Raising the wounded

[vhailor]

In all the following cases no healing powers are available.

1. If a character is at -X HP, with how many ways can you bring him over 0 HP? Are potions the only way?

2. In Death and dying chapter (PHB, p.295) says: "20 or higher: Spend a healing surge. When..." How can you roll higher that 20. Does it mean bonuses you get from allies or feats?

3. If a character is stabilized he can stop making death saving throws. So, rolling a 20 or higher isn't anymore an option.
What happens next?

4. The encounter is over and two PCs are stabilized at -x HP. Can they spend surges now to heal themselves or not?

5. What happens if the encounter ends with a PC down with 2 death saving throws failed and taking X ongoing damage?

 

[Oompa]

In all the following cases no healing powers are available.

1. If a character is at -X HP, with how many ways can you bring him over 0 HP? Are potions the only way?

2. In Death and dying chapter (PHB, p.295) says: "20 or higher: Spend a healing surge. When..." How can you roll higher that 20. Does it mean bonuses you get from allies or feats?

3. If a character is stabilized he can stop making death saving throws. So, rolling a 20 or higher isn't anymore an option.
What happens next?

4. The encounter is over and two PCs are stabilized at -x HP. Can they spend surges now to heal themselves or not?

5. What happens if the encounter ends with a PC down with 2 death saving throws failed and taking X ongoing damage?

1. Out of my head, yes.
2. Yes
3. A character only becomes stable when rolling 20, rolling 10-19 just ignores one deathsave, but next round still need to roll
4. Didn't think so because you can't take a action..
5. If a pc takes damage equal to bloodied value in the minus, it dies..

This is all out of my head so correct me please..

 

[Mirtek]

1. If a character is at -X HP, with how many ways can you bring him over 0 HP? Are potions the only way?

A potion would work as would any powers that allow the target to spend a healing surge (e.g. inspiring word, healing word, ...). If the target has not yet used his second wind a DC 10 heal check allows him to do so.

2. In Death and dying chapter (PHB, p.295) says: "20 or higher: Spend a healing surge. When..." How can you roll higher that 20. Does it mean bonuses you get from allies or feats?

Yes, the total result has to be 20+, you don't need to actually roll a 20. All bonuses count.

3. If a character is stabilized he can stop making death saving throws. So, rolling a 20 or higher isn't anymore an option.
What happens next?

He stays down until someone uses a power to heal him or he can take a short rest after the end of the encounter. You lose the option of getting up with 20+ on your save, but you also lose the option of dying after the thrid failed save. So it's a good trade

4. The encounter is over and two PCs are stabilized at -x HP. Can they spend surges now to heal themselves or not?

Yes, although opinions might differ on whether they can do it as soon as the battle is won or have to lay there for 5 minutes to complete a short rest.

5. What happens if the encounter ends with a PC down with 2 death saving throws failed and taking X ongoing damage?

The opinions differ here as well, I am on the side saying that an encounter doesn't end as long as at least one PC is in mortal peril.

So the encounter is not over. It's only over when the PC is stabilized and freed of the ongoing damage (or if he dies)

 

[Oldtimer]

In all the following cases no healing powers are available.

1. If a character is at -X HP, with how many ways can you bring him over 0 HP? Are potions the only way?

2. In Death and dying chapter (PHB, p.295) says: "20 or higher: Spend a healing surge. When..." How can you roll higher that 20. Does it mean bonuses you get from allies or feats?

3. If a character is stabilized he can stop making death saving throws. So, rolling a 20 or higher isn't anymore an option.
What happens next?

4. The encounter is over and two PCs are stabilized at -x HP. Can they spend surges now to heal themselves or not?

5. What happens if the encounter ends with a PC down with 2 death saving throws failed and taking X ongoing damage?

1. You can also active his Second Wind (if he hasn't used it yet) with your Heal skill.
2. Yes, it's a result of 20 or higher, not a roll of 20 or higher.
3. If you stabilize someone with your Heal skill, he no longer rolls Death Saves. So, he will not die (by getting 1-9 three times) and he will not pop back up (by getting 20+).
4. After a short rest you can spend any number of healing surges. Since it's not an action in itself, you can do it even when unconscious.
5. Unless someone can heal or stabilize the PC, he will keep rolling Death Saves. He will also take X ongoing damage until he saves against that, and this could bring him to negative Bloodied and kill him.

 

[vhailor]

The paladin is not getting up.

Thank you all for your replies.
I would like to know what happens when a character (my Paladin and the only healer in a party of 4) is stabilized at 0 hp, the encounter has ended, and he has no more surges.

 

[Journeymanmage]

Assuming that the statement of "no healing powers are available" is absolute (no spells nor magic items with spell-like effects)

1.
A. Skill: Heal (pg 185):
-Trigger Second Wind
-Stablize the Dying

B. Rest and Recovery (pg 263) (Short/Extended)
- Short Rest: Spend Healing Surges (assuming your not interrupted)
- Extended Rest: Regain HP and Healing Surges

2.
A. Death and Dying: Yes, bonuses to Saving throws, such as:
- Feat: Human Perseverance (pg 198): +1 on saves
- See also (Saving Throws, pg 279)

B. 20 or Higher:
- Spend a healing surge. Go to 0hp and gain a healing surge value in hp
- If no healing surges remain stay at -x hp, stabilize and see 1B: Extended Rest


3. How the PC was stabilized and if they had healing surges or second wind still availible affects what happens next. See 1A, 1B and 2B.

