82
votes
Accepted
My DM insists on rolling a single save for groups affected by AoE save spells. How does this affect my odds of successfully affecting the enemy?
TL;DR
A GM shouldn't roll all-or-none saves. If reduced rolling is necessary, instead they should figure the expected number of saves, then add a d4 and subtract a d4. Below are pictured the results ...
- 101k
77
votes
Accepted
Is this houserule preventing effects from dropping creatures to below 1 HP if they make their save exploitable or broken?
This is going to be a poor idea
As other answers point out, this is going to make save-targetting spells significantly weaker, but there's also another problem you might not have thought about.
Being ...
- 36.3k
74
votes
Do creatures with Legendary Resistance know what they're making a saving throw against when they choose whether to use it?
Legendary Resistance is a DM tool, not an ability that a monster chooses to use.
I think it's best to treat Legendary Resistance as a game-mechanical way for the DM to make a climactic battle ...
- 27.1k
69
votes
My DM insists on rolling a single save for groups affected by AoE save spells. How does this affect my odds of successfully affecting the enemy?
Overall, this will make area/multi-target spells less reliable, but more potent.
Numbers
The chance of a single individual to save is not affected by this change. The number of individuals affected ...
- 61.3k
62
votes
Accepted
Can you choose to fail a saving throw?
On March 10, 2016, Jeremy Crawford tweeted, "No rule lets you opt to fail a save. As DM, I might allow it, assuming you aren't incapacitated or dominated." Mike Mearls also said that he would allow it ...
- 27.5k
62
votes
Accepted
Can a paralyzed creature targeted by an Evocation Wizard's Sculpt Spells feature actually succeed a Dex save?
While these are two contrary rules exceptions, and therefore ambiguous, from a story perspective, Sculpt Spell is intended to represent the evoker guiding their damaging spell to avoid the target, so ...
- 72.4k
61
votes
Accepted
Does Evasion allow half damage even when unconscious?
Yes. RAW, Evasion means a character only takes half damage, even when unconscious.
The relevant part of Evasion text, that you've quoted says:
When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to ...
- 24.9k
55
votes
Accepted
Can a dragon retroactively use its legendary resistance?
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving
throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
fail: verb, 3rd person present
failed: verb, 3rd person past
The dragon fails a saving throw ...
- 206k
54
votes
What is the purpose of the Evocation wizard's Potent Cantrip feature?
The Feature does not only apply to Evocation Spells
The feature you are talking about says the following:
Starting at 6th level, your damaging cantrips affect even creatures that avoid the brunt of ...
- 64k
53
votes
Accepted
What is the narrative difference between a Charisma and Wisdom saving throw?
It's unclear but...
Looking at the definitions provided for Wisdom and Charisma on the abilities page, there is not a clear definition of saving throws listed for the abilities.
Wisdom
Wisdom ...
- 2,863
52
votes
Accepted
If you roll a 1 on a saving throw against a damage spell, do you take extra damage?
No extra damage is taken
Saving throw for fireball is "pass/fail".
Compare the total to a target number. If the total equals or exceeds the target number, the ability check, attack roll, or ...
- 142k
52
votes
Accepted
Would it be unbalanced for Dex-based Fighters to choose proficiency in Dex saving throws instead of Str saving throws?
Yes, it would be unbalanced. Dex, Con, and Wis are the major saving throw types, of which each class has one. Str, Int, and Cha are minor saving throws, which don't come up as often.
Str saving throws ...
- 1,532
52
votes
Accepted
What happens when an unconscious but stabilised character is hit?
The creature takes death saving throw failures on the initial hit
Unfortunately for the character in question, your first scenario is correct.
A stable creature is unconscious with 0 hp - the fact ...
- 24.9k
50
votes
How to halve the damage on a successful saving throw?
The rule is “half damage”, not “half the damage dice” or “half the damage die size”. All the dice are rolled and then the total is halved (rounded down, per PHB page 7).
