Questions tagged [unconscious]
For questions about being unconscious. Unconscious characters are unable to move or act, often at the mercy of another entity.
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What do I do while throwing death saving throws? [closed]
A big problem I've seen with the D&D 5E system,is that throwing death throws are not fun, not engaging, and very boring.
I am playing the cleric in a party with no other healers. I get knocked ...
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3answers
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Are there consequences to being reduced to 0 HP multiple times in combat?
I was running a game a few weeks ago. In short, during combat the thief and the warlock were both knocked unconscious. Each were brought back by the cleric with healing word and cure wounds. New ...
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2answers
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Can an Unconscious PC hear you?
Some spells and abilities specify that the target must be able to hear you. Is an unconscious PC (0 HP) considered a valid target?
Unconscious
...
An unconscious creature is incapacitated (see ...
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vote
1answer
66 views
Does an savethrow-type attack cause critical damage for an unconscious creature? [duplicate]
The unconscious state description says
Any attack that hits the creature is a critical hit if the attacker is within 5 feet of the creature.
Situation
Target ...
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2answers
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Can a Creature at 0 HP Take Damage?
Inspired by this question (and a comment underneath it), I thought we should have a solid answer on the site for this question:
Can a character at 0 HP take damage?
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1answer
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Does paralysis last through unconsciousness?
My cleric was paralyzed by a yeti, then one shot critted to unconsciousness. If my comrade heals me, am I still under paralysis and required to make a Con saving throw? Or does the paralysis shake off ...
9
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1answer
162 views
Can you delay action while unconscious?
Suppose my character in PF1 is unconscious and dying, and the party cleric's turn is not until after mine in the initiative round. I would like to avoid wasting a turn by delaying until after the ...
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2answers
290 views
How does the Sending spell interact with sleeping targets?
A wizard casts Sending on a target creature who happens to be sleeping at the time.
You send a short message of twenty-five words or less to a creature with which you are familiar. The creature ...
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0answers
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Can an unconscious creature hold their breath? [duplicate]
Does an unconscious creature or PC automatically hold their breath as pertaining to suffocation?
As pertaining to this question:
Is the act of suffocating itself considered to be taking damage?
A ...
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2answers
804 views
Can a bard grant bardic inspiration to an unconscious creature?
The recipient of bardic inspiration must be able to hear the bard.
...choose one creature other than yourself within 60 feet of you who
can hear you.
An unconscious creature is "unaware of its ...
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1answer
309 views
Can you end your turn in the same space as an unconscious or dead creature?
The rules state:
Whether a creature is a friend or an enemy, you can’t willingly end your move in its space.
What happens if that creature has either been knocked unconscious or has been killed? ...
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1answer
475 views
Is there a way to knock someone unconscious with a spell or ranged attack? [duplicate]
RAW:
When an attacker reduces a creature to 0 hit points with a melee attack, the attacker can knock the creature out. The attacker can make this choice the instant the damage is dealt. The ...
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1answer
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Can unconscious characters be unwilling?
Some spells like enlarge/reduce and polymorph specify that only an unwilling creature makes a saving throw:
If the target is unwilling, it can make a Constitution saving throw.
and
An ...
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0answers
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Does your character possess a magic aura as a wizard while you are incapacitated? [duplicate]
My character was incapacitated (0 HP, passed my death saving throws). My party went on head to the next room without me after failing to revive me. Little did they know the next room was the boss room ...
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0answers
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Casting “Seeming” on unconscious creatures [closed]
So, in a campaign I just joined, my character is secretly going to be trying to kidnap one of the other PC's much later in the game, to use as a sacrifice for a pact of demons. She's role-playing to ...
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1answer
886 views
How does the Healing Spirit spell work when healing unconscious characters?
When a character is knocked unconscious (and about to begin making death saving throws) in a square covered by healing spirit, how does their next turn work?
Healing spirit will spare them from ...
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3answers
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How to handle initiative for a sleeping creature?
