D&D (2024) Should healing word require hit dice?

[Clint_L]

Reading through the One D&D Paladin and Druid playtest, I saw this and laughed thinking of this thread.

Don't get me started. Between this and the new Bard ability, they really want to make it next to impossible for PCs to die. Spare the Dying is a mandatory cantrip if this goes through.

 

[Gorck]

To make things more awkward.

If you succeed 3 times on your death save, you no longer have the dying condition, and can no longer be revived by spare the dying.

Your cleric has to first punch you to get you back to dying, then wake you up.

In the Rules Glossary, under Dying, the first line of Three Successes says “On you third success, you regain 1 Hit Point,” which is exactly what Spare The Dying does.

 

[Bacon Bits]

Don't get me started. Between this and the new Bard ability, they really want to make it next to impossible for PCs to die. Spare the Dying is a mandatory cantrip if this goes through.

Maybe, but before it was totally worthless because the healer's kit was literally 10 potions of Spare the Dying for 50 gp.

 

[mellored]

In the Rules Glossary, under Dying, the first line of Three Successes says “On you third success, you regain 1 Hit Point,” which is exactly what Spare The Dying does.

On your third success, you regain 1 Hit Point. This condition ends on you as normal, but you are still Unconscious....

To wake them up, punch them to get them back to dying, and then cast spare the dying.

 

[Gorck]

On your third success, you regain 1 Hit Point. This condition ends on you as normal, but you are still Unconscious....

To wake them up, punch them to get them back to dying, and then cast spare the dying.

Hmmm, I don’t see anything in the Unconscious entry that specifies how to end the condition. I would assume you could simply shake the character to wake them up, but that’s just a guess on my part. It says you’re Incapacitated and Prone, but Incapacitated also doesn’t specify how to end the condition. Maybe it just comes down to common sense on the DM’s part.

 

[mellored]

Hmmm, I don’t see anything in the Unconscious entry that specifies how to end the condition. I would assume you could simply shake the character to wake them up, but that’s just a guess on my part. It says you’re Incapacitated and Prone, but Incapacitated also doesn’t specify how to end the condition. Maybe it just comes down to common sense on the DM’s part.

You remain Unconscious until you regain any HitPoints or until another creature uses an action to administer first aid to you, which requires a successful DC 10 Wisdom(Medicine) check.

I mean, DC 10 check isn't hard. But you get advantage to punch them, so that's the better move.