So in the case of fireball, ...
- 242k
48
votes
Accepted
Does allowing death saving throws after being stable break the game?
During the encounter
Given the unreliability and low likelihood of rolling a 20, the change has no major impact during a single encounter, and what change it introduces is positive: it gives the ...
- 53.7k
47
votes
Accepted
Does downing a character at the start of its turn require an immediate Death Saving Throw?
No, you must start your turn with 0 HP
Under the section titled Death Saving Throws the Basic Rules state:
Whenever you start your turn with 0 hit points, you must make a special saving throw, called ...
- 1,741
46
votes
My DM insists on rolling a single save for groups affected by AoE save spells. How does this affect my odds of successfully affecting the enemy?
This would be a great change if you were in a fight where you were almost certainly going to lose.
Imagine a spell that defeats 1/2 of the creatures it targets. You use it on 2000 creatures. If ...
- 14.3k
46
votes
Accepted
What happens if you get over 20 on a death save?
You get a success and nothing more
Only rolling a natural 20 or a natural 1 has any predetermined effect when making a death save throw. When one of those is rolled, you follow the rule below:
When ...
- 124k
45
votes
Accepted
Does a Paladin's Aura of Protection Affect Allies' Death Saving Throws?
A Death Save is, in fact, a save so bonuses to "all saves" apply to them as well. Just like a Monk gaining proficiency in "all saves" means they apply their proficiency bonus to ...
- 22.2k
44
votes
Is it appropriate to remove a Dexterity saving throw when a character is in an inescapable position?
When deciding whether to use a roll, ask yourself two questions:
Is a task so easy and so free of conflict and stress that there should be
no chance of failure?
Is a task so inappropriate or ...
- 61.3k
44
votes
Which Saves oppose which Conditions?
No, because it depends on the effect that is causing the condition. You cannot save against a condition, you save against an effect (a spell, item, monster, maneaver, etc)
The same condition might be ...
- 79.9k
44
votes
If you succeed on all of your death saving throws, what happens?
If you succeed on a Death Saving Throws 3 times, you don't recover any hitpoints. Instead, you become stable:
A stable creature doesn’t make death saving throws, even though it has 0 hit points, ...
- 79.9k
43
votes
What ways are there to bypass spell resistance?
It is difficult to counteract homebrew rules/items
"Spell resistance" is only ever specified under the 7th level class feature of Oath of Ancients paladin granting resistance to all spell ...
- 124k
43
votes
What is the narrative difference between a Charisma and Wisdom saving throw?
They are not "both willpower". They're as different from one another as they are from a DEX or STR save.
I know that's blunt, but it's an important lead-in to any answer to this question. ...
- 21.6k
42
votes
Accepted
Can a Legendary monster ignore a Divination wizard's Portent feature and choose to pass the save anyway?
Excellent question. Yes the legendary creature can still force a success.
How this works is portent needs to make the Legendary creature use the roll from itself before the roll is actually made, ...
- 815
41
votes
Can a Legendary monster ignore a Divination wizard's Portent feature and choose to pass the save anyway?
Yes. The Legendary Resistance ability is phrased as "If the [creature] fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead." This doesn't specify anything about whether the saving throw was from ...
- 1,697
39
votes
Accepted
When rolling a 20 for a Death Saving Throw, can you move and take Actions that turn?
The entry for Death Saving Throw says:
Whenever you start your turn with 0 hit points....
So this just means that you make the throw at the beginning of your turn. However, nowhere in the ...
- 93.5k
38
votes
Do PCs roll saves for pre-existing effects while Unconscious?
Yes, unconscious creatures still roll saving throws.
"Automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws" implies that other saving throws do not automatically fail. The phrasing would be ...
- 12.8k
38
votes
Accepted
Can you get more than three saving throw proficiencies?
General
All classes get two save proficiencies to start with, and can take the feat Resilient for a third. You can only take any given feat once, unless it explicitly allows taking it more than once (...
- 48.1k
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