The confusion is suffering a death saving throw failure to equal making death saving throw, which is not the same. Making a death saving throw occur at the start of your turn and involve a d20. Suffering a death saving throw failure can be the result of a failed death saving throw, or taking damage while at 0 hit point.
The confusion is suffering a death saving throw failure to equal making death saving throw, which is not the same. Making a death saving throw occur at the start of your turn and involve a d20. Suffering a death saving throw failure can be the result of a failed death saving throw, or taking damage while at 0 hit point.
But not while stable.
The rules are very clear what happens when you get hit while stable. You stop being stable and then have to deal with death saves again. That's it.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
The confusion is suffering a death saving throw failure to equal making death saving throw, which is not the same. Making a death saving throw occur at the start of your turn and involve a d20. Suffering a death saving throw failure can be the result of a failed death saving throw, or taking damage while at 0 hit point.
But not while stable.
The rules are very clear what happens when you get hit while stable. You stop being stable and then have to deal with death saves again. That's it.
The rules never say ''not while stable'' though. Instead, they say;
''''If you take any damage while you have 0 hit points, you suffer a death saving throw failure.''
So are you at 0 hit point when stable? Yes, so according to the rules you suffer a death saving throw failure, stops being stable, and must start making death saving throws again,
The confusion is suffering a death saving throw failure to equal making death saving throw, which is not the same. Making a death saving throw occur at the start of your turn and involve a d20. Suffering a death saving throw failure can be the result of a failed death saving throw, or taking damage while at 0 hit point.
It’s not really “confusion.” It’s a difference of interpretation. Some folks are saying that “you do not make death saves” is an exception to the rule that you fail a death save when you take damage at 0 HP, because you cannot fail a saving throw if you are in a state that explicitly does not make the saving throws in question. Others are saying it’s not an exception because you CAN. No one is confused. We just don’t agree, and in the absence of more explicit text, that’s fine.
These are the rules quoted directly from the PHB so that folks don't need to argue about what the rules explicitly state or not.
1) If a character is at zero hit points at the start of your turn - you have to roll a death saving throw.
2) If a character stabilizes then they are still at zero hit points, their tally of failed death saves is reset to zero, and they do not need to roll a death saving throw on their turn.
3) A stable creature that takes damage must start rolling death saves on their turn again.
4) A creature at ZERO hit points (note that the text does not distinguish between a creature that is stable and one that is not) suffers a death saving throw failure. There is no "get out of jail free" on the first damage. All taking damage does is force the creature to ROLL death saving throws on their turn again. It does not prevent receiving a death saving throw failure when a creature is at zero hit points. They are two separate rules.
5) A hit against an unconscious creature from an attacker within 5' is considered a critical hit. Any critical hit on a creature at zero hit points causes TWO death saving throw failures. So a creature at zero hit points which is stable (and thus not ROLLING death saving throws on their turn which is the only thing that being stable prevents) would then take 2 death saving throw failures if hit from within 5'.
6) Stabilizing a creature prevents it from dying to a death saving throw failure in two ways
a) The creature does not need to roll a death saving throw failure on their turn (which is all that being stable prevents)
b) Stabilizing resets the death saving throw counters to zero. This means that one hit or critical hit will NOT kill the character since they apply at most two death saving throw failures. So the statement about stabilizing is completely correct and does not imply any special capability of being stable countering the explicit rule that a character at zero hit points receives at least one death saving throw failure when hit with an attack.
I'm not sure where the idea that being stable provides some mystical protection against the rule stating what happens to a creature at zero hit points might come from. I have also never seen any indication that it is intended that being stable would prevent accumulating death saving throw failures when taking damage. The only stated mechanical benefit of being stable is that it prevents the character from having to roll death saving throws on their turn.
"A stable creature doesn’t makedeath saving throws, even though it has 0 hit points, but it does remain unconscious. The creature stops being stable, and must start making death saving throws again, if it takes any damage." - this says nothing about taking death saving throw failures at zero hit points - it only refers to MAKING death saving throws.
