So I'm not very familiar with the adventure involving Orcus, but after looking at some stuff trying to find the answer I'm looking for, I figured I should leave a warning for spoilers.
Anyways, here the point of this thread post: my character, level 4, has somehow acquired the Wand of Orcus. Before that moment, I had read its description, so I already knew what it did and what happens when you attune to it. Questions is in the spoilers.
SPOILERS HERE:
Attuning to the Wand of Orcus makes you roll a CON saving throw (DC 17). On failure, you instantly die and rise as a zombie. On success, you are dealt 10d6 necrotic damage. My questions are: what happens if my character becomes unconscious due to taking too much damage from a successful saving throw? Would I die technically? Would I fall unconscious and roll death saves? If I stabilize, am I attuned to it or did I fail to endure it and have to try again?
Also, not my question, but I've been trying to find out how my character would know this so that I might prepare for the circumstances by casting certain spells. However, I did recently resolve that issue with my DM.
Things can be difficult when you personally know details about adventures or items that your character doesn't. I won't judge or admonish whatever your play style happens to be from meta-gamer to full role-player but I guess you have to decide that for yourself.
If you pick role-player then you need to think critically about your character's attitudes, knowledge, styles and tendencies. What would they be naturally inclined to do if they acquired a potentially powerful wand? Are they naturally cautious, do they have past experiences which would lead them to be cautious in this circumstance and what cautions would they normally take together with other factors.
If you succeed on the DC 17 save but die from the 10d6 necrotic damage, you won't revive as a zombie as a result of the wand. However it states that the saving throw is made as a result of attuning to it, so technically, even if you're knocked out by the 10d6 damage, you will have successfully attuned to it.
EDIT: Forgot to mention what would happen if you died. As per DMG P138: "A creature’s attunement to an item ends if the creature no longer satisfies the prerequisites for attunement, if the item has been more than 100 feet away for at least 24 hours, if the creature dies, or if another creature attunes to the item."
I am on the fence between meta and role-play. I prefer role-play, but sometimes I get too excited and accidentally become a meta-player. My character, through a series of events, became an adventurer that researches and looks for magic items. Along the way, my character probably learned about how dangerous some artifacts can be, so they would most likely be wary about dangerous or unknown artifacts. My DM gave me a +1 to arcane and history checks for the background, and I rolled a history check to see if I knew about the dangers of the Wand of Orcus. Getting a 22, they said I knew about it (this happened out of session). So technically, I'm no longer meta-gaming it, but still.
Also, it may be called Wand of Orcus, but it's technically described as a mace, which I find so funny.
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So I'm not very familiar with the adventure involving Orcus, but after looking at some stuff trying to find the answer I'm looking for, I figured I should leave a warning for spoilers.
Anyways, here the point of this thread post: my character, level 4, has somehow acquired the Wand of Orcus. Before that moment, I had read its description, so I already knew what it did and what happens when you attune to it. Questions is in the spoilers.
SPOILERS HERE:
Attuning to the Wand of Orcus makes you roll a CON saving throw (DC 17). On failure, you instantly die and rise as a zombie. On success, you are dealt 10d6 necrotic damage. My questions are: what happens if my character becomes unconscious due to taking too much damage from a successful saving throw? Would I die technically? Would I fall unconscious and roll death saves? If I stabilize, am I attuned to it or did I fail to endure it and have to try again?
Also, not my question, but I've been trying to find out how my character would know this so that I might prepare for the circumstances by casting certain spells. However, I did recently resolve that issue with my DM.
Things can be difficult when you personally know details about adventures or items that your character doesn't. I won't judge or admonish whatever your play style happens to be from meta-gamer to full role-player but I guess you have to decide that for yourself.
If you pick role-player then you need to think critically about your character's attitudes, knowledge, styles and tendencies. What would they be naturally inclined to do if they acquired a potentially powerful wand? Are they naturally cautious, do they have past experiences which would lead them to be cautious in this circumstance and what cautions would they normally take together with other factors.
If you succeed on the DC 17 save but die from the 10d6 necrotic damage, you won't revive as a zombie as a result of the wand. However it states that the saving throw is made as a result of attuning to it, so technically, even if you're knocked out by the 10d6 damage, you will have successfully attuned to it.
EDIT: Forgot to mention what would happen if you died. As per DMG P138: "A creature’s attunement to an item ends if the creature no longer satisfies the prerequisites for attunement, if the item has been more than 100 feet away for at least 24 hours, if the creature dies, or if another creature attunes to the item."
Gotcha, thank you so much for your feedback!
I am on the fence between meta and role-play. I prefer role-play, but sometimes I get too excited and accidentally become a meta-player. My character, through a series of events, became an adventurer that researches and looks for magic items. Along the way, my character probably learned about how dangerous some artifacts can be, so they would most likely be wary about dangerous or unknown artifacts. My DM gave me a +1 to arcane and history checks for the background, and I rolled a history check to see if I knew about the dangers of the Wand of Orcus. Getting a 22, they said I knew about it (this happened out of session). So technically, I'm no longer meta-gaming it, but still.
Also, it may be called Wand of Orcus, but it's technically described as a mace, which I find so funny.