(House rule) I'm still standing...

[The Crimson Binome]

I don't like the unconcious/death/dying rules as they stand. I'd like to change them and make them a bit more exciting and less cartoonish.

A simpler rule to the same end would be that healing someone at zero does not automatically revive them. If someone becomes a noncombatant as soon as they're unconscious, then players will heal them before they get to that point.

It's like giving them a buffer to remain conscious when they're about to die, except the buffer is measured in your last few HP instead of as additional death saves.

 

[CubicsRube]

As a point re realism vs cartoonish. Most people do not die straight away but it takes minutes or perhaps hours in some cases. It is perfectly common for someone shot or stabbed to ne able to retaliate for a short time.

I think this is the disconnect that some get with whack a mole (thank you, couldn't remember the term).

As to whether any of these rules achieve that effect is another question.

 

[Blue]

Can I make a small suggestion:

When a character reaches 0 HP, they need not go prone and unconscious, but may whenever they want to while at zero. Rather, they can keep on fighting! However they do still make a death save at the start of each round and if they do get hit while at 0 HP they get an automatic failed death save as per normal.

Sometimes, slinking down and not causing others to target you can be the choice the player wants.

 

[CubicsRube]

Can I make a small suggestion:



Sometimes, slinking down and not causing others to target you can be the choice the player wants.

Yep i agree.

It's about facilitating pkayer choice and it makes sense if a character wants to struggle to stay conscious and fight on or if they want to collapse and take themselves out of the fight

 

[5ekyu]

Yeah yeah yeah!

I have a completely untested idea I've thought about implementing in a 5e campaign.

It is thus:
When a character reaches 0 HP, they do not go prone and unconscious. Rather, they can keep on fighting! However they do still make a death save at the start of each round and if they do get hit while at 0 HP they get an automatic failed death save as per normal.

I feel like it might give players more options to down a healing potion or get-out-of-dodge, or doing something else to be actively involved in the game and perhaps make the game somewhat more heroic, but I think it'd also feel more risky because you may have to choose between running and hiding or going for that lucky shot to end it.

What effect do you think this rule would have?

Alternative I suggested recently- stay up, no death saves, but any damage hit counts as a lethal blow and x lethal blows means dead.

X csn be 3, c can be tier+condo, whatever.

But leaves you standing and fighting exposed

 

[FrogReaver]

Just curious, what if you give players more death saves, but they can spend them to act or move on their turn?

Say instead of 3 death saves = death they get 5 or 6 and can automatically fail a death save upon reaching 0 and each subsequent turn therafter to continue fighting instead of dropping falling unconscious like normal?

If you really want to put exhaustion into it (which I don't really like) but you could make exhaustion occur when they fail their 3rd death save in a day.

 

[WhosDaDungeonMaster]

As I don't have time to read through the thread first, I am just going to offer my suggestion from prior editions (mixed with 5E concepts now):

When characters go to 0 HP, they have to make a CON save DC = 10 + damage overflow from hit (i.e. how far negative they went). If they make it, they still fall prone but remain conscious. Their speed is halved (optional), but they can get up and move, bind their own wounds, use an item, etc. Once they stabilize, they don't make death saves unless they act. I don't allow actions such as attacking, casting a spell, etc. unless they choose to automatically fail a death save, in which case another CON save is required to remain conscious. This way, if the damage doesn't take them too far negative, they have a chance to remain conscious and stabilize themselves.

For example, if a character has 5 HP and gets hit for 9, they have a "overflow" of 4 points of damage (since only 5 was needed to take them to 0 HP). The DC is 14 (10 + 4 overflow) for the CON Save. If they fail, continue RAW. If they succeed, they get move at half speed and can get up on their next action (since they fall prone), and act to stabilize themselves. Any "rigorous" action (your call) means an automatic death save failure and another CON Save to remain conscious.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

As I don't have time to read through the thread first, I am just going to offer my suggestion from prior editions (mixed with 5E concepts now):

When characters go to 0 HP, they have to make a CON save DC = 10 + damage overflow from hit (i.e. how far negative they went). If they make it, they still fall prone but remain conscious. Their speed is halved (optional), but they can get up and move, bind their own wounds, use an item, etc. Once they stabilize, they don't make death saves unless they act. I don't allow actions such as attacking, casting a spell, etc. unless they choose to automatically fail a death save, in which case another CON save is required to remain conscious. This way, if the damage doesn't take them too far negative, they have a chance to remain conscious and stabilize themselves.

For example, if a character has 5 HP and gets hit for 9, they have a "overflow" of 4 points of damage (since only 5 was needed to take them to 0 HP). The DC is 14 (10 + 4 overflow) for the CON Save. If they fail, continue RAW. If they succeed, they get move at half speed and can get up on their next action (since they fall prone), and act to stabilize themselves. Any "rigorous" action (your call) means an automatic death save failure and another CON Save to remain conscious.

Yes, I remember this now. The ‘incapacitated at 0 rule’ from 3e We houseruled that you could be incapacitated at negative your CON modifier. This was a nice buffer between alive and fighting and unconcious.
I like this as you presented it.

 

[WhosDaDungeonMaster]

Yes, I remember this now. The ‘incapacitated at 0 rule’ from 3e We houseruled that you could be incapacitated at negative your CON modifier. This was a nice buffer between alive and fighting and unconcious.
I like this as you presented it.

I've actually been using CON checks/saves to remain conscious since 1E. When characters would die at -10 HP, I allowed CON checks at 0, -3, and -6 hp to remain conscious. If a character when from positive to -7 in one hit, he would have to make three CON checks (at 0, -3 penalty, and -6 penalty). Most of the time, by -6 the characters would be unconscious anyway, but it always gave a chance.

 

[Bawylie]

I remember playing final fantasy 15, with something similar to OP’s suggestion. When the main character or a party member dropped to zero HP, they were effectively disabled. They’d crawl to cover, but couldn’t stand or fight, and if you could get over to them, you could administer some healing. It was both dramatic and effective.

I think I’d refine the original suggestion here to include a disabled status anytime a PC drops to zero. Knocked prone, advantage on saving throws, disadvantage on ability checks and attacks. Any healing increases HP but the disabled status needs a short or long rest to remove.

But now that I think about it - have I seen this somewhere else too?