D&D (2024) How many of you would implement the drop to 0 HP, get 1 level of exhaustion house rule?

[UngainlyTitan]

What kind of carrot would you give someone for NOT dropping to 0?

Make healing a worthwhile action. At the moment the action economy is so strongly in favour or allowing the character to drop and pop them up.

 

[Bacon Bits]

I have not actually experienced the whack-a-mole problem at our table, so for us it seems to be a solution for a problem that doesn't exist. I don't feel we need it.

I'd still prefer a penalty like, "If you stop being unconscious in combat, you become surprised."

But I'd even more prefer a penalty that doesn't encourage a death spiral.

 

[p_johnston]

So I actually currently use this variant at my table (0 HP = exhaustion. Each level of exhaustion = -1 to all d20 rolls) Along with an optional rule that PC's can turn critical hits into normal ones by taking a level of exhaustion (Stolen from Level Up). I also let players recover more exhaustion on a long rest depending on their Con Modifier.
My observation is that it seems to act as a limiting factor on an adventuring day in a similar manner to spell slots. If the Melee goes down once or twice it's fine but 3+ times and it really starts to look like it might be time for a rest the same way as when the Wizard is running out of leveled spells.

Edit: I also only have exhaustion apply after the current battle so they can make the decision to retreat or push forward once the negatives set in without it making it more likely that they get killed that combat.

 

[tetrasodium]

I have not actually experienced the whack-a-mole problem at our table, so for us it seems to be a solution for a problem that doesn't exist. I don't feel we need it.

I'd still prefer a penalty like, "If you stop being unconscious in combat, you become surprised."

But I'd even more prefer a penalty that doesn't encourage a death spiral.

D&D 5E - Does “Whack-A-Mole” Healing really happen in games?

I’ve experienced a lot of 5e D&D over the years with players of varied play-styles, and at every level. I have never once seen players purposefully wait to heal someone until they drop to 0 hp, nor has dropping to 0 hp ever felt like a trivial matter. It makes me wonder if the whole phenomenon...

www.enworld.org

It's mainly a matter of answering the question "are my players willing to rely on that". For older players more likely to rely on old habits of strategy & teamwork developed when doing so would have been suicidal the odds of getting a yes answer tends to be lower. For players who started ttrpgs with 5e my experience is close to 100% will say yes or have not yet considered it.

 

[ezo]

You're on the right track.
I'm not ready to reveal my engine just yet, but should be done later this year.
I will be posting it on Enworld when I'm ready.

If it involves multiple d20's, get in line.

 

[mellored]

Make healing a worthwhile action. At the moment the action economy is so strongly in favour or allowing the character to drop and pop them up.

They doubled healing.

But even if cure wounds put you to max, it would still be worth waiting till someone dropped.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

They doubled healing.

But even if cure wounds put you to max, it would still be worth waiting till someone dropped.

At the moment the healing spells are so weak as to be worthless unless used to pop characters back up. That has a consequence that I, for one, as a DM am somewhat reluctant to target downed characters. If the healing could keep un with incoming damage, I think I would occasionally have the hostiles take a pop at a downed pc.

 

[mellored]

I would occasionally have the hostiles take a pop at a downed pc.

That's still more stick than carrot.

 

[SteveC]

Oh my goodness no. This is one of those rules that I think a lot of DMs would love but players would hate. Exhaustion is not intended to be a core part of the game rules. Putting it front and center, especially at low levels where characters get knocked out a lot more often, is a recipe for disaster.

Exhaustion feeds directly into the adventuring day and can put a hard cap on it. As a DM, ask yourself if that's what you want to do. And ask your players. There's a reason most games have moved away from Death Spirals. No thanks.

 

[DEFCON 1]

I think everyone should just make up and use whatever house rules they want to get the effect they are looking for in their game... rather than not do that and instead just constantly complain that the rules suck.

None of us can help you. You have your own ridiculous ideas about what "good" D&D is just like the rest of us do... so help yourself and your game by making it into what you want rather than waiting around in the inane hope someone else is going to solve your problems for you.