Level Up (A5E) Question: Battle Hymn's

[Vildara]

One of players has taken the Battle Hymn Song of Clarity. On the surface these seem obvious, but then it gets complex.

• Song of Clarity: Choose one creature within 60 feet. At the start of its turn, the chosen creature may expend and roll one of its hit dice to regain hit points.
  
  
• Battle Hymn: At the start of your turn, you can activate a battle hymn by expending a use of Bardic Inspiration (no action is required). Performing a battle hymn requires your concentration, as though you were casting a spell. Once activated, a battle hymn continues until you choose to end it or lose concentration, or if activated during a combat whenever the combat ends.

Does this mean that a bard can:

• Let the same person spend a HD at the start of every round?
• Choose a different person to do this every round?
• Sing it once, ignoring all that stuff about concentration and continuing the song?

 

[Anselm]

The Battle Hymn is activated at the start of the Bard's turn. The hit die can be spent at the start of the targeted creature's turn, as long as the bard maintains concentration till that creature's turn.

Does this mean that a bard can:

• Let the same person spend a HD at the start of every round?
• Choose a different person to do this every round?
• Sing it once, ignoring all that stuff about concentration and continuing the song?

From my reading:

• Yes, as long as the bard maintains concentration. if the bard drops concentration, it could choose the same creature at the start of its next turn, spending another bardic inspiration die.
• Yes, as long as the bard maintains concentration till that creature's turn. It would require spending a bardic inspiration die each time.
• Yes but then there's no effect at the top of the targeted creature's turn, effectively wasting the bardic inspiration die.

 

[tetrasodium]

One of players has taken the Battle Hymn Song of Clarity. On the surface these seem obvious, but then it gets complex.

• Song of Clarity: Choose one creature within 60 feet. At the start of its turn, the chosen creature may expend and roll one of its hit dice to regain hit points.
  
  
• Battle Hymn: At the start of your turn, you can activate a battle hymn by expending a use of Bardic Inspiration (no action is required). Performing a battle hymn requires your concentration, as though you were casting a spell. Once activated, a battle hymn continues until you choose to end it or lose concentration, or if activated during a combat whenever the combat ends.

Does this mean that a bard can:

• Let the same person spend a HD at the start of every round?
• Choose a different person to do this every round?
• Sing it once, ignoring all that stuff about concentration and continuing the song?

The Battle Hymn class feature allows you to spend a bardic inspiration & choose a specific hymn that repeats each round. The individual battle hymn allows you to choose a creature. There is no reason to assume that the repeat each round would jump to the middle of the specific hym & you can see evidence of this in the example bard cenya

 

[Vildara]

So the summary is:

1. Spend Inspiration Die as a free action
2. Bard selects any player
3. Player spends a HD to get HP back
4. Round Ends
5. Loop to #2 until they stop singing or break concentration or everyone is out of HD and there is not point.

 

[lichmaster]

So the summary is:

1. Spend Inspiration Die as a free action
2. Bard selects any player
3. Player spends a HD to get HP back
4. Round Ends
5. Loop to #2 until they stop singing or break concentration or everyone is out of HD and there is not point.

The creature gets HP back at the beginning of its turn though, it's not instant. It seems a small thing but may be important.
Imagine there's a wounded character and the bard wants to help him by using this Battle Hymn, and the bard's turn is before the wounded ally.
The bard activates BH and proceeds with his turn. Even assuming he doesn't lose concentration, if there's an enemy between their turns and the enemy manages to attack the wounded ally, it might drop him to 0hp before he has a chance to spend his HD to heal.
At that point I think the unconscious character may not be allowed to roll his HD, thus the Battle hymn would be wasted this round.

 

[aco175]

Advantage on the hit die roll if the player is actually signing.

 

[Stalker0]

So if you are unconscious, then the question is "do you get to spend your HD first, or roll your death save"

I probably would just let the player take all of their "at the beginning of the round" effects in whichever order they prefer, and my monsters the same way.

 

[lichmaster]

So if you are unconscious, then the question is "do you get to spend your HD first, or roll your death save"

I probably would just let the player take all of their "at the beginning of the round" effects in whichever order they prefer, and my monsters the same way.

I think the question is "Can you roll HD if you're unconscious and not stable?"
Because if you cant, then there's no doubt that you'll have to roll a Death save. If you can instead your question becomes relevant, although the outcome won't, as after spending even a single HD the PC will be conscious again, no further death rolls needed

 

[MarkB]

I think the question is "Can you roll HD if you're unconscious and not stable?"

I'm still not totally familiar with A5E, but I'm pretty sure there's nothing in the O5E rules which specifically prevents you from doing so.

Because if you cant, then there's no doubt that you'll have to roll a Death save. If you can instead your question becomes relevant, although the outcome won't, as after spending even a single HD the PC will be conscious again, no further death rolls needed

Unless it was their last death save. If they fail it and die, they definitely can't spend a hit die at that point.

I would go with @Stalker0's suggestion though - let the player perform start-of-round activities in whatever order they prefer.

 

[lichmaster]

I'm still not totally familiar with A5E, but I'm pretty sure there's nothing in the O5E rules which specifically prevents you from doing so.

Well, in o5e when you're at 0 hp you're unconscious and incapacitated. Thus you cannot take any action or reaction. Spending HD is not classified as either, but at the same time it's not a regeneration like effect. I don't know if any of this changed in a5e.

Unless it was their last death save. If they fail it and die, they definitely can't spend a hit die at that point.

I would go with @Stalker0's suggestion though - let the player perform start-of-round activities in whatever order they prefer.

Sure, but because the death save may result in dying while spending the HD will always get you back to consciousness and positive HP, I think it's pretty much guaranteed there will always be one choice, i.e. spending HD.