Imagine a rogue PC sneaks into a room where a goblin -- who ought to be standing watch -- is instead taking a nap. The PC's stealth roll is enormously high (as befits a rogue), such that the goblin ...
24
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1answer
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If I am hit after I am reduced to 0 HP during this duel in the Hoard of the Dragon Queen adventure, do I take 1 or 2 death save failures?
We're playing Hoard of the Dragon Queen. During the brutal first episode, there is a duel that can take place (p. 12; spoilers in the link).
When the player loses the duel, the other participant...
...
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1answer
232 views
Does the Catnap spell affect people that are already unconscious?
Does the Catnap spell affect people that are already unconscious?
An example:
The trusty fighter fights and takes damage, and is reduced to 0 hitpoints. The wizard kills the bad guy(s), and ...
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3answers
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Does a petrified creature stay conscious (and mentally sane)?
The next dungeon my party visits will contain some strange statues. Most of them are just Stone Golems, which will attack them. But near the end of the dungeon, the party will discover that one of the ...
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3answers
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How to resolve Burning Hands with a Dying Ally
Playing the D&D 5e starter set, the rogue had been knocked prone by the wolves in the Goblin Cave and had two wolves within melee range over her 0hp body.
I ruled that, as she was prone, the ...
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3answers
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Is the Spirit Troll unable to be knocked out unless it doesn't regenerate?
So I've seen some rules referencing that whenever a creature drops to 0 HP it is either knocked unconscious (and starts making death saving throws, unless it's already stable) or it dies outright.
...
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What balance issues would arise from a house rule imposing a saving throw versus exhaustion after a PC falls unconscious?
In my last campaign, some combat encounters got pretty ridiculous, mainly due to some player characters falling unconscious and getting back up every turn. I remember one combat encounter in ...
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3answers
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What happens when a PC drops to 0 HP outside of combat?
All similar questions I've found are concerned with what happens if combat ends while there is an unconscious PC, but I can't find any rules regarding what happens if someone drops to 0 HP while the ...
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1answer
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Is there anything I should be wary of introducing this rule for unconsciousness into my games?
3.5 is pretty lethal, and I always felt it was a little weird that a sorcerer was unconscious for the same amount of time before dying as a barbarian. So I've been tinkering with the following house ...
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If you fail a Pseudodragon's save by 5 or more, are you also Poisoned?
The Pseudodragon's Sting attack says:
the target must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 hour.
It's worth noting that no additional save is permitted.
...
3
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2answers
663 views
What kind of check/action is looting from unconscious creatures?
My ally and I are in combat, he is unconscious and (per an agreement made before passing out) wants me to pick up his most valuable things (a pearl, some gold, ink, his spellbook and a spell scroll). ...
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4answers
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Can an AoE spell crit an unconscious creature?
To give an example, if a PC was knocked unconscious and someone was to throw a fireball at them, they would automatically fail the Dex Saving throw and take full damage.
If the spell caster was ...
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1answer
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How to determine when opponents attack unconscious player characters?
As a GM, how can I tell what monsters will keep attacking unconscious PCs?
I am especially wondering what happens if a party all become unconscious during combat (that is, their HP all got reduced to ...
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1answer
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Administering a Goodberry
Potion of Healing (DMG, page 187):
You regain hit points when you drink this potion.
Potions (DMG, page 139): Drinking or administering a potion to another character requires an action.
As ...
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6answers
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Does Evasion allow half damage even when unconscious?
Evasion is a class feature gained by Rogues and Monks at level 7:
At 7th level, your instinctive agility lets you dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a blue dragon’s lightning ...
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2answers
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What happens to a unconscious character with a held touch spell and someone touches them?
My spellcaster was brought down while they had a held touch spell. This means that they are now laying on the ground, out cold, with a held touch spell that should still be active. If the touch spell ...
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1answer
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Can you heal yourself while you are at 0 HP?
I just found this question and I find it very interesting, but it's about D&D 3e. I want to know if this still applies in D&D 5e. I'll quote the question:
If my understanding of the rules ...
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3answers
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When rolling a 20 for a Death Saving Throw, can you move and take Actions that turn?
