Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 REECY Jan 19, 2015 12:18:05	I was running a combat for my group and they can get pretty lawyerly about things.    they were saving a total of 20 on the death roll wakes you up.   Now I read the rule for rolling a 1 or a 20 and I was quite sure that it meant natural 20.   So they roll the bless die get a 3 and roll an 18 on the d 20 they were getting back up with 1 HP.      Am right in saying this is incorrect?
#2 AaronOfBarbaria Jan 19, 2015 12:53:05	Player's Handbook, page 197: "Rolling 1 or 20. When you make a death saving throw and roll a 1 on the d20, it counts as two failures. If you roll a 20 on the d20, you regain 1 hit point."   That is very specific as to being the number roll on the d20, rather than being the number rolled total.
#3 iserith Jan 19, 2015 12:59:34	The relevant rules are:   Death Saving Throws, Basic Rules, page 76 Bless, Basic Rules, page 85   My ruling is:   Yes, you can add the 1d4 as a bonus to your death saving throw. A death saving throw is a saving throw and bless modifies attack rolls and saving throws. In addition, the entry for death saving throw says, "You are in the hands of fate now, aided only by spells and features that improve your chances of succeeding on a saving throw." Bless is a spell that improves your chances of succeeding on a saving throw. A result of 1 on the die, however, still counts as two failures.   But you or your DM may make a different ruling based on this or other criteria.
#4 mellored Jan 19, 2015 13:58:48	I don't see why it wouldn't add to it, but it does not add to the 20/1 special roll.
#5 REECY Jan 20, 2015 2:28:34	Well the group I ran decided to go half cocked into a room and attack some dangerous people, one of the players is also a DM and pretty rules heavy. As I read it it was only on the 1 or 20. But I was just going with his ruling for the time being and they just kept getting back up and making one attack after another. I frustrated because it seemed like a major loop hole in the mechanics of the game.
#6 BoldItalic Jan 20, 2015 3:05:52	You are right and they are wrong. At the beginning of the next session, explain that you've checked, and the rule only applies to natural 20s and that you are going to enforce that going forward.
#7 mellored Jan 20, 2015 6:23:44	You often have to make on the spot ruling to keep the game going.  You don't want to stop a game to have a rules debate.   But yea, it's a natrual 20.  So make note of it next time.   *In 4e, it was a modified 20, so that maybe why he's confused.
#8 BRJN Jan 21, 2015 16:57:44	Three successful Death saves before three failures gets you out of immediate danger (but not up and fighting again).  Bless will certainly help you with that; the liklihood of rolling 1d20 + 1d4 < 10 (a failed Death save) is poor compared to 1d20 + 1d4 >= 10 (a successful save).   afb so the numbers might be off by 1 or so.
#9 Noon Jan 23, 2015 14:51:52	I guess bless does apply to death saves, as they are a save.
#10 El_Condoro Jan 23, 2015 14:57:12	Death Saving Throws specifically says "aided only by spells and features that improve your chances of succeeding on a saving throw" so Bless would definitely apply to the roll. I thought the OP's question was whether a 17 + 3 was the same as a natural 20 for the effect of regaining 1 hit point. I would rule not because it specifies the 20 is "on the d20".