u/HackMacAttack

Hi all! I'm a novice DM and this is my first attempt at creating a homebrew modification to the base 5e (2014) system.

As a player, I really dislike the way death saves work RAW. They are anticlimactic, they remove player agency, and they can be very punishing short-term (most melee attacks autocrit unconscious players, so one hit and one death save fail can easily mean death in one turn). But it's also not punishing at all long-term. There's no lasting consequences of death saves at all.

This is why I used the 5e exhaustion system as the baseline for a new system of death. This would aim to make death less likely in the short-term but also make repeated near-death more punishing. 'Downed' is easier to remove and survive, but exhaustion can spiral if players yo-yo too much.

There's a couple other things that I threw in. For example, a 'last hurrah' before guaranteed death and a 'second wind' when downed. Also, to balance this a bit for frontliners, exhaustion removal is more generous for characters with higher constitutions.

Let me know if you have any suggestions! Here's the homebrew:

Replacing the Death Save System

If damage reduces you to 0 HP and fails to kill you, rather than falling unconscious:

• The player gains 1 level of exhaustion.
• The player becomes downed.

Downed Condition

• The creature suffers from the effects of incapacitated and prone and cannot stand up.
• The creature automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws.
• If a creature takes any damage while downed, they suffer 1 point of exhaustion (or 2 if the damage is caused by a critical hit).
• A creature within 5 feet may use its action to attempt a DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check to restore the downed creature to 1 HP.
• The downed condition ends if the creature's HP is raised to 1 or more HP.
• If a downed player would become dead, the downed condition ends and their exhaustion level is set to 0. This does not prevent death. The player can immediately move and take one final action or bonus action, and then dies.

While Downed (Start of Each Turn)

At the start of each turn while downed, a player must either:

• Hang On:
  • Roll a flat d20.
    • On a 20: regain 1 HP.
    • On 10–19: no effect.
    • On 2–9: gain 1 exhaustion.
    • On a 1: gain 2 exhaustion.
• Harness Indomitable Spirit
  • Gain 2 exhaustion.
  • Expend one Hit Die. You regain HP equal to the roll + your Constitution modifier. The Hit Die is expended as if used during a short rest.
  • You cannot choose this option if you have no Hit Dice remaining or have four or more levels of exhaustion.

Rest & Exhaustion Recovery

• Upon completing a long rest, characters remove exhaustion equal to their Constitution modifier (minimum 1), instead of removing only 1 level of exhaustion.

Additional Notes:

• This system renders 'Spare the Dying' defunct.
• This system is built for D&D 5e (2014).