"If you take any damage while you have 0 hit points, you suffer a death saving throw failure." - being stable or not has no effect on taking a death saving throw failure when damaged at zero hit points
"Dropping to 0 Hit Points
When you drop to 0 hit points, you either die outright or fall unconscious, as explained in the following sections."
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 has 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 making death saving throws again, if it takes any damage. A stable creature that isn’t healed regains 1 hit point after 1d4 hours.
The confusion is suffering a death saving throw failure to equal making death saving throw, which is not the same. Making a death saving throw occur at the start of your turn and involve a d20. Suffering a death saving throw failure can be the result of a failed death saving throw, or taking damage while at 0 hit point.
But not while stable.
The rules are very clear what happens when you get hit while stable. You stop being stable and then have to deal with death saves again. That's it.
No. The rules are very clear. When you are stable and take damage the character must start MAKING death saving throws on their turn again. This does not contradict the rule where a creature at zero hit points that takes damage suffers an automatic death saving throw failure. Being stable only affects MAKING saving throws on your turn, it has NO effect on saving throw failures applied by taking damage.
That is exactly what the rules say which I cite in my post above.
If you're stable you do not make death saving throws. We agree yes?
Where in the rules, what section of the rules, says "If you take any damage while you have 0 hit points, you suffer a death saving throw failure."
You'll note, that section of the rules is "Death Saving Throws". The thing we are specifically not doing. There is zero reason to consult that damage while at 0 rule because at the point were we are stable we do NOT reference that section of the rules.
Rules are only relevant when they're being called on. What you got here is a case of applying a snippet of a rule to the situation where it is not applicable. We are not referencing the section "Death Saving throws" until the rules tell us to. And they have, since we are stabilized, specifically told us NOT to reference them.
"A stable creature doesn’t make death saving throws"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
I'd also like to add a message to salon09. Please ignore everything in this thread after Sposta's post, this is just a thing that happens.
Lol. :)
The entire discussion came from someone commenting that your statement was incorrect in detail ... which it was.
Your death saves reset to 0:0.
If you get hit you start making death saves all over again with 1. You wouldn’t automatically fail 2 death saves because you weren’t making death saves at the time you got hit since you were stable.
If you are hit and take damage at zero hit points then the character will receive one death save failure for normal damage or two death save failures for a critical hit (any hit from within 5' against an unconscious creature is a critical hit). The rule regarding taking damage at zero hit points do NOT distinguish between being stable or not stable - they only refer to taking damage. If you take damage when unconscious and stable, the character has to start MAKING death saving throws on their turn. It does not in any way prevent the character from receiving death save failures for taking damage at zero hit points. They are completely separate rules.
Being stable does NOT prevent the character from receiving death save failures from taking damage at zero hit points. So if people ignore every post after yours then they will be playing it incorrectly - so I'd actually think it is pretty bad advice in this case.
I'd also like to add a message to salon09. Please ignore everything in this thread after Sposta's post, this is just a thing that happens.
Lol. :)
The entire discussion came from someone commenting that your statement was incorrect in detail ... which it was.
Your death saves reset to 0:0.
If you get hit you start making death saves all over again with 1. You wouldn’t automatically fail 2 death saves because you weren’t making death saves at the time you got hit since you were stable.
If you are hit and take damage at zero hit points then the character will receive one death save failure for normal damage or two death save failures for a critical hit (any hit from within 5' against an unconscious creature is a critical hit). The rule regarding taking damage at zero hit points do NOT distinguish between being stable or not stable - they only refer to taking damage. If you take damage when unconscious and stable, the character has to start MAKING death saving throws on their turn. It does not in any way prevent the character from receiving death save failures for taking damage at zero hit points. They are completely separate rules.
They are. Which is important.
Being stable does NOT prevent the character from receiving death save failures from taking damage at zero hit points.
Yes, stable does prevent receiving death saves. Death Saving throws are not something people normally take. You only take them when the rules say you do. In this case, the Stable rules tell us we do NOT make death saves while stable. So that "Death Saving Throws" section? You don't apply it. Why? Because rules are only applied when they're relevant. You can't just take snippets from random pages and apply them whenever you feel like it.
