I think it is necessary for you to use the reaction in order to use the feat. However the way Aaron worded the second part of the feat it sounds like you're only allowed to prevent damage cause by an action. This feat is meant to save you from death by actions, bonus actions, traps, etc.
The first time you would take damage that would reduce you to 0, you can use your reaction to interrupt the triggering event granting you an immediate action. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Aaron, I feel the use of a reaction is unnecessary and potentially limiting. There would be nothing worse then getting an opportunity to use this feat and have already made a reaction to something and miss out. The flip side is never using your reaction just in case you might take fatal damage, which also does not sound like fun.
Arguably I think it needs to have some form of action economy and the reaction is the most logical place for it. In addition the triggering event is hitting 0 hp, a player should know if that is a possibility and be consciously weighing their reaction, which is not used every turn.
I feel like you guys have improved upon it in a way I would have never imagined. I've never noticed the notification icon, but you all have outdone yourselves. This is coming from July 2018.
hey sorry to butt in but I thought I'd give my two pennies worth.
I don't think it should use the reaction. I agree with HeroZero. a feat is a heavy investment and if you miss using it because you've used your reaction already you are wither just not going to use your reaction for other things or never get to use the feat. This is especially prominent as the feat is about going to 0HP; if you miss it you are unconscious, it's not like missing an AoO with the sentinel feat. There's no reason that " it needs to have some form of action economy" because........
With the 0HP, I don't think the action should NOT 'interrupt' the incoming attack (stop the damage). If I've got this right the feat is about the crazed barbarian pulling the sword further into his chest to cut his attackers throat, the stalwart paladin blasting the archway to pieces to block the path as he bleeds out from the arrow in his neck, the noble bard giving one last shout of inspiration as the poison grabs a hold of his faintly beating heart. It is NOT about the lucky fighter who magically manages to knock the fateful blade away at the last second. The character should fall unconscious immediately after they use their action.
Therefore I think it should be an extra action, whatever the PC chooses to use it as, not just an attack. And it should take place immediately after the attack that brought them down to 0HP. No-one's said anything about timing as far as I can tell but wanted to make sure it was clear. Straight after the attack/effect not at the end of whomever's turn it is.
I think this feat is really great if tweaked, it makes me think of all those great heroic dieing actions in movies and books. It has the potential to really add story to a combat scenario.
Not yet...
You gain +1 to you Constitution ability score.
When an attack or effect lowers you to 0HP, your fighting spirit gives you ability to use an action. You may use this action in anyway you see fit except healing yourself. The action takes place immediately after you take the damage and when the action is over you fall unconscious with 0HP.
The main purpose is to replicate the racial ability of the half-orc that when you would fall unconscious you instead go to 1 hp instead once per long rest. An added benefit however is enabling the player to use their reaction (if available or if they want to) for an action of any sorts (which seems balanced to me).
Think of it more like when you think someone should've totally died but they just barely hang on. If they haven't already used their reaction that turn they've got the ability to use it to follow up with an action of their own.
Ok that wasn't how I read it at all. that's a much more concise summary than anything in the rest of the thread, and not half bad.
through most of the thread it was reading that when damage takes you to 0HP you stop all of that damage. this is far to OP. with that a player could jump of a cliff, 'die' but then just go "nope. got this feat. i don't take any damage".
i still think that the player should go unconscious, that is the initial idea for it and I think it makes it much interesting. "Anyway this feat is called "Down With Me" because the feat is a last chance effort for the barbarian to kill someone/something as they fall unconscious"
Oh, it was supposed to negate all damage but you just brought up a very good point. We should probably change it to surviving with just one.
If we really wanted to be fancy we could make them roll a hit die to see how much hp they'd be left with.
Wizards d6, Almost any other class d8, Fighters & Paladins d10, Barbarians d12.
I didn't even think of how powerful that racial trait could be when abused. Jumping off an airplane, falling 10,000ft, hitting the ground..... Nope! not dead yet!
I think you don't want to over complicate it, if they survive just 1HP (though still agree to disagree about that). All the best perks are simple, quick to understand and more importantly to remember.
Even with the 1hp it's really OP. In the 'airplane' scenario they would still not die, just stand up with 1hp and chug down a health potion.
