System	
  Reference	
   Document	
  5.1 	
   98	
  
Instant Death 
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	
  your	
  hit	
  point	
  maximum. 	
  
	
   For	
  example,	
  a	
  cleric	
  with	
  a	
  maximum	
  of	
   12	
  hit	
  
points	
  currently	
  has	
  6	
  hit	
  points.	
  If	
  she	
   takes	
  18	
  
damage	
  from	
  an	
  attack,	
  she	
  is	
  reduced	
   to	
  0	
  hit	
  points,	
  
but	
  12	
  damage	
  remains.	
  Because	
   the	
  remaining	
  
damage	
  equals	
  her	
  hit	
  point	
  maximum,	
  the	
  cleric	
  
dies.	
  
Falling Unconscious 
If	
  damage	
  reduces	
  you	
  to	
  0	
  hit	
  points	
  and	
  fails	
  to	
  kill	
  
you,	
  you	
  fall	
  unconscious	
  (see	
   appendix	
  PH-­‐‑A).	
  This	
  
unconsciousness	
  ends	
  if	
  you	
  regain	
  a ny	
  hit	
  points.	
  
Death Saving Throws 
Whenever	
  you	
  start	
  your	
  turn	
  with	
  0	
  hit	
  points,	
  you	
  
must	
  make	
  a	
  special	
  saving	
  throw,	
  called	
  a	
  death	
  
saving	
  throw,	
  to	
  determine	
  whether	
  you	
  creep	
  closer	
  
to	
  death	
  or	
  hang	
  onto	
  life.	
  Unlike	
  other	
  saving	
  
throws,	
  this	
  one	
  isn ’t	
  tied	
  to	
  any	
  ability	
  score.	
  You	
  
are	
  in	
  the	
  hands	
  of	
  fate	
  now,	
  aided	
  only	
  by	
  spells	
  and	
  
features	
  that	
  improve	
  your	
  chances	
  of	
  succeeding	
  on	
  
a	
  saving	
  throw. 	
  
	
   Roll	
  a	
  d20.	
  If	
  the	
  roll	
  is	
  10	
  or	
  higher,	
  you	
  succeed.	
  
Otherwise,	
  you	
  fail.	
  A	
  success	
  or	
  failure	
  ha s	
  no	
  effect	
  
by	
  itself.	
  On	
  your	
  third	
  success,	
  you	
  become	
  stable	
  
(see	
  below).	
  On	
  your	
  third	
  failure,	
  you	
  die.	
  The	
  
successes	
  and	
  failures	
  don’t	
  need	
  to	
  be	
  consecutive;	
  
keep	
  track	
  of	
  both	
  until	
  you	
   collect	
  three	
  of	
  a	
  kind.	
  
The	
  number	
  of	
  both	
  is	
  reset	
  to	
  zero	
  when	
  you	
  regain	
  
any	
  hit	
  points	
  or	
  become	
  stable.	
  
	
   Rolling	
  1	
  or	
  20. 	
  When	
  you	
  make	
  a	
  death	
  saving	
  
throw	
  and	
  roll	
  a	
  1	
  on	
  the	
  d20,	
  it	
  counts	
  as	
  two	
  
failures.	
  If	
  you	
  roll	
  a	
  20	
  on	
  the	
  d20,	
  you	
  regain	
  1	
  hit	
  
point.	
  
	
   Damage	
  at	
  0	
  Hit	
  Points. 	
  If	
  you	
  take	
  any	
  damage	
  
while	
  you	
  have	
  0	
  hit	
  points,	
  you	
  suffer	
  a	
  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	
  suffer	
  instant	
  
death.	
  
Stabilizing a Creature 
The	
  best	
  way	
  to	
  save	
  a	
  creature	
  with	
  0	
  hit	
  points	
  is	
  
to	
  heal	
  it.	
  If	
  healing	
  is	
  unavailable,	
  the	
  creature	
  can	
  
at	
  least	
  be	
  stabilized	
  so	
  that	
  it	
  isn’t	
  killed	
  by	
  a	
  failed	
  
death	
  saving	
  throw.	
  
	
   You	
  can	
  use	
  your	
  action	
  to	
  administer	
  first	
  aid	
  to	
  
an	
  unconscious	
  creature	
  and 	
  attempt	
  to	
  stabilize	
  it,	
  
which	
  requires	
  a	
  successful	
  DC	
  10	
  Wisdom	
  
(Medicine)	
  check. 	
  