So if people ignore every post after yours then they will be playing it incorrectly - so I'd actually think it is pretty bad advice in this case.
Here lemme provide the guidance for you. This is a quote from the book. Heed it. "the creature can at least be stabilized so that it isn’t killed by a failed death saving throw."
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
I was referring to the person who started the thread when I said to ignore posts after #2. You know, the person who got an account 2 days ago and has made exactly 1 post in that time, not to mention literally started their post with "I'm pretty new to DnD." I think it's a reasonable piece of advice. For those who want to get into the nitty gritty of the rules (as many people on this forum do), read all you want.
Just because a rule is in a specific section doesn't really change the rule a whole lot. The rule is that taking damage while at 0 hit points gives you a death save. It doesn't say anything about stabilization at all. Yes, being stabilized prevents you from making death saving throws at the start of your turn, but it doesn't mean you just completely remove that section from your PHB. The rule provides a criteria for when it is relevant and active that is distinct from making death saving throws, the criteria being 0 hit points. There's no reason to believe it is bypassed by stabilization.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
Don't be mean. Rudeness is a vicious cycle, and it has to stop somewhere. Exceptions for things that are funny. Go to the current Competition of the Finest 'Brews! It's a cool place where cool people make cool things.
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat Off - Mod Hat Also Off (I'm not a mod)
I never realised this was such a contentious issue. I thought my post #4 was a simple correction. I had never considered the interpretation that not having to make death saving throws implies you can not suffer a death saving throw failure. I do not agree with it and while I think it best new players play the rules correctly, or at least know what the correct rule is I agree they should not need to trawl through pages of contradicting arguments.
But the trouble is that reading stable as a separate state from making death saving throws is required for any of the death saving throws rule text to make sense. If you're telling me that being at zero hit points (and not stable) is separate from making death saving throws, then what in the text (other than the obvious intent) keeps the first sentence of that rule from still applying? (Reminder, it says: "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.")
It is obvious that the intent of the rule is that there are two implied states at 0HP, unstable and stable, and the rules for them exclude each other. I feel like this is another case where the rules are trying to yell intent at players, but aren't written in a way that executes that intent, so people play it weird and unobviously.
I'd also like to add a message to salon09. Please ignore everything in this thread after Sposta's post, this is just a thing that happens.
Lol. :)
The entire discussion came from someone commenting that your statement was incorrect in detail ... which it was.
Your death saves reset to 0:0.
If you get hit you start making death saves all over again with 1. You wouldn’t automatically fail 2 death saves because you weren’t making death saves at the time you got hit since you were stable.
If you are hit and take damage at zero hit points then the character will receive one death save failure for normal damage or two death save failures for a critical hit (any hit from within 5' against an unconscious creature is a critical hit). The rule regarding taking damage at zero hit points do NOT distinguish between being stable or not stable - they only refer to taking damage. If you take damage when unconscious and stable, the character has to start MAKING death saving throws on their turn. It does not in any way prevent the character from receiving death save failures for taking damage at zero hit points. They are completely separate rules.
Being stable does NOT prevent the character from receiving death save failures from taking damage at zero hit points. So if people ignore every post after yours then they will be playing it incorrectly - so I'd actually think it is pretty bad advice in this case.
I never got into critical hits. I wrote that if you get hit at 0 HP you fail 1 death saving throw, the 1 from before having been whipped away when you got stabilized would bring your total up to 1 failed death save not 2.
Where in the rules, what section of the rules, says "If you take any damage while you have 0 hit points, you suffer a death saving throw failure."
You'll note, that section of the rules is "Death Saving Throws". The thing we are specifically not doing. There is zero reason to consult that damage while at 0 rule because at the point were we are stable we do NOT reference that section of the rules.
So we can never have combat in D&D because the rules about how to initiate a combat are in the chapter titled "Combat"?
I never realised this was such a contentious issue. I thought my post #4 was a simple correction. I had never considered the interpretation that not having to make death saving throws implies you can not suffer a death saving throw failure. I do not agree with it and while I think it best new players play the rules correctly, or at least know what the correct rule is I agree they should not need to trawl through pages of contradicting arguments.
