The help action in combat states:
You can lend your aid to another creature in the completion of a task. When you take the Help action, the creature you aid gains advantage on the next ability check it makes to perform the task you are helping with, provided that it makes the check before the start of your next turn.
Alternatively, you can aid a friendly creature in attacking a creature within 5 feet of you. You feint, distract the target, or in some other way team up to make your ally’s attack more effective. If your ally attacks the target before your next turn, the first attack roll is made with advantage.
In a round of combat:
- an NPC, Aiden, uses the help action to aid Charles to attack against an enemy orc
- an orc attacks Charles hitting him down to 0hp
- Arthur attacks the orc
- Barton attacks the orc
- Charles starts making death saves
- back to Aiden
What happens to Aiden's help action during this round? Since Aiden's ally doesn't attack the target before Aiden's next turn, is it lost? Can he switch it out to help with the death save or is it "locked in" during Aiden's turn of that round?
Would the ally actually be nominated as part of Aiden taking the action at the top of the round; is the help action for one specified ally, or for any single ally attacking before my next turn?