Omar Bennett
In Dungeons & Dragons (DnD), players may be asked to roll a Constitution check to avoid falling asleep while keeping watch. While some players have questioned the validity of this rule, others have argued that it makes sense in certain situations, such as standing watch in bad weather. In terms of death saves, when a player character falls unconscious after taking damage, they must make a death saving throw, or death save, by rolling a d20 at the start of their turn. If the player rolls a 10 or higher, their character succeeds, and if they roll a 9 or lower, their character fails. If a player rolls 3 successes before 3 failures, their character stabilizes and is no longer in danger of dying. On the other hand, if they roll 3 failures first, their character dies.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| When to roll a Constitution check | To avoid falling asleep while keeping watch, running long distances, pushing yourself hard, or after a long swim |
| Death Saving Throws | Rolls that determine whether a fallen, unconscious character lives or dies |
| Passing Death Saves | Your character will survive |
| Failing Death Saves | Your character will die |
| Roll Death Saves | At the start of your PC's turn after they drop to 0 hit points |
| Success | Roll a 10 or higher |
| Failure | Roll 9 or lower |
| Critical Failure | Roll 1 |
| Critical Success | Roll 20 |
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What You'll Learn
Constitution checks to avoid falling asleep
In Dungeons and Dragons (DnD), players are sometimes required to roll Constitution (CON) checks to avoid falling asleep while keeping watch. This is not a standard rule, but some Dungeon Masters (DMs) may choose to implement it as a homebrew rule.
Constitution checks are uncommon in DnD, as the endurance this ability represents is typically passive rather than involving a specific effort on the part of a character. However, a Constitution check can model a character's attempt to push beyond their normal limits.
In the context of staying awake, a Constitution check could represent a character's effort to remain alert and fight off sleepiness. This could be relevant in situations where the character is sleep-deprived, facing challenging travel conditions, or standing watch in harsh weather.
Some players have expressed that requiring a Constitution check to avoid falling asleep while keeping watch can be overly harsh, especially if it negates specific racial features that players have chosen for their characters, such as the ability of elves to meditate in a trance-like state instead of sleeping.
It's important for DMs to carefully consider the implementation of Constitution checks for staying awake, ensuring that they enhance the gameplay experience without unfairly negating player choices or racial features.
Additionally, it's worth noting that there are alternative ways to handle situations where a character might fall asleep while keeping watch. For example, a DM could narrate a failed perception check as the character nodding off and missing an approaching threat, rather than requiring a separate Constitution check.
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Death saves determine life or death
Death Saving Throws, also known as Death Saves, are an integral part of Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) 5e, determining whether a character lives or dies. When a player character (PC) falls unconscious after taking damage, they must make a Death Saving Throw, which is a d20 roll made at the start of their turn. A roll of 10 or higher is considered a success, while a roll of 9 or lower is a failure.
The outcome of these Death Saves is binary: either your character survives or moves closer to death. Three successful Death Saves stabilise a character, rendering them safe from dying. Conversely, three failed Death Saves result in the character's death. Importantly, the order of successes and failures does not matter, as long as three of either kind are not achieved first. For instance, a character could fail twice, succeed twice, and then fail again, and they would still be alive but unstable.
There are special rules for rolling a 1 or a 20. Rolling a 1 counts as two failures, increasing the likelihood of death, while rolling a 20 instantly revives the character with 1 hit point. Additionally, any active bonuses or spells that influence saving throws can be added to the roll. However, Death Saves are generally independent of ability scores, making them largely dependent on luck.
While monsters and other non-player characters (NPCs) typically die when they reach 0 hit points, DMs have the option to make them fall unconscious and roll Death Saves, adding an extra layer of complexity to the game.
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Death saves after dropping to 0 hit points
Death Saving Throws, or Death Saves, are an important aspect of D&D 5e. Whenever a player character (PC) falls unconscious after taking damage, they have to make death saving throws. These determine whether the character lives or dies.
