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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Talltomwright" data-source="post: 8539581" data-attributes="member: 7015385">So, to summarise so far:I've got to make sure not to inadvertently nerf other abilities land spells like Relentless Endurance, Death Ward, Rage Beyond Death, Strength Before Death etc. so I still need to penalise the choice to stay conscious. On the other hand, some people think exhaustion is too punishing and some that death saves at disadvantage is too punishing.Several of you think the rule is not simple enough.I think I'm erring towards the arguments for simplicity and less rolls. I do think I want to reward high CON characters by making it a more likely choice for them, but I don't want spellcasters to be punished by losing concentration. I also think I do want to keep the penalities high as I'm offering the PC a chance to turn the tides they might not otherwise have. I also think 1 point of exhaustion is a fair swap for the opportunity to drink a potion so I don't think self-healing is broken.My current thinking is to strip away the Concentration element apart from one CON save and flip disadvantage death saves to autofails, limiting the PC to a max two rounds of action (probably much more if they get hit, although at least they aren't prone for melee attacks at advantage or incapacitated for those pesky auto-crits). So my current offer is:Staying Conscious at 0hpWhen you are reduced to 0 hp you may choose to attempt to stay Conscious. If you wish to to do this make a Constitution saving throw, where the DC equals 10 or half the damage which you took, whichever number is higher, otherwise you fall unconscious.  You can also voluntarily go unconscious at any time.Staying conscious places your body under great strain. At the beginning of every round in which you are conscious at 0hp you take one level of exhaustion and an automatic failed Death Saving Throw instead of rolling.Staying conscious reopens your wounds. Whilst remaining conscious you cannot be stabilized by any means (for example, by a medicine check, healer’s kit or Spare the Dying) except by being healed for 1 or more hp.Damage that you take still takes gives you a failed Death Save (two for critical hits) and staying conscious makes you more likely to be attacked by enemies.(That last bit is, strictly speaking unnecessary but at least my players can't say I didn't warn them!)</blockquote>

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