Death Saves 5e: A Comprehensive Guide to Surviving the Unthinkable

Death Saves in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition (5e) represent the final, desperate struggle against the inevitable. When a character’s hit points drop to 0, they’re not immediately dead. Instead, they fall unconscious and must begin making death saving throws. These dice rolls, fraught with tension and uncertainty, determine whether the character stabilizes, teeters on the brink of oblivion, or ultimately succumbs to their wounds. This guide provides a comprehensive breakdown of death saves, covering the rules, nuances, and strategies that can help your character cheat death and return to the adventure.

Understanding the Basics of Death Saves

Before diving into advanced tactics, let’s solidify the core mechanics of death saves. The following steps outline the process:

1. Reaching 0 Hit Points: A character falls unconscious when their hit points are reduced to 0. This can happen from a single, devastating blow or the cumulative effect of multiple attacks. Instant death can occur if the damage taken in one hit exceeds the character’s hit point maximum. In that case, no death saves are made.
2. Unconscious and Stable?: When you reach 0 hit points you are unconscious and fall prone. You must begin making death saving throws, unless something else stabilizes you instantly (like a spell or feature). Note that some conditions or effects might prevent you from being stabilized.
3. Making Death Saving Throws: At the start of your turn while unconscious, you must make a death saving throw. This is a d20 roll without any modifiers. Modifiers are not applicable to death saving throws, regardless of their usual effect on other d20 tests.
4. Successes and Failures:
   • 10 or Higher: Rolling a 10 or higher on the d20 counts as a success.
   • 9 or Lower: Rolling a 9 or lower counts as a failure.
5. Three Successes or Three Failures:
   • Three Successes: If you accumulate three successes, you become stable. You are no longer making death saving throws, but you remain unconscious with 0 hit points. You regain 1 hit point after 1d4 hours.
   • Three Failures: If you accumulate three failures, you die. Your character is removed from the adventure (unless resurrection magic is available).
6. Critical Success and Failure:
   • Rolling a 20: Rolling a 20 on a death saving throw instantly grants two successes. This is a critical success. If you roll a natural 20 on your death save, you also regain 1 hit point, causing you to regain consciousness (you are no longer making death saving throws and no longer unconscious).
   • Rolling a 1: Rolling a 1 on a death saving throw instantly grants two failures. This is a critical failure.
7. Taking Damage While Unconscious: If you take any damage while you are unconscious and have 0 hit points, you suffer one death saving throw failure. If the damage is from a critical hit, you suffer two failures instead. If the damage equals or exceeds your hit point maximum, you die instantly.

Detailed Breakdown of Each Step

Let’s delve deeper into each aspect of the death save process to clarify any potential confusion.

1. Reaching 0 Hit Points

The most common trigger for death saves is taking damage that reduces your hit points to 0. It is important to remember that if damage equal to or exceeding your hit point maximum is taken at one time, the character instantly dies. This overrides the death save mechanic, representing such overwhelming trauma that the character has no chance of survival.

For example, a wizard with 30 hit points remaining takes 45 points of damage. They fall to 0 hit points and must begin making death saves (45 damage doesn’t exceed the wizard’s hit point maximum). However, if that same wizard took 60 points of damage in one blow, they would die instantly (60 damage exceeds the wizard’s hit point maximum).

2. Unconscious and Stable?

When a character falls to 0 hit points, they immediately fall unconscious and prone (unless some other condition applies, such as being paralyzed or restrained). An unconscious creature is incapacitated, can’t move or speak, and is unaware of its surroundings. Attack rolls against the creature have advantage, and any attack that hits the creature is a critical hit if the attacker is within 5 feet of it.

Certain spells, abilities, or items can instantly stabilize a character at 0 hit points, bypassing the need for death saving throws. The *Spare the Dying* cantrip, for example, allows a cleric or other spellcaster to touch a dying creature and instantly stabilize them. The Healer feat allows a character to use a healer’s kit to stabilize a dying creature as an action.

3. Making Death Saving Throws

At the start of your turn, if you are unconscious and have 0 hit points, you make a death saving throw. A death saving throw is a d20 roll. No modifiers are added to this roll. A common mistake is to add proficiency bonuses, ability score modifiers, or other bonuses to death saving throws – this is incorrect. The throw is simply the result of the d20 roll.

4. Successes and Failures

The outcome of your death saving throw is straightforward:

* **Success:** If the d20 roll is 10 or higher, it counts as one success.
* **Failure:** If the d20 roll is 9 or lower, it counts as one failure.

Keep track of your successes and failures. These are cumulative and persist until you either stabilize, die, or regain hit points.

