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

[Tessarael]

Have you looked at Critical Role's desperate measures mechanic to trade automatic failure on death saving throws for other benefits to increase the tension and risk? It also provides a mechanism for a player of an unconscious PC to contribute to the action by giving another PC advantage on a roll.

https://criticalrole.fandom.com/wiki/Desperate_Measures_(game_mechanics)

 

[el-remmen]

You remain conscious as long as you have fewer death save fails than successes. However, you immediately fall prone and can only crawl (half speed), lose concentration on any spell, cannot cast any spell with concentration, and are dazed (which means you can only take an action [or bonus action] or move - not both - have Disadvantage on any attacks and on Dex or Strength saves, and cannot take reactions).

 

[Steady Vane]

The house rule is every time you go down, one death save sticks until a long rest.

Go down three times, you're dead. Healing that removes conditions removes a filled-in death save.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

And how is it going?

Very well actually. Combat is a lot more tense when a few bad rolls can end with dead PCs, everyone plays carefully and tactically to minimize the impact of bad luck. We've had 1 death so far in 6 or so sessions.

 

[OB1]

Been running this house rule for 3 years now. Players love it and so do I.

When you drop to 0 HP you become Dazed instead of unconscious.

Dazed means you choose 1 action or bonus action on your turn, speed is cut in half, and you can’t concentrate on spells.

You make death saves and recieve failures when taking damage like normal while at 0 HP.

Once you are above 0 HP death saves reset but the Dazed condition remains.

While Dazed and above 0HP, make a DC19 Con saving throw against dazed at the end of each of your turns, ending the condition on a success. Magic such as Greater restoration or similar can end the effect, as can a short rest.

Considering now how to add a Daggerheart style Blaze of Glory mechanic. Thinking about basing it on how many death save successes/failures you currently have. With successes making the BoG more powerful and failures less powerful. Still workshopping with my group though.

 

[SkidAce]

It seems to me that most of the "still up at 0 and making death saves" methos would be wayyy to risky.

If your PC is still up, the NPC that put them to zero is likely to still be there and will "stab" you again because you didn't fall, thus giving you 2 death saves.

 

[OB1]

It seems to me that most of the "still up at 0 and making death saves" methos would be wayyy to risky.

If your PC is still up, the NPC that put them to zero is likely to still be there and will "stab" you again because you didn't fall, thus giving you 2 death saves.

Yes, that’s what makes it so nail bitingly fun for my group. Being at 0 isn’t just an inconvenience to be wiped out by Healing Word, it is a terrifying experience that often forces a massive change in the tactics of the fighting you want to save the party member.

 

[el-remmen]

It seems to me that most of the "still up at 0 and making death saves" methos would be wayyy to risky.

If your PC is still up, the NPC that put them to zero is likely to still be there and will "stab" you again because you didn't fall, thus giving you 2 death saves.

You wouldn't be surprised to learn that playing dead (and checking to see if someone is truly dead) happens with some regularity in my games.

 

[Charlaquin]

It seems to me that most of the "still up at 0 and making death saves" methos would be wayyy to risky.

If your PC is still up, the NPC that put them to zero is likely to still be there and will "stab" you again because you didn't fall, thus giving you 2 death saves.

That was my experience with every variant of the idea I’ve tried. It was always better to just go unconscious that to try to stay standing an risk taking damage at 0 HP.