All Questions
Tagged with character-death damage
19
questions
10
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1
answer
1k
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How does the Oath of the Crown paladin's Divine Allegiance feature interact with features that cause instadeath if the target's reduced to 0 HP?
Oath of the Crown paladins have the 7th-level feature Divine Allegiance (SCAG, p. 133). If someone within 5 feet of the paladin takes damage, Divine Allegiance lets the paladin use their reaction to ...
- 101
8
votes
3
answers
5k
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Is damage while unconscious cumulative?
In 5e DnD, the massive damage rule still applies while unconcious at 0 hp, but is the damage taken during unconciousness cumulative?
For example, a character with max 20 hp is hit for 25 damage. A ...
- 257
12
votes
2
answers
915
views
Slaying the Target Outright
In Dungeons and Dragons 4th edition's Player's Handbook I. on page 288 states:
Under "Coup De Grace," there is the rule "Slaying the Target Outright": "If you deal damage ...
- 597
4
votes
1
answer
249
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Can spells that stabilise you when you'd die overrule death from exceeding negative constitution?
Characters die from damage when their health is reduced below their negative Constitution score. However, some spells stabilize you when you'd die. Can these spells stabilize you even from damage that ...
- 49
36
votes
4
answers
17k
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What happens when an unconscious but stabilised character is hit?
At the end of this answer to a different question ("If you succeed on all of your death saving throws, what happens?"), the answer states that:
If an unconscious character is attacked, the attacker ...
- 79.3k
15
votes
6
answers
3k
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By RAW could I save a level 1 character that took damage exceeding twice its HP?
Yesterday I DMed a session with a party of four level 1 characters:
druid, sorcerer, monk, barbarian, and a level 1 warlock whose player was absent.
The sorcerer specifically is a new player (less ...
- 296
10
votes
2
answers
5k
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Can a Creature at 0 HP Take Damage?
Inspired by this question (and a comment underneath it), I thought we should have a solid answer on the site for this question:
Can a character at 0 HP take damage?
- 21.9k
31
votes
1
answer
6k
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Can massive damage kill you while at 0 HP?
The rules on "Instant Death" state:
Massive damage can kill you instantly. When damage reduces you to 0 hit points and there is damage remaining, you die if the remaining damage equals or exceeds ...
- 76.6k
3
votes
1
answer
1k
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What spells are there that prevent instant death from damage?
I'm currently playing a Witch in a Kingmaker game. After having to be resurrected twice, there's a lot of things that are making me question my character as a whole.
While I don't get hit often, ...
25
votes
3
answers
4k
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If an attack causes additional damage after a saving throw, is it counted as a separate source of damage for the purpose of failed death saves?
If an attack causes additional damage after a saving throw, is it counted as a separate source of damage for the purpose of failed death saving throws? In other words, does it cause another failed ...
- 50.1k
3
votes
1
answer
670
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Are automatic death saving throw failures from damage at 0 HP unbalanced against large groups of small enemies?
Since taking damage while at 0 hp counts as a failed death save, wouldn't a larger group of enemies potentially be more lethal than a smaller group of equal CR total? It doesn't matter how much damage ...
- 1,180
5
votes
0
answers
606
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Can one still deal Non-Lethal Damage if they trigger the Automatic Kill feature? [duplicate]
Related to, but not answered-by, this question (the answerer assumes, because many DMs rule that a monster is dead when it hits 0 HP, that Monsters don't get saving throws at all, which is not RAW, ...
- 7,438
36
votes
3
answers
13k
views
Interactions between unarmed strikes, negative strength and an unconscious target
Consider this improbable yet possible scenario (which nonetheless came up at our table last night):
A PC is unconscious and currently making Death Saving Throws. A weak (8 Strength) and hostile NPC ...
- 5,905
20
votes
1
answer
4k
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Can the Harm spell kill with massive damage?
Scenario
We fought a daemon that used it's Harm spell-like ability on a player, dealing 100 points of damage on the player's failed save. The DM said to make a massive damage1 roll. The character ...
- 2,065
11
votes
3
answers
129k
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Does taking more damage than you have HP remaining result in a death saving throw failure?
Here are the rules for damage taken while at 0 HP (Player’s Basic Rules Version 0.3, Page 76):
Damage at 0 Hit Points. If you take any damage while you have 0 hit points, you suffer a death saving ...
- 560