Level
4th
Casting Time
1 Action
Range/Area
Touch
Components
V, S
Duration
8 Hours
School
Abjuration
Attack/Save
None
Damage/Effect
Buff (...)
You touch a creature and grant it a measure of protection from death.
The first time the target would drop to 0 hit points as a result of taking damage, the target instead drops to 1 hit point, and the spell ends.
If the spell is still in effect when the target is subjected to an effect that would kill it instantaneously without dealing damage, that effect is instead negated against the target, and the spell ends.
Ha! Love this!
did you read lol
”If the spell is still in effect when the target is subjected to an effect that would kill it instantaneously without dealing damage, that effect is instead negated against the target, and the spell ends.”
Banshee scream doesn’t deal damage but technically kills instantaneously/drops the target to 0 hit points, so the effect would be negated against the death ward.
You say "Kills instantaneously/drops the target to 0 hit points" but those are two very different things... A player character is NOT dead at 0 hit points; they are unconscious. There are plenty of abilities or effects that actually kill player characters instantaneously, banshee's wail is not one of them.
I am super all-for DM-ruling this as covered by death ward; I definitely think it is intended to cover it... But rules as written, death ward does not prevent a banshee's wail.
Does Death Ward stack with things like Relentless Endurance?
If i cast Death ward on someone who is petrified, if they then die through the destruction of their stone form what happens? Do they turn back into a stone statue?
A petrified creature still counts as a creature, so damage to them while petrified would work the same as with a normal creature. Since the petrification is a condition it would not be affected by the spell.
How does this effect a Zodar when it casts Wish?
It has no effect on a Zodar casting Wish. It only affects creatures who "drop to 0 hit points as a result of taking damage". A Zodar casting Wish doesn't take damage and doesn't drop to 0 hit points, it's just instantly destroyed.