It isn't really contentious. It is only certain people arguing that it is.
Where in the rules, what section of the rules, says "If you take any damage while you have 0 hit points, you suffer a death saving throw failure."
You'll note, that section of the rules is "Death Saving Throws". The thing we are specifically not doing. There is zero reason to consult that damage while at 0 rule because at the point were we are stable we do NOT reference that section of the rules.
That’s the exact opposite of the argument you made regarding spellcasting foci and somatic components for spells that have no material components: (https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/dungeons-dragons-discussion/rules-game-mechanics/49286-spellcasting-focus-prevents-somatic-components). People kept saying that the rules allowing one to use a focus for S components were specifically under the section labeled “Material Components,” and therefore those rules only applied to spells with M Components. You railed against that argument for PAGES, to the point you changed your avatar just to permanently argue against it. Now you use the exact same argument here. It don’t work both ways just because it’s convenient for you to flipflop.
You really know how to cherry pick your arguments.
The rule says to not do death saves while stable. So we don't need to reference that Death Saving Throw rule. By your own understanding of how sections work.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
As I understand it, "stable" means you do not "make" death saving throws. "making" a saving throw is rolling the dice against a specified DC, with or without an ability (in this case, without), as described in the rules. death saving throw success or failure is just a running total of those saving throws that resets to 0 everytime a creature gains hitpoints or becomes stable again.
Taking damage at 0 hitpoints, per the rules, does not force a creature to "make" a saving throw...it skips that step and simply modifies the failure total. a stable creature can therefore suffer death saving throw failures without having "made" a saving throw. but it also becomes unstable again, and starts the normal "making" of death saving throws on its turn.
So the following is a completely accurate way to run this. The following initiative order is Monster 1, PC A (victim), and PC B (healer)
On it's turn Monster 1 drops PC A drops to 0 hitpoints with an attack...it does not die (as the damage wasn't great enough)
On PC A's turn, they make a death saving throw, failing (fail = 1, success = 0)
On PC B's turn, they make a successful medicine check to stabilize PC A (fail = 0, success =0)
On Monster 1's turn, they attack and hit PC A with a melee attack within 5 feet, auto-crit (PC A, who was at 0 hitpoints still, suffers two failures and goes unstable) (fail = 2, success = 0)
On PC A's turn, they make a death saving throw. If they fail, they die...if they succeed, the total becomes 2 fails & 1 success.
Note that PC A never "made" a saving throw while stable, but they did suffer two failures from being critical hit at 0 hitpoints while stable, because those failures occurred without a saving throw being "made"
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The confusion is suffering a death saving throw failure to equal making death saving throw, which is not the same. Making a death saving throw occur at the start of your turn and involve a d20. Suffering a death saving throw failure can be the result of a failed death saving throw, or taking damage while at 0 hit point.
But not while stable.
The rules are very clear what happens when you get hit while stable. You stop being stable and then have to deal with death saves again. That's it.
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
The rules never say ''not while stable'' though. Instead, they say;
''''If you take any damage while you have 0 hit points, you suffer a death saving throw failure.''
So are you at 0 hit point when stable? Yes, so according to the rules you suffer a death saving throw failure, stops being stable, and must start making death saving throws again,
It’s not really “confusion.” It’s a difference of interpretation. Some folks are saying that “you do not make death saves” is an exception to the rule that you fail a death save when you take damage at 0 HP, because you cannot fail a saving throw if you are in a state that explicitly does not make the saving throws in question. Others are saying it’s not an exception because you CAN. No one is confused. We just don’t agree, and in the absence of more explicit text, that’s fine.
These are the rules quoted directly from the PHB so that folks don't need to argue about what the rules explicitly state or not.
1) If a character is at zero hit points at the start of your turn - you have to roll a death saving throw.
2) If a character stabilizes then they are still at zero hit points, their tally of failed death saves is reset to zero, and they do not need to roll a death saving throw on their turn.
3) A stable creature that takes damage must start rolling death saves on their turn again.