My intrepid adventuring character has been attacked, and the damage reduced him to 0 hit points and falls unconscious. On his next turn, he rolls a Death Saving Throw, and gets everybody's favorite ...
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2answers
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Can you gain Temporary Hit Points when unconscious?
If you are at 0HP with max HP of 0, is there any Temporary Hit Point generation mechanic that works? If it does, will you become conscious?
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1answer
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Can you knock a Banshee unconscious?
In our campaign I am attempting to garner information about a spellbook from a Banshee. I've had some suggestions from NPCs to beguile it, but trying to cover all my bases, I wondered if I could knock ...
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2answers
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Is acid splash automatically a critical hit against an unconscious creature?
For Critical hits, the PHB states
When you score a critical hit, you get to roll extra dice for the attack's damage...
for acid splash
... A target must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw...
...
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1answer
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Condition Immunity to Unconscious
There is a very similar question here, but it is asked and answered using 4e rules.
In 5e, Elementals all have the Condition Immunity to the Unconscious condition. We have been playing it that it ...
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Does an unconscious creature still use its dexterity to avoid attacks?
Related - How does one dispatch a helpless opponent?
Here's the unconscious condition description:
Unconscious
An unconscious creature is Incapacitated, can't move or speak, and is unaware of ...
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1answer
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How many actions in combat does PC have while opponents under sleep spell?
Scenario: one PC vs a group of opponents
PC wins initiative and goes first. He casts sleep and all opponents go to sleep (assuming all conditions of sleep spell are met). Sleep says it lasts one ...
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2answers
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Do PCs roll saves for pre-existing effects while Unconscious?
Inspired by this question about Frightened.
According to Appendix A: Conditions (SRD p. 192),
A condition lasts either until it is countered (the prone condition is countered by standing up, for ...
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1answer
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Does frightened condition end when you hit 0 HP?
I was running a game where a Sea Hag frightened a couple of my PCs. In a subsequent round, the Hag used her Death Glare, and a PC dropped to 0 HP. Almost immediately, our cleric cast Spare the Dying ...
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1answer
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Can you polymorph an unconscious creature that is at 0 HP to wake it up?
The polymorph spell mentions that the creature assumes the new form's hp. As long as that hp doesn't hit 0 hp, the creature doesn't revert. But it doesn't state that you can't polymorph a creature at ...
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5answers
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How does drowning work when you're already at 0 hp and fall into water?
I had a player fighting against sahuagin by the shore the other day and he was dropped to 0 and dying. Because of his location, though, he landed in shallow water (2-3' deep) which I ruled was enough ...
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2answers
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What can leave PCs in a perpetual unageing unconscious state?
As a GM I'm planning on a surprise for my players where their PCs are 'defeated' in their encounter with the Big Bad in a way that means they end up in 'stasis' for many years to when the Big Bad has ...
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Does Death Strike apply to unconscious creatures?
A 17th level Assassin Rogue has an ability called Death Strike (PHB, pg. 97) which applies when you attack and hit a surprised creature.
An unconscious creature (PHB pg. 292, emphasis mine):
is ...
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4answers
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Do magic objects carried by a character keep working when unconscious?
We have lost a character in a battle in a strange way. He was wearing the:
Slippers of Spider Climbing
Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement)
While you wear these light shoes, you ...
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3answers
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Can a Wild Magic Sorcerer use Tides of Chaos while unconscious at 0 Hit Points?
In the course of an answer to this question about ways to gain advantage on death saving throws, the following was proposed to gain advantage on a death saving throw:
Alternatively, you could be ...
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7answers
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Can an unconscious person drink a potion?
PHB 153 reads:
Potion of Healing. A character who drinks the magical red fluid in
this vial regains 2d4 + 2 hit points. Drinking or administering a
potion takes an action.
By my interpretation,...
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4answers
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Can unconscious characters be willing?
This situation came up last week during our session. The party was facing a pretty difficult mob of enemies and one of the party members was knocked unconscious. Seeing the situation worsening, one of ...
