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 at you while you're in that state, but only true healing can save you.
See, now, I was debating that, because it says it can "still absorb damage" as if that does something useful for a 0 HP character... but I don't think that's really about death saving throws, so much as maybe mitigating massive damage?
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.
You are at 0 hit points, so if you "take any damage," you suffer a death saving throw. Unless we want to stray the fraught path of wondering if you have "taken any damage" if all damage went to THP... I don't see a way out of the death saving throws. I'm not sure I really want to live in a world where an attacker deals damage with their attack, but the target doesn't take any of the damage that was dealt.... but that sounds like a larger conversation, I forget all the moving pieces involved in it off the top of my head.
THP tends to be granted by some supernatural force like spells or force fields, or by something taking the damage for you. And really, if your actual HP didn't change, then narratively it is as if you weren't damaged at all.
And looking at the actual wording for THP, there is some evidence that the mechanics work that way:
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 take 2 damage.
In fact this would be perfectly clear if they just said "would" where I put *. And this does make the "absorb damage" while unconscious part make more sense too. I'd say it is RAI if nothing else.
if I deal 10 damage, but the target has resistance and only takes 5, did I deal 5 damage or 10? The examples provided in the PHB never loop back around to confirm that the attack that "deals 25 damage" is still considered to have dealt 25 damage, after applying resistance and damage reduction that caused the target to only "take 10 damage," so I'm not sure which number the attacker would use, for a Vampiric Touch.
If I deal 10 damage, but the target has 10 THP, did I deal 0? If it was a Vampiric Touch, do I heal nothing?
If I deal 10 damage, but the target is already at 0 HP and has no more HP to lose, did I deal 0? If it was a Vampiric Touch, do I heal nothing?
I guess, for the question about death saving throws... it really doesn't matter what the attacker "deals," only what the target "takes," so maybe they aren't terribly relevant questions... but I think they're at least indicative that the RAI on all this damage business is a little less than crystal clear, for being such a core concept for 5E combat.
if I deal 10 damage, but the target has resistance and only takes 5, did I deal 5 damage or 10? The examples provided in the PHB never loop back around to confirm that the attack that "deals 25 damage" is still considered to have dealt 25 damage, after applying resistance and damage reduction that caused the target to only "take 10 damage," so I'm not sure which number the attacker would use, for a Vampiric Touch.
If I deal 10 damage, but the target has 10 THP, did I deal 0? If it was a Vampiric Touch, do I heal nothing?
If I deal 10 damage, but the target is already at 0 HP and has no more HP to lose, did I deal 0? If it was a Vampiric Touch, do I heal nothing?
I guess, for the question about death saving throws... it really doesn't matter what the attacker "deals," only what the target "takes," so maybe they aren't terribly relevant questions... but I think they're at least indicative that the RAI on all this damage business is a little less than crystal clear, for being such a core concept for 5E combat.
3) Definitely 10. 2) If I'm wrong (and I probably was) 10. 1) A bit harder, I would say 5.
if I deal 10 damage, but the target has resistance and only takes 5, did I deal 5 damage or 10? The examples provided in the PHB never loop back around to confirm that the attack that "deals 25 damage" is still considered to have dealt 25 damage, after applying resistance and damage reduction that caused the target to only "take 10 damage," so I'm not sure which number the attacker would use, for a Vampiric Touch.
If I deal 10 damage, but the target has 10 THP, did I deal 0? If it was a Vampiric Touch, do I heal nothing?
If I deal 10 damage, but the target is already at 0 HP and has no more HP to lose, did I deal 0? If it was a Vampiric Touch, do I heal nothing?
I would say that it's the number of hit points actually lost -- but both temporary and regular hit points are hit points. Thus, in (1) you would use 10 (and heal 5). In (2), you would use 10 (and heal 5). In (3) you would use 0 (and heal 0...sorry, no dying hit point batteries).
if I deal 10 damage, but the target has resistance and only takes 5, did I deal 5 damage or 10? The examples provided in the PHB never loop back around to confirm that the attack that "deals 25 damage" is still considered to have dealt 25 damage, after applying resistance and damage reduction that caused the target to only "take 10 damage," so I'm not sure which number the attacker would use, for a Vampiric Touch.
If I deal 10 damage, but the target has 10 THP, did I deal 0? If it was a Vampiric Touch, do I heal nothing?
If I deal 10 damage, but the target is already at 0 HP and has no more HP to lose, did I deal 0? If it was a Vampiric Touch, do I heal nothing?
I would say that it's the number of hit points actually lost -- but both temporary and regular hit points are hit points. Thus, in (1) you would use 10 (and heal 5). In (2), you would use 10 (and heal 5). In (3) you would use 0 (and heal 0...sorry, no dying hit point batteries).
That would be an interesting upgrade to abilities that rely on damage dealt, like Vampiric Touch, since you'd become entitled to the knowledge of how much damage the target took.
Would gaining the temporary hit points from heroism restore someone to consciousness?
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No temporary hp does not bring people back from unconcious.
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No.
From PHB Chapter 9:
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I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
Basically, it can maybe save you from getting a failed death save when attacked.
See, now, I was debating that, because it says it can "still absorb damage" as if that does something useful for a 0 HP character... but I don't think that's really about death saving throws, so much as maybe mitigating massive damage?
You are at 0 hit points, so if you "take any damage," you suffer a death saving throw. Unless we want to stray the fraught path of wondering if you have "taken any damage" if all damage went to THP... I don't see a way out of the death saving throws. I'm not sure I really want to live in a world where an attacker deals damage with their attack, but the target doesn't take any of the damage that was dealt.... but that sounds like a larger conversation, I forget all the moving pieces involved in it off the top of my head.
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I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
THP tends to be granted by some supernatural force like spells or force fields, or by something taking the damage for you. And really, if your actual HP didn't change, then narratively it is as if you weren't damaged at all.
And looking at the actual wording for THP, there is some evidence that the mechanics work that way:
In fact this would be perfectly clear if they just said "would" where I put *. And this does make the "absorb damage" while unconscious part make more sense too. I'd say it is RAI if nothing else.
I guess, for the question about death saving throws... it really doesn't matter what the attacker "deals," only what the target "takes," so maybe they aren't terribly relevant questions... but I think they're at least indicative that the RAI on all this damage business is a little less than crystal clear, for being such a core concept for 5E combat.
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I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
No, but tangentially, the HP bonus from the Aid spell can.
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile.
Nah even with Temporary Hit Points you still take damage, which can make you fail death saves or loose concentration as confirmed by Jeremy Crawford;
Jeremy Crawford: When temporary hit points absorb damage for you, you're still taking damage, just not to your real hit points.
I might still house rule that differently, but ok.
3) Definitely 10. 2) If I'm wrong (and I probably was) 10. 1) A bit harder, I would say 5.
I would say that it's the number of hit points actually lost -- but both temporary and regular hit points are hit points. Thus, in (1) you would use 10 (and heal 5). In (2), you would use 10 (and heal 5). In (3) you would use 0 (and heal 0...sorry, no dying hit point batteries).
That would be an interesting upgrade to abilities that rely on damage dealt, like Vampiric Touch, since you'd become entitled to the knowledge of how much damage the target took.