5. Three Successes or Three Failures

The accumulation of either three successes or three failures determines your fate:

* **Three Successes:** Reaching three successes means you are stabilized. You are no longer making death saving throws. You remain unconscious with 0 hit points. You will regain 1 hit point after 1d4 hours, at which point you regain consciousness. At this point, you’re back in the fight, albeit with minimal hit points. You are no longer considered unconscious.
* **Three Failures:** Accumulating three failures results in death. Your character is permanently removed from the game, unless a powerful spell like *Revivify*, *Raise Dead*, or *Resurrection* is used. If a character dies, the DM and player should discuss how the character’s death will affect the story and the party’s goals. It might create new quests for the party, such as avenging the fallen character or recovering their lost possessions.

6. Critical Success and Failure

Critical successes and failures on death saving throws have a significant impact:

* **Rolling a 20:** Rolling a 20 on a death saving throw instantly grants two successes. This dramatically increases your chances of stabilizing. It also brings you back into the fight: you regain 1 hit point, become conscious, and no longer need to make death saving throws.
* **Rolling a 1:** Rolling a 1 on a death saving throw instantly grants two failures, pushing you closer to death. This is a critical failure.

7. Taking Damage While Unconscious

Taking damage while unconscious and at 0 hit points further complicates the death save process. Any instance of damage results in an automatic failure.

* **Normal Damage:** Taking normal damage (from any source) while unconscious results in one death saving throw failure.
* **Critical Hit:** If the damage is a critical hit, you suffer two death saving throw failures. This is particularly dangerous, as it can instantly lead to death if you already have one failure.
* **Damage Exceeding Hit Point Maximum:** As mentioned before, any damage equal to or exceeding your hit point maximum results in instant death, regardless of your current number of successes or failures. It’s also important to understand that if a character is subject to persistent damage (e.g., from poison or acid), they will take one death saving throw failure at the start of each of their turns when the damage is applied. However, if the persistent damage is not applied until *after* the death save, it does not affect the outcome of that death save, but will apply the next time they are required to make one.

Strategies for Surviving Death Saves

While luck plays a significant role in death saving throws, there are several strategies players can employ to increase their chances of survival.

1. Preventative Measures

The best way to survive death saves is to avoid getting into a situation where you need to make them in the first place. This involves careful planning, tactical combat, and maximizing your character’s survivability.

* **Positioning:** Position yourself strategically on the battlefield to minimize your exposure to enemy attacks. Stay behind cover, use ranged attacks when possible, and avoid being surrounded.
* **Armor and AC:** Invest in the best armor you can afford to increase your Armor Class (AC). A higher AC makes you harder to hit, reducing the likelihood of taking damage.
* **Hit Points:** Maximize your hit points by choosing classes with high hit dice (e.g., fighter, barbarian) and increasing your Constitution score. Consider taking the Tough feat for additional hit points.
* **Defensive Spells and Abilities:** Utilize defensive spells and abilities that protect you from harm. *Shield*, *Absorb Elements*, *Blur*, and *Mirror Image* are excellent options for spellcasters. Fighters can use abilities like *Second Wind* and *Indomitable* to mitigate damage.

2. Healing and Stabilization

Prompt healing is crucial for preventing a character from making death saving throws or for reviving them after they fall unconscious.

* **Healing Spells:** Clerics, paladins, druids, and other spellcasters can use healing spells like *Cure Wounds*, *Healing Word*, and *Mass Healing Word* to restore hit points. *Healing Word* is particularly useful because it has a range of 60 feet and can be cast as a bonus action, allowing the healer to take other actions on their turn.
* **Potions of Healing:** Potions of healing provide a quick and reliable source of healing. Keep a supply of potions on hand for emergencies.
* **Healer Feat:** The Healer feat allows a character to use a healer’s kit to restore hit points and stabilize dying creatures. This is a valuable feat for any character who wants to provide support to their party.
* **Spare the Dying:** This cantrip is a cleric’s best friend when it comes to preventing death. A touch will stabilize a creature with 0 hit points, buying time for more substantial healing.

3. Buffs and Blessings

Certain spells and abilities can improve your chances of succeeding on death saving throws.

* **Bless:** The *Bless* spell grants a bonus to saving throws, including death saving throws. While it won’t guarantee success, it can significantly increase your odds.
* **Heroism:** The *Heroism* spell grants temporary hit points and makes the target immune to being frightened. More importantly for our discussion, at higher levels it also grants the target *bless*.
* **Divine Intervention:** Clerics can call upon their deity for aid, potentially receiving a miraculous intervention that stabilizes or heals a dying character. This is a powerful but unreliable ability, as it has a low chance of success at lower levels.

4. Lucky Feat and Similar Effects

The Lucky feat and similar abilities can be used to reroll death saving throws, giving you a second chance at survival.

