

You gain a level of exhaustion when you fail a death save (either rolled or forced).
When you drop to 0 HP, you immediately make a death saving throw of 10 or 1/2 the damage taken (whichever is higher). You can add your con modifier to this death saving throw.

Would you still die on 3 failed saves?

But yea, roll for exhaustion could work too.

Heroic: roll with advantage
Gritty: roll with disadvantage

 

[OB1]

Would you still die on 3 failed saves?

But yea, roll for exhaustion could work too.

Heroic: roll with advantage
Gritty: roll with disadvantage

Hmmm, good question, I think I would get rid of 3 failed saves while at 0 HP meaning death. Instead, when you drop to 0HP, you are Dazed (per the new rule). Since you aren't unconscious, you're still a target at 0HP, and gaining more levels of exhaustion with each hit you take before you get back above 0HP.
Heroic: All Exhaustion gone after long rest
Regular: 2d4 levels of exhaustion gone after long rest
Gritty: 1 level of exhaustion gone after long rest