4) A creature at ZERO hit points (note that the text does not distinguish between a creature that is stable and one that is not) suffers a death saving throw failure. There is no "get out of jail free" on the first damage. All taking damage does is force the creature to ROLL death saving throws on their turn again. It does not prevent receiving a death saving throw failure when a creature is at zero hit points. They are two separate rules.
5) A hit against an unconscious creature from an attacker within 5' is considered a critical hit. Any critical hit on a creature at zero hit points causes TWO death saving throw failures. So a creature at zero hit points which is stable (and thus not ROLLING death saving throws on their turn which is the only thing that being stable prevents) would then take 2 death saving throw failures if hit from within 5'.
6) Stabilizing a creature prevents it from dying to a death saving throw failure in two ways
a) The creature does not need to roll a death saving throw failure on their turn (which is all that being stable prevents)
b) Stabilizing resets the death saving throw counters to zero. This means that one hit or critical hit will NOT kill the character since they apply at most two death saving throw failures. So the statement about stabilizing is completely correct and does not imply any special capability of being stable countering the explicit rule that a character at zero hit points receives at least one death saving throw failure when hit with an attack.
I'm not sure where the idea that being stable provides some mystical protection against the rule stating what happens to a creature at zero hit points might come from. I have also never seen any indication that it is intended that being stable would prevent accumulating death saving throw failures when taking damage. The only stated mechanical benefit of being stable is that it prevents the character from having to roll death saving throws on their turn.
"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 making death saving throws again, if it takes any damage." - this says nothing about taking death saving throw failures at zero hit points - it only refers to MAKING death saving throws.
"If you take any damage while you have 0 hit points, you suffer a death saving throw failure. " - being stable or not has no effect on taking a death saving throw failure when damaged at zero hit points
"Dropping to 0 Hit Points
When you drop to 0 hit points, you either die outright or fall unconscious, as explained in the following sections."
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 has 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 making death saving throws again, if it takes any damage. A stable creature that isn’t healed regains 1 hit point after 1d4
hours.
No. The rules are very clear. When you are stable and take damage the character must start MAKING death saving throws on their turn again. This does not contradict the rule where a creature at zero hit points that takes damage suffers an automatic death saving throw failure. Being stable only affects MAKING saving throws on your turn, it has NO effect on saving throw failures applied by taking damage.
That is exactly what the rules say which I cite in my post above.
At this point I’ve lost track of who’s arguing which points, or who thinks I meant what, but this seems like some pretty good advice:
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Last attempt.
If you're stable you do not make death saving throws. We agree yes?
Where in the rules, what section of the rules, says "If you take any damage while you have 0 hit points, you suffer a death saving throw failure."
You'll note, that section of the rules is "Death Saving Throws". The thing we are specifically not doing. There is zero reason to consult that damage while at 0 rule because at the point were we are stable we do NOT reference that section of the rules.
Rules are only relevant when they're being called on. What you got here is a case of applying a snippet of a rule to the situation where it is not applicable. We are not referencing the section "Death Saving throws" until the rules tell us to. And they have, since we are stabilized, specifically told us NOT to reference them.
"A stable creature doesn’t make death saving throws"
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
Lol. :)
The entire discussion came from someone commenting that your statement was incorrect in detail ... which it was.
If you are hit and take damage at zero hit points then the character will receive one death save failure for normal damage or two death save failures for a critical hit (any hit from within 5' against an unconscious creature is a critical hit). The rule regarding taking damage at zero hit points do NOT distinguish between being stable or not stable - they only refer to taking damage. If you take damage when unconscious and stable, the character has to start MAKING death saving throws on their turn. It does not in any way prevent the character from receiving death save failures for taking damage at zero hit points. They are completely separate rules.
Being stable does NOT prevent the character from receiving death save failures from taking damage at zero hit points. So if people ignore every post after yours then they will be playing it incorrectly - so I'd actually think it is pretty bad advice in this case.
They are. Which is important.
Yes, stable does prevent receiving death saves. Death Saving throws are not something people normally take. You only take them when the rules say you do. In this case, the Stable rules tell us we do NOT make death saves while stable. So that "Death Saving Throws" section? You don't apply it. Why? Because rules are only applied when they're relevant. You can't just take snippets from random pages and apply them whenever you feel like it.