4. See 1B. If they have healing surges they can use them ... it not they will need extended rest.

5. In theory, the encounter is not over because the PC is still taking X ongoing damage and it sounds like the PC is still not stabilized. Those effects/situations would need to be resolved before the encounter ends.
You've implied the encounter is over, better to say "The combat is over".

- The PC needs to end the ongoing damage, which could kill the PC by putting them to negative bloodied value.

- Until the PC is stablized, they still need to make Death Saves.


This could lead to a strange senario:
PC is unconscious (assume PC has x healing surges)
Takes ongoing damage, but not enough to kill.
End of turn (pg 269)
A. "Make Saving Throws"
1. Rolls a "20 or Higher" for Death Save
- Go from negative hp to 0.
- Gain "surge value" hp. Now PC is conscious but prone
2. Attempt to end Ongoing Damage: If roll fails to end Ongoing Damage see 5B.

B. Next time it's the PC's turn:
- Free Action: Speak: "Help I'm: (On Fire/Been Poisoned/Covered in Acid/etc.)"
- Take Ongoing Damage: which may or may not cause the PC to go to 0 or fewer HP ...
- If lower than 0 hp, PC goes Unconscious (take no actions) and now End of Turn: Go to 5A.

Which could keep going and going and going ....

 

[Fanaelialae]

In all the following cases no healing powers are available.

1. If a character is at -X HP, with how many ways can you bring him over 0 HP? Are potions the only way?

2. In Death and dying chapter (PHB, p.295) says: "20 or higher: Spend a healing surge. When..." How can you roll higher that 20. Does it mean bonuses you get from allies or feats?

3. If a character is stabilized he can stop making death saving throws. So, rolling a 20 or higher isn't anymore an option.
What happens next?

4. The encounter is over and two PCs are stabilized at -x HP. Can they spend surges now to heal themselves or not?

5. What happens if the encounter ends with a PC down with 2 death saving throws failed and taking X ongoing damage?

1. Assuming the unconcious character hadn't yet used second wind this encounter, someone could also use a DC 10 Heal check to grant that character healing equal to his healing surge value (PH 185).

2. Yes.

3. I appologize if this comes across as rules lawyering, but I would say that use of the word can (in the text for Stabilize the Dying PH 185) suggests that the player is permitted to continue to make Death Saving Throws if desired, gambling on that 20 that would get him back on his feet. Obviously this would be of the most use to someone who is stabilized having failed no, or at the most one, death saves.

Barring gambling on a 20 and assuming that no one tries to heal him before the encounter is over, he remains stabilized unless he takes damage (which puts him back to dying status unless it takes him to negative bloodied, in which case he dies outright).

4. I can't find any reference to indicate that spending healing surges during a Short Rest is considered an action, so I'd say that unconscious characters can spend healing surges during a short rest.

5. It depends on how merciful your DM is. Technically, the character continues to take ongoing damage at the beginning of his round and saves against ongoing damage and death at the end of his round. The other PCs can attempt Heal checks (or anything else pertinent from their arsenal) to stop the ongoing damage, and heal or stabilize the dying character. In that light, the encounter hasn't officially ended until all characters are either conscious, stabilized, or dead.

As I am a most benevolent tyrant I just assume that the other characters can and will save their dying once they have no enemies to deal with, and skip past that part. IMO, it would suck if someone outlasted fight only to die because they couldn't make their save vs ongoing damage (or whatnot).

 

[Fanaelialae]

Thank you all for your replies.
I would like to know what happens when a character (my Paladin and the only healer in a party of 4) is stabilized at 0 hp, the encounter has ended, and he has no more surges.

Assuming that no one in the party can grant a healing surge, if you receive a healing effect that requires you to spend a healing surge but have none left, you are healed to 1 hp and are conscious (PH 295). Without any healing, you take a (forced) extended rest.

 

[Oldtimer]

Thank you all for your replies.
I would like to know what happens when a character (my Paladin and the only healer in a party of 4) is stabilized at 0 hp, the encounter has ended, and he has no more surges.

In that situation, the answer is Extended Rest.

 

[MarkB]

Thank you all for your replies.
I would like to know what happens when a character (my Paladin and the only healer in a party of 4) is stabilized at 0 hp, the encounter has ended, and he has no more surges.

If he's stabilised, then he can rest. After a short rest, his Second Wind will become available, and another character can trigger it with a DC10 Heal check, allowing him to spend a healing surge, or bringing him to consciousness at 1 HP if he's out of surges.

In the absence of available allies to make Heal checks (if he was stabilised during combat, then the rest of the party were killed or driven off), he would wake up with full hit points after a six-hour extended rest.