D&D 4E How have PCs died in your 4e games?

[Rechan]

This is where my question. The book says that they have 3 chances on saving throws. In PH1, it states: lower than 10, you slip one step closer; 10-19, no change; 20 or higher, spend a healing surge (basically live and be knocked out). It doesn't say what state you are supposed to add with the roll.

Unless you have a feat that gives a +1 to saving throws (like human preseverence), you never add anything to a saving throw, death save or not.

 

[Ryujin]

Apart from the effective TPK with the Dracolich (DM decided that he would bind our souls to insure his task was done), there have been a couple. Our Archer Ranger was cut off, surrounded, and hacked apart by Drow soldiers. I had already Fey Switched him out of danger once, but he put himself back into an untennable position a second time. Our charging Thug Rogue kept running out of our Cleric's healing range after making attacks, was slowly whittled down, then ran off and was cut down in a location that I couldn't Fey Switch him out of.

 

[Thatwackyned]

I am a Warden, defending 3 cloth wearers, no Leader. So my job is to run in and hold the line. We were fighting in the Quary with Guard Drakes. I ran in and marked the Goblins and the Drakes. Goblins drop from the strikers, and the Drakes shift to flank. "No problem, I have Hit Points to spair, and AC 19. Golden." My Character didn't know about the Rending ability of the Guard Drakes. Both hit, One happens to crit. Max hit points to -2. Good thing I have 2 saving throws per turn. I survived though.

 

[Smoke Jaguar]

Unless you have a feat that gives a +1 to saving throws (like human preseverence), you never add anything to a saving throw, death save or not.

so... I hope this doesn't take us too far off track and upset anybody.

Can I get a brief explanation of how the death saving rolls work? They get 3 rolls and only one roll needs to be great than 10 to be fine?

 

[ExploderWizard]

so... I hope this doesn't take us too far off track and upset anybody.

Can I get a brief explanation of how the death saving rolls work? They get 3 rolls and only one roll needs to be great than 10 to be fine?

Nope, it's kind of on topic.

The death save is a three strikes and you are out type roll. If you are in a dying state on your turn then your only action is to make a death save at the end of your turn. Unmodified, a roll of 9 or worse means you get worse. A result of 10-19 means you remain stable, no change. A roll of 20 or higher allows you to spend a healing surge (bringing you back to conciousness at 0 hp but still dying) If you have no available surges then treat this roll as a 10-19.

If you get a result of 9 or less three times before getting to rest then you die.

So it isn't a 3 strikes per time you are dropped. If your character gets downed multiple times then a single failure could be all it takes.

 

[Smoke Jaguar]

I was thinking it was more like a condition track. Where they need to have three success to come out of it and three failures in a row to die.

He rolled below 10 twice and then a 15. So right there he should have survived. I made him roll one more time but he rolled his natrual 1 on that and died.

What should have happened on the 15 roll?

 

[MrMyth]

I was thinking it was more like a condition track. Where they need to have three success to come out of it and three failures in a row to die.

He rolled below 10 twice and then a 15. So right there he should have survived. I made him roll one more time but he rolled his natrual 1 on that and died.

What should have happened on the 15 roll?

You don't 'stop dying' unless you roll a 20. On a 15, you simply don't get worse. So you did indeed handle it correctly - he get's worse twice, and is one step away from death.

On his next turn, he rolls a 15. No improvement, but he doesn't die.

Then he rolls a 1, and... three strikes, and he's dead.

The failures don't need to be sequential. Often, if others are around, they can stabilize the character or even heal them and get them back into the fight. But when someone is trapped and dying on their own, as seems to have been the situation you described, odds are good of them dying off.

 

[Smoke Jaguar]

Thank you.

One last follow up question, let's say before the third fail, somebody comes over and does healing where he regains HP and is not a +6hp. Does he have to make another roll or does that mean he is stable and now just need to come out of unconsciousness?

 

[MrMyth]

Thank you.

One last follow up question, let's say before the third fail, somebody comes over and does healing where he regains HP and is not a +6hp. Does he have to make another roll or does that mean he is stable and now just need to come out of unconsciousness?

Note that when you are healed, you heal starting at 0 hp. So if someone healed him for 6 hitpoints, he would be at 6 hitpoints, and no longer unconscious or dying. On his next turn, he could act normally.

If he fell unconscious again, of course, the death saves resume. As the rule is written, a third failed save at that point would kill him, though I've seen groups that have it reset when a character is healed (normally, it resets after any rest.)

 

[Xeterog]

A roll of 20 or higher allows you to spend a healing surge (bringing you back to conciousness at 0 hp but still dying) If you have no available surges then treat this roll as a 10-19.

Uh, you spend a healing surge and get the HP back..starting from 0.

So if your healing surge value is 6, and you are at -6 hp when you roll a 20 for your death saving throw, you would now be at 6 HP, conscious and not dying anymore.