* **Lucky Feat:** The Lucky feat allows you to reroll any attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. This can be a lifesaver when making death saving throws.
* **Halfling’s Lucky Trait:** Halflings have a racial trait called Lucky, which allows them to reroll a 1 on an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. This can prevent critical failures on death saving throws.
* **Bountiful Luck Feat:** This feat expands the Halfling’s Lucky trait to allies within 30 feet.

5. The Importance of Party Coordination

Surviving death saves often relies on the coordinated efforts of the entire party. Communication, planning, and teamwork are essential for maximizing your chances of survival.

* **Identify Threats:** Work together to identify and eliminate the most dangerous threats on the battlefield. Focus your attacks on enemies that pose the greatest risk to the party.
* **Protect Vulnerable Allies:** Protect allies who are low on hit points or who are vulnerable to attack. Use your abilities to shield them from harm or draw enemy fire away from them.
* **Prioritize Healing:** Prioritize healing allies who are close to death. Don’t hesitate to use healing spells or potions to keep your party members alive.
* **Communicate Effectively:** Communicate clearly and concisely with your party members about your condition and needs. Let them know when you are low on hit points or when you need assistance.

6. Specific Class Features

Certain classes have features that specifically aid in surviving death saves or mitigating their effects.

* **Barbarian (Relentless Rage):** At 11th level, a barbarian with Relentless Rage can drop to 0 hit points without falling unconscious, making a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. On a success, they drop to 1 hit point instead. Each time they use this feature after the first, the DC increases by 5. This greatly increases their resilience.
* **Zealot Barbarian (Warrior of the Gods):** Beginning at 3rd level, damage from your zealot barbarian’s Divine Fury feature is not reduced to 0 if you are reduced to 0 hit points.
* **Paladin (Aura of Protection):** The paladin’s Aura of Protection adds their Charisma modifier to all saving throws made by themselves and friendly creatures within 10 feet. This can significantly improve the chances of succeeding on death saving throws (this aura expands to 30 feet at level 18).
* **Grave Domain Cleric (Grave Domain):** This subclass can use the *Spare the Dying* cantrip as a bonus action with a range of 30 feet.
* **Celestial Warlock (Healing Light):** The Celestial Warlock can use Healing Light to heal from a distance using dice of healing power, offering support without needing to approach immediate danger.

House Rules and Optional Rules

Some DMs may choose to implement house rules or optional rules that alter the death save mechanic. These rules can make death saves more or less forgiving, depending on the DM’s preferences.

* **Inspiration for Death Saves:** Allow players to spend inspiration points to gain advantage on a death saving throw. This gives players more control over their fate and makes inspiration a more valuable resource.
* **Delayed Death:** Introduce a “delayed death” mechanic where characters who reach three failures are not immediately dead. Instead, they enter a death-like coma and have a limited time to be revived before their soul departs.
* **Hero Points:** Use the hero point system from the Dungeon Master’s Guide to allow players to spend hero points to automatically succeed on a death saving throw or stabilize instantly. The Hero Points system lets players spend points to overcome difficult obstacles, and can be useful for heroic moments such as narrowly avoiding death.
* **Narrative Death Saves:** Instead of relying solely on dice rolls, incorporate narrative elements into the death save process. Allow players to describe their character’s thoughts and actions as they struggle against death, and use these descriptions to influence the outcome of the saves.

Ethical Considerations

It’s important to consider the ethical implications of death in D&D. Death can be a powerful and emotional experience for players, and it’s crucial to handle it with sensitivity and respect.

* **Communicate Expectations:** Before the campaign begins, discuss the DM’s approach to death and resurrection. This will help players understand the risks involved and make informed decisions about their characters.
* **Respect Player Agency:** Allow players to have a say in how their character’s death is handled. Give them the opportunity to say goodbye to their party members or express their final wishes.
* **Avoid Unnecessary Deaths:** While death is a natural part of D&D, avoid creating situations where death is inevitable or meaningless. Focus on creating challenging but fair encounters that give players a chance to succeed.
* **Provide Closure:** After a character dies, provide closure for the player and the party. Allow them to mourn the loss of their friend and celebrate their accomplishments. A short epilogue describing the character’s legacy can be a fitting tribute.

Conclusion

Death saves are a dramatic and suspenseful part of Dungeons and Dragons 5e. While the outcome often depends on luck, understanding the rules, employing strategic tactics, and leveraging class features can significantly improve your character’s chances of surviving the unthinkable. By prioritizing preventative measures, utilizing healing and buffs, coordinating with your party, and understanding the nuances of the death save process, you can cheat death and continue your adventures in the world of D&D. Remember to communicate with your DM about house rules and ethical considerations to ensure a fair and enjoyable experience for everyone at the table.