Here lemme provide the guidance for you. This is a quote from the book. Heed it. "the creature can at least be stabilized so that it isn’t killed by a failed death saving throw."
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
I was referring to the person who started the thread when I said to ignore posts after #2. You know, the person who got an account 2 days ago and has made exactly 1 post in that time, not to mention literally started their post with "I'm pretty new to DnD." I think it's a reasonable piece of advice. For those who want to get into the nitty gritty of the rules (as many people on this forum do), read all you want.
Just because a rule is in a specific section doesn't really change the rule a whole lot. The rule is that taking damage while at 0 hit points gives you a death save. It doesn't say anything about stabilization at all. Yes, being stabilized prevents you from making death saving throws at the start of your turn, but it doesn't mean you just completely remove that section from your PHB. The rule provides a criteria for when it is relevant and active that is distinct from making death saving throws, the criteria being 0 hit points. There's no reason to believe it is bypassed by stabilization.
Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
Don't be mean. Rudeness is a vicious cycle, and it has to stop somewhere. Exceptions for things that are funny.
Go to the current Competition of the Finest 'Brews! It's a cool place where cool people make cool things.
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat Off - Mod Hat Also Off (I'm not a mod)
I never realised this was such a contentious issue. I thought my post #4 was a simple correction. I had never considered the interpretation that not having to make death saving throws implies you can not suffer a death saving throw failure. I do not agree with it and while I think it best new players play the rules correctly, or at least know what the correct rule is I agree they should not need to trawl through pages of contradicting arguments.
But the trouble is that reading stable as a separate state from making death saving throws is required for any of the death saving throws rule text to make sense. If you're telling me that being at zero hit points (and not stable) is separate from making death saving throws, then what in the text (other than the obvious intent) keeps the first sentence of that rule from still applying? (Reminder, it says: "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.")
It is obvious that the intent of the rule is that there are two implied states at 0HP, unstable and stable, and the rules for them exclude each other. I feel like this is another case where the rules are trying to yell intent at players, but aren't written in a way that executes that intent, so people play it weird and unobviously.
I never got into critical hits. I wrote that if you get hit at 0 HP you fail 1 death saving throw, the 1 from before having been whipped away when you got stabilized would bring your total up to 1 failed death save not 2.
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So we can never have combat in D&D because the rules about how to initiate a combat are in the chapter titled "Combat"?
It isn't really contentious. It is only certain people arguing that it is.
That’s the exact opposite of the argument you made regarding spellcasting foci and somatic components for spells that have no material components: (https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/dungeons-dragons-discussion/rules-game-mechanics/49286-spellcasting-focus-prevents-somatic-components). People kept saying that the rules allowing one to use a focus for S components were specifically under the section labeled “Material Components,” and therefore those rules only applied to spells with M Components. You railed against that argument for PAGES, to the point you changed your avatar just to permanently argue against it. Now you use the exact same argument here. It don’t work both ways just because it’s convenient for you to flipflop.
You really know how to cherry pick your arguments.
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So you agree then. 👍
The rule says to not do death saves while stable. So we don't need to reference that Death Saving Throw rule. By your own understanding of how sections work.
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
🤦♂️
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As I understand it, "stable" means you do not "make" death saving throws. "making" a saving throw is rolling the dice against a specified DC, with or without an ability (in this case, without), as described in the rules. death saving throw success or failure is just a running total of those saving throws that resets to 0 everytime a creature gains hitpoints or becomes stable again.
Taking damage at 0 hitpoints, per the rules, does not force a creature to "make" a saving throw...it skips that step and simply modifies the failure total. a stable creature can therefore suffer death saving throw failures without having "made" a saving throw. but it also becomes unstable again, and starts the normal "making" of death saving throws on its turn.
So the following is a completely accurate way to run this. The following initiative order is Monster 1, PC A (victim), and PC B (healer)
Note that PC A never "made" a saving throw while stable, but they did suffer two failures from being critical hit at 0 hitpoints while stable, because those failures occurred without a saving throw being "made"