	
   A	
  stable	
  creature	
  doesn’t	
  make	
  death	
  saving	
  
throws,	
  even	
  though	
  it	
  has	
  0	
  hit	
  points,	
  but	
  it	
  does	
  
remain	
  unconscious.	
  The	
  creature	
  stops	
  being	
  stable,	
  
and	
  must	
  start	
  makin g	
  death	
  saving	
  throws	
  again,	
  if	
  
it	
  takes	
  any	
  damage.	
  A	
  stable	
  creature	
  that	
  isn’t	
  
healed	
  regains	
  1	
  hit	
  point	
  after	
  1d4	
  hours. 	
  
Monsters and Death 
Most	
  GMs	
  have	
  a	
  monst er	
  die	
  the	
  instant	
  it	
  drops	
  to	
  
0	
  hit	
  points,	
  rather	
  than	
  having	
  it	
  fall	
  unconscious	
  
and	
  make	
  death	
  saving	
  throws. 	
  
	
   Mighty	
  villains	
  and	
  special	
  nonplayer	
  characters	
  
are	
  common	
  exceptions;	
  the	
  GM	
  might	
  have	
  them	
  
fall	
  unconscious	
  and	
  follow	
  the	
  same	
  rules	
  as	
  player	
  
characters.	
  
Knocking a Creature Out 
Sometimes	
  an	
  attacker	
  wants	
  to	
  incapacitate	
  a	
  f oe,	
  
rather	
  than	
  deal	
  a	
  killing	
  blow.	
  When	
  an	
  attacker	
  
reduces	
  a	
  creature	
  to	
  0	
  hit	
  points	
  with	
  a	
  melee	
  attack,	
  
the	
  attacker	
  can	
  knock	
  the	
  creature	
  out.	
  The	
  attacker	
  
can	
  make	
  this	
  choice	
  the	
  instant	
  the	
  damage	
  is	
  dealt.	
  
The	
  creature	
  falls	
  unconscious	
  and	
  is	
   stable.	
  
Temporary Hit Points 
Some	
  spells	
  and	
  special	
  abilities	
  confer	
  temporary	
  
hit	
  points	
  to	
  a	
  creature.	
  Temporary	
  hit	
  points	
  aren’t	
  
actual	
  hit	
  points;	
  they	
  are	
  a	
  buffer	
  against	
  damage,	
  a	
  
pool	
  of	
  hit	
  points	
  that	
  protect	
  you	
  from	
  injury. 	
  
	
   When	
  you	
  have	
   temporary	
  hit	
  points	
  and	
  take	
  
damage,	
  the	
  temporary	
  hit	
  points	
  are	
  lost	
  first,	
  and	
  
any	
  leftover	
  damage	
  carries	
  over	
  to	
  your	
  normal	
  hit	
  
points.	
  For	
  example,	
  if	
  you	
  have	
  5	
  temporary	
  hit	
  
points	
  and	
  take	
  7	
  damage,	
  you	
  lose	
  the	
  temporary	
  
hit	
  points	
  and	
  then	
  tak e	
  2	
  damage.	
  
	
   Because	
  temporary	
  hit	
  points	
  are	
  separate	
  from	
  
your	
  actual	
  hit	
  points,	
  they	
  can	
  exceed	
  your	
  hit	
  point	
  
maximum.	
  A	
  character	
  can,	
  therefore,	
  be	
  at	
  full	
  hit	
  
points	
  and	
  receive	
  temporary	
  hit	
  points. 	
  
	
   Healing	
  can’t	
  restore	
  temporary	
  hit	
  points,	
  and 	
  
they	
  can’t	
  be	
  added	
  together.	
  If	
  you	
  have	
  temporary	
  
hit	
  points	
  and	
  receive	
  more	
  of	
  them,	
  you	
  decide	
  
whether	
  to	
  keep	
  the	
  ones	
  you	
  have	
  or	
  to	
  gain	
  the	
  
new	
  ones.	
  For	
  example,	
  if	
  a	
  spell	
  grants	
  you	
  12	
  
temporary	
  hit	
  points	
  when	
  you	
  already	
  have	
  10,	
  you	
  
can	
  have	
  12	
  or	
  10,	
  not	
  22. 	
  
	
   If	
  you	
  have	
  0	
  hit	
  points,	
  receiving	
  temporary	
  hit	
  
points	
  doesn’t	
  restore	
  you	
  to	
  consciousness	
  or	
  
stabilize	
  you.	
  They	
  can	
  still	
  absorb	
  damage	
  directed	
  