Death saves are made after a PC drops to 0 hit points. To make a death saving throw, a d20 is rolled at the start of the PC's turn. If a 10 or higher is rolled, the PC succeeds; if a 9 or lower is rolled, the PC fails. A roll of 1 counts as two failures, and a roll of 20 means the PC instantly regains consciousness with 1 hit point. PCs that succeed on three death saving throws stabilise and are no longer in danger of dying, while three failures mean the PC dies.
Death saves are independent of ability scores, so they are random unless the player has spells or features that can improve their chances. There are ways to stabilise a PC while they are rolling death saving throws, such as having an ally use the Help action to make a DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check or cast Spare the Dying on the PC.
Some house rules allow PCs to remain conscious at 0 hit points as long as they maintain concentration, similar to spell concentration rules. In this case, any damage taken would lead to failed death saving throws, and the PC would have to make a Constitution save to maintain concentration.
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Failing death saves brings you closer to death
In the world of Dungeons & Dragons, danger is ever-present, and your character's life is always on the line. When your character is reduced to 0 hit points (HP), they immediately become unconscious and must make death saving throws, also known as death saves. These are rolls that determine whether your character lives or dies. Failing these death saves brings your character closer to death.
Death saving throws are made by rolling a d20 at the start of your turn after falling unconscious. If you roll a 10 or higher, your character succeeds, but if you roll a 9 or lower, your character fails. Failing three death saving throws means your character dies. On the other hand, succeeding on three death saving throws means your character stabilizes and is no longer in danger of dying, although they remain unconscious with 0 HP.
It's important to note that death saves are independent of ability scores, so unless your character has spells or features that improve their chances, death saves are entirely random. Additionally, if your character takes damage from a critical hit, it counts as two death save failures, bringing them even closer to death. Instant death occurs when a character takes damage equal to their HP total, with no chance for death saves.
While constitution checks are uncommon in D&D, they can be used to model your character's attempt to push beyond their normal limits. For example, running or swimming for a long time could call for a Constitution check. However, it's important to distinguish between constitution checks and constitution saving throws, with the latter being used in cases of extreme weather, poison, or exhaustion.
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Passing death saves means you survive
In D&D 5e, death saving throws are rolls that determine whether a fallen, unconscious character lives or dies. Passing these death saves means your player character (PC) will survive, but failing them brings them closer to death. Death saving throws are d20 rolls determining whether a character lives or dies. Rolling a 10 or higher is a success, while rolling a 9 or lower is a failure. If you roll 3 successes, your PC stabilises and isn't in danger of dying. Conversely, if you roll 3 failures first, your character dies.
Death saving throws are made at the start of your PC's turn after they drop to 0 hit points. If you begin your next turn with 0 hit points, you make another saving throw. PCs make death saving throws after dropping to 0 hit points but not dying, instead falling unconscious. This unconsciousness ends if you regain any hit points.
There are special rules for rolling a 1 (a critical failure) or a 20 (a critical success). If you roll a 1 on a death save, it counts as two failures. Conversely, if you roll a 20, your PC will instantly become conscious again with 1 hit point.
Death saving throws are not tied to any ability scores, unlike other saving throws. This means that unless you have spells or features to improve your chances, death saves are totally random. However, there are still ways that players can boost their chances of passing a death saving throw. For example, certain magical bonuses can be applied to death saving throws, such as Bless, Resistance, or a nearby Paladin's Aura of Protection.
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Frequently asked questions
Constitution checks are uncommon in DnD, and they are usually related to saving throws. In the case of death, a Constitution check is not rolled, but rather a Death Saving Throw. This is done when a character falls unconscious after taking damage and has 0 hit points.
To make a Death Saving Throw, a player rolls a d20 die. If the roll is 10 or higher, the character passes and stabilizes. If the roll is 9 or lower, the character fails, and if they fail three times, the character dies.
Yes, there are a few special rules. Rolling a 1 counts as two failures, and rolling a 20 brings the character back to 1 hit point and makes them conscious again. Additionally, any damage taken while at 0 hit points counts as an additional failure, and if it is a critical hit, it counts as two failures.
