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Dungeons & Dragonshas a strange relationship with death.
It’s the game’s fail state.
If you get hit too many times, you die.
Simple enough, right?
The risk of death is what makes combat tense and exciting, at least at lower levels.
What’s better than one weapon in D&D?
Duchess D’Honaure via Wizards of the Coast
One in each hand.
So how do you keep life-or-death tension without punishing players for the slightest mistake?
The answer is 5e’s death saving throw system.
Duchess D’Honaure via Wizards of the Coast
This system keeps characters from dying immediately, but it racks up the tension with increasingly tense dice rolls.
How Does Death Work In DND?
Every creature in D&D has a certain number ofhit points,or HP.
A Time of Sorrow by Alexandre Honoré
Hit points represent how much of a beating you might take.
When you successfullymake an attack, the creature you’re attacking loses hit points.
However, during combat,when a creature successfully attacks you, you lose hit points.
D20 Rolls by John Grello
What Is Massive Damage?
What Is A Death Saving Throw?
When a character starts their turn with zero HP, they mustmake a special saving throw.
Vecna by Kieran Yanner
If someone attacks you while you’re making death saves, mark off an additional failure.
If the attack is acritical hit, mark off two failures.
You want toavoid having three failures, andyour goal is to get three successes.
Here’s a breakdown of the effects of each roll.
Roll On The D20
Effect
1
Mark off two failures.
2-9
Mark off one failure.
Lesser Restoration by Martin Mottet
10-19
Mark off one success.
20
Instantly gain one HP and wake up.
Your character willstay unconscious for 1d4 hours and then wake up with 1 hp.
Raise Dead by Polar Engine
If you take any damage while unconscious, you have to start making death saving throws again.
If you failat a death saving throwthree times, your character dies.
If you want more of a challenge, you cantry the optional Meat Grinder Moderulesfrom Tomb of Annihilation.
Necromancy by Javier Charro
In Meat Grinder Mode,the DC for death saving throws is set to 15.
If you roll below a 15 in Meat Grinder Mode, you fail your death saving throw.
Do Monsters Need To Make Death Saving Throws?
A Scholarly Magic-User by Billy Christian
Just ensure youcall this in advance.
With so many choices, we’ll help you determine which equipment pack is best for you.
The easiest way to help a dying character is toheal them magically, with a spell like Cure Wounds.
you’ve got the option to alsouse a bonus action to administer a healing potion.
Any magical healing gets a character back on their feet, no problem.
Once healed, they no longer have to make death saves.
If you’re able to’t heal them magically, you’re able to try tostabilize them.
If youroll 10 or higher,your friend becomes stable,and they can stop making death saving throws.
The Healer’s Kit can help you stabilize a characterwithout needing to roll.
Spells likeSpare the Dyingcan also helpstabilize a character.
What Happens If A Character Dies?
Unless you use magic to bring the character back,they’re gone.
It’s an important part of any good Session Zero.
Depending on your campaign setting, resurrection may not be permitted.
Many of these spellsrequirea diamond worth at least 500 gp, which the spell consumes.
Most of these spellsalso require that the character has been dead for less than a certain amount of time.
Many resurrection spellsalso have penaltiesfor the caster and the target.
Other spells, like Resurrection, incur a penalty to the caster.
What Spells Can Help Dying Or Dead Characters?
Spell
Level
Classes
Spare the Dying
Cantrip
Living creature with 0 hp becomes stable.
Revivify
3
Creature that died within the last minute returns to life with 1 hp.
Raise Dead
5
Creature that died within the last 10 days returns to life with 1 hp.
Reincarnate
Creature that died within the last 10 days returns to life in a new body.
Learn everything about alignment in this Dungeons & Dragons guide.
