Summary of dying
START HERE
if you take damage and are reduced to 0 hit points or less
* You don't track negative hit points any more (Hurray), you have at a minimum 0 hp
* if the attack was lethal, you gain a level of the Dying condition
-- the dying condition only means if you reach level 4 of dying, you are dead. (One class has a feat that raises that to level 5.) It has not other affect.
-- so you start at Dying 1 unless you already possess a dying level, which is incremented by 1
* if the attack was non-lethal, your hit points return to 1 hit point but...
* You gain the unconscious condition
-- unconscious has all the effects you expect unaware, helpless, immobile, prone, drop everything you are holding, etc.
* You move in the initiative immediately before the effect that caused you to lose your hit points.
* Remember the DC of the effect that reduced you to 0 hit points
-- this part is confusion. If a fireball gets you, the DC is DC of the saving throw. If a minatour bashed your skull with an axe, the DC is its "Class DC"
-- Classes have an ability score: wizard is Int. So a wizard's Class DC would be 10+Int mod + level
-- The DM can decide this is inappropriate at times, such as when the wizard hit's you with a dagger that drops you. Then the DM might use 10 + Str mod + level.
FOLLOWUP HERE
Removing the Unconscious condition:
* At the start of each turn, you make a recovery saving throw, a Fortitude save. This has the DC you were told to remember above.
* Success
-- with 0 hp raises you to 1 hp, you are still unconscious
-- with 1 hp removes the unconscious condition, you still have just 1 hp. You may only use 2 actions on the turn you wake up.
* Failure, your dying level goes up by 1
* Critical Failure, your dying level goes up by 2
(I wonder why there's no crit success: you awaken at 1 hp)
FOLLOWUP HERE TOO
Removing the Dying condition:
* If you have a dying condition and are conscious and have 1 hp, remove one dying level at the end of your turn.
AND ALSO REMEMBER
Taking damage when unconscious:
* Just treat it as if you were just reduced to 0 hp as above.
* Use the higher of the two recovery DC values when attempting to recover.
* I suppose you also move your initiative again but that's not in the book.
AT ANY TIME
You can spend a Hero Point and fully recover to 1 hp, conscious, and no dying condition.