D&D 5E Long Rests, and Magical Healing

[Wik]

So, a fun thing I never noticed about long rests:

From the PHB, page 186. "A character must have at least 1 hit point at the start of the rest to gain its benefits".

Now, imagine a character at zero hit points, with no hit dice. How does this character ever get above 0 HP?

* Assuming magic, it's pretty easy. So let's leave all spells out of the equation. There are no clerics in this world. Magic is mostly gone. All the classes exist, but none of them have spells.
* Obviously paladins can do it.
* So, how do you non-magically heal a guy up to 1 HP so that he can gain the benefits of a long rest?

I'm curious to see how many different ways there are to do it, in the rules.

Gut feeling? Rewrite one of the options on the "recuperating" downtime activity, changing it to: "end one effect on you that prevents you from regaining hit points. In addition, if you currently have zero hit points, you gain 1 hit point."

 

[Leatherhead]

The easiest way would be with a Short Rest first. This assumes you have at least one HD to spend however.

Alternatives include:
Using a Healers Kit with the Healer feat.
Using a Potion of Healing made with a Herbalist Kit.
Using Poultices from the Alternate Ranger with no Spells in Unearthed Arcana.

 

[Logan1138]

Simple: Attack the character currently at 0 HP so that he/she has to begin making death saving throws again and pray that he/she rolls a natural 20 so as to regain 1 HP.

Or, if you want to do it the "easy way"...have someone with the Healer feat use a kit and heal them up.

I hate the Healer feat, btw. Terribly overpowered.

 

[thalmin]

According to the PHB p198, at the end of the first (partial) paragraph,

A stable creature that isn't healed regains 1 hit point after 1d4 hours.

 

[Sunseeker]

According to the PHB p198, at the end of the first (partial) paragraph,

^This.

If you are stable for the requisite amount of time, you go up to 1 HP and then may gain the benefits from a long rest from thereon out.

 

[Wik]

Hey! Something I didn't know as well! This is why I like EN World.

 

[Tony Vargas]

So, a fun thing I never noticed about long rests:

From the PHB, page 186. "A character must have at least 1 hit point at the start of the rest to gain its benefits".

Now, imagine a character at zero hit points, with no hit dice. How does this character ever get above 0 HP?
* So, how do you non-magically heal a guy up to 1 HP so that he can gain the benefits of a long rest?

I'm curious to see how many different ways there are to do it, in the rules.

This came up immediately when I started running 5e Encounters. When a character is reduced to 0 hps, he's unconscious. He can't take a rest (short or long), and can't spend HD. If no one else can heal him, but he is stabilized, he wakes up with 1 hp in 1d4 hours.

There were a number of instances where one or more members of the 1st level party enduring HotDQ would have to wait 4 hours so their last unconscious member could wake up at 1 hp and then 'rest' for an hour to spend his HD.

Having to wake up before you can 'rest' can feel a tad ridiculous, I admit.

 

[S'mon]

I have negative hp as a house rule, which interacts evilly with the RAW here - it is actually possible IMC to be mortally wounded and to die of your wounds long after the battle.

(I didn't see anything about not being able to short rest in the RAW, but anyway my house rule is that
you only make 1 death save per hour, and once you pass you can spend hit dice).