D&D 5E (2014) Popular death/dying house rules in 2026?

[Li Shenron]

I don't remember if there's been any change in 5.5e on death saves, but I think the question applies to both 5e and 5.5e DMs.

Are you using any house rules on PC deaths (mainly on dying by loss of HP) and what is your reason for them?

If you have also tried other house rules previously, feel free to tell why you didn't stick with them.

 

[Plaguescarred]

I have the following houserules pertaining to Dying to keep other players on guessing how close to dead one is or make it more gritty and impactful against yoyoing, urging them to heal each other before dropping to 0 HP rather than after.

Lone Death. Death Saving Throws are rolled in private so the result is only known to the player and DM.

Increase Exhaustion. Whenever you suffer a Death Saving Throw failure, your Exhaustion level increases by 1.

 

[Minigiant]

I have 3 connected ones

Deeper Death: You die when you fail a number of Death Saving Throws equal to one third for Constitution Score plus your Proficiency Modifier.

Long Death: Your Death saving throw failures reset at the end of a Long Rest.

Massive damage: Taking 50 damage from any 1 source counts as a Death Saving throw failure.

So a level 1-10 PC will have 3-7 failures over an Adventuring day.

 

[Retreater]

Daggerheart has changed the way I run games. I've never felt more free as a GM than I do when Daggerheart takes character death out of my hands and gives them to the players.
It might not be for everyone, and it probably sounds extreme, but I'm removing standard character death from campaign play in the future.
For D&D I'll let the players choose their option at 0 HP:
1) Go out in a blaze of glory. Have a big final moment but that's the end.
2) Auto-stabilize but you're out until you're healed. This generates a "campaign" loss.

 

[AlViking]

The only house rule I have is that I track death saves secretly so there's no meta-gaming knowledge.

 

[Charlaquin]

I also have a Daggerheart inspired death rule I’m using, though slightly more toned-down. When you drop to 0 hit points and aren’t killed outright, choose one:

• Put Your Life in Fate’s Hands. Your character falls unconscious and becomes unstable. The DM rolls death saving throws for your character in secret.
• Avoid Your Fate. Your character falls unconscious and become stable. Describe a physical or mental scar your character acquires, representing the trauma of this near-death experience. Your character gains a death saving throw that cannot be removed until your character recovers from the trauma the scar represents. The DM will work with you to determine what recovery entails.
• Accept Your Fate. Describe one final action your character takes in their dying moments, which will automatically be a critical success. Afterwards, your character dies and can no longer be resurrected by magic - their soul has accepted its ultimate fate and is unwilling to return to their body. At your discretion, a Wish spell might be able to force their soul back into their body against its will.

 

[TerraDave]

No death from massive damage. Too biased against low level characters.

As above, a failed death save leads to a level of exhaustion. But only the first failed death save. (Though if they drop again, they can add another). To give at least the possibility of a lingering impact, and encourage some healing while still up, though I am still not seeing much of that.

 

[THEMNGMNT]

I'm not sure where this variant rule came from, but I think I saw it here on EN World. I tweaked it slightly. I'm going to use it for my next 5E campaign starting in just a few months. I like that it allows characters to act at zero hit points, but at a cost.

When you drop to zero hit points, you begin making death saves at the end of your turn.

• 0 Failed Death Saves: You are slowed. You make Concentration checks with disadvantage.
• 1 Failed Death Save: You are slowed and prone. You cannot maintain Concentration.
• 2 Failed Death Saves: You are incapacitated.
• 3 Failed Death Saves: You are dead.
• More Failures than Successes: You are unconscious.
• 3 Successes: You are stable and gain 1 hit point.

Failed death saves are not eliminated when you regain hit points. During a long rest, you lose one death save. You can also choose to not regain hit dice and instead remove death saves equal to your Constitution modifier. Death saves can also be removed with spells like lesser restoration or greater restoration. At the DM’s discretion, certain class features may also remove death saves.

 

[Not a Decepticon]

I have this system I try to implement but my houserules are always up for vote and players usually not vote for this one. Still, here is how it goes:

• When you're reduced to 0 Hit Points, you are at Death's Door until you either regain any hit points or die.
• While at Death's Door you are slowed as per slow spell and make Death Saving Throw at begining of each of your turn.
• Any damage dealt to you is turned into a failed death saving throw, a critical hit is two failed death saving throws.
• When you have more failed death saving throws than succesful ones, you are prone and cannot get up.
• If you fail three death saving throws, you die. if you succeed three death saving throws, you regain 1 hit point.