Think it would be so much cooler if the moment before ethey hit the ground they got the opportunity to use an action that would somehow help protect/save their body (send message or cast firebolt into the air)
Even with the 1hp it's really OP. In the 'airplane' scenario they would still not die, just stand up with 1hp and chug down a health potion.
Think it would be so much cooler if the moment before ethey hit the ground they got the opportunity to use an action that would somehow help protect/save their body (send message or cast firebolt into the air)
The airplane scenario doesn't apply though, as that isn't an event you could interrupt. "I jump off the cliff" "Ok, it is 1000ft high, you take 20d6" (max damage as written, which I think is silly, it should just be 1d6 per 10ft, no cap) . That may be enough to outright kill a character below a certain level. "I use my feat to drop to 1 hp instead" - "Ummmm you want to explain how you interrupt slamming into the ground?"
See what I mean?
Outside that, sure, you could change it from negating all damage to leaving you with 1hp, but given that it is a once a day on death (something that doesn't come up every session) I don't think it is broken to say you negate all damage.
I think if I use it they still drop to 0 health, but I might give advantage on death saving throws if they manage to take someone down with them when they make their last action.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
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The first time you would take damage that would reduce you to 0, you can use your reaction to interrupt the triggering event granting you an immediate action. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Better?
Arguably I think it needs to have some form of action economy and the reaction is the most logical place for it. In addition the triggering event is hitting 0 hp, a player should know if that is a possibility and be consciously weighing their reaction, which is not used every turn.
Yep, I agree with both your most recent posts Aaron!
I feel like you guys have improved upon it in a way I would have never imagined. I've never noticed the notification icon, but you all have outdone yourselves. This is coming from July 2018.
Thanks, I'm glad you liked the balance improvements we suggested!
hey sorry to butt in but I thought I'd give my two pennies worth.
I think this feat is really great if tweaked, it makes me think of all those great heroic dieing actions in movies and books. It has the potential to really add story to a combat scenario.
The main purpose is to replicate the racial ability of the half-orc that when you would fall unconscious you instead go to 1 hp instead once per long rest. An added benefit however is enabling the player to use their reaction (if available or if they want to) for an action of any sorts (which seems balanced to me).
Think of it more like when you think someone should've totally died but they just barely hang on. If they haven't already used their reaction that turn they've got the ability to use it to follow up with an action of their own.
Ok that wasn't how I read it at all. that's a much more concise summary than anything in the rest of the thread, and not half bad.
through most of the thread it was reading that when damage takes you to 0HP you stop all of that damage. this is far to OP. with that a player could jump of a cliff, 'die' but then just go "nope. got this feat. i don't take any damage".
i still think that the player should go unconscious, that is the initial idea for it and I think it makes it much interesting. "Anyway this feat is called "Down With Me" because the feat is a last chance effort for the barbarian to kill someone/something as they fall unconscious"
Oh, it was supposed to negate all damage but you just brought up a very good point. We should probably change it to surviving with just one.
If we really wanted to be fancy we could make them roll a hit die to see how much hp they'd be left with.
Wizards d6, Almost any other class d8, Fighters & Paladins d10, Barbarians d12.
I didn't even think of how powerful that racial trait could be when abused. Jumping off an airplane, falling 10,000ft, hitting the ground..... Nope! not dead yet!
I think you don't want to over complicate it, if they survive just 1HP (though still agree to disagree about that). All the best perks are simple, quick to understand and more importantly to remember.
Even with the 1hp it's really OP. In the 'airplane' scenario they would still not die, just stand up with 1hp and chug down a health potion.
Think it would be so much cooler if the moment before ethey hit the ground they got the opportunity to use an action that would somehow help protect/save their body (send message or cast firebolt into the air)
The airplane scenario doesn't apply though, as that isn't an event you could interrupt. "I jump off the cliff" "Ok, it is 1000ft high, you take 20d6" (max damage as written, which I think is silly, it should just be 1d6 per 10ft, no cap) . That may be enough to outright kill a character below a certain level. "I use my feat to drop to 1 hp instead" - "Ummmm you want to explain how you interrupt slamming into the ground?"
See what I mean?
Outside that, sure, you could change it from negating all damage to leaving you with 1hp, but given that it is a once a day on death (something that doesn't come up every session) I don't think it is broken to say you negate all damage.
I think if I use it they still drop to 0 health, but I might give advantage on death saving throws if they manage to take someone down with them when they make their last action.
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."