What abilities/ spells allow a character to remain concious and active below 0 HP?

[Melcar]

So, as on the tin... which abilities from any official 3.5 sourse allows the character to continue acting below 0 HP?

Thanks!

[Doctor Despair]

Diehard obviously counts.

A 3.0 feat Remain Conscious does a similar thing.

Frenzied Berserker has an ability that is meant to work this way, but as I recall there's a RAW issue with the way it is written. I think it was that a Frenzied Berserker with even one point of nonlethal damage immediately falls unconscious.

Edit: Actually, most of these fail to appropriately work with nonlethal damage.

[Kalkra]

Beastland Ferocity, and also Hide Life if you squint.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Shifter Ferocity is great, except for the common problem that it's still basically just 10 extra HP. No restrictions on what/how many actions you can take, you don't lose HP; basically, you're fully functional until -10 at which point you instantly die. Also, doesn't have a clause for nonlethal damage, so any will knock you out once you're below 0 HP.

[newguydude1]

and also Hide Life if you squint.

what do you mean squint? the spell directly and clearly says you are staggered if your disabled dying or dead.

[Feldar]

Knight 20 has an ability called "Loyal beyond death". PHB2

[Gruftzwerg]

Frenzied Berserker has an ability that is meant to work this way, but as I recall there's a RAW issue with the way it is written. I think it was that a Frenzied Berserker with even one point of nonlethal damage immediately falls unconscious.

Edit: Actually, most of these fail to appropriately work with nonlethal damage.

Really? I thought that you can't become unconscious within a Death Frenzy:

At 4th level and higher, a frenzied berserker can scorn death and unconsciousness while in a frenzy.
And the only thing remains from non-lethal dmg is, that you can be staggered if your "current HP equals your non-lethal dmg". As soon you pass the point, you would normally fall unconscious, but Death Frenzy can ignore that.

Did I missed something here? I'm curious.

[Crake]

Diehard obviously counts.

A 3.0 feat Remain Conscious does a similar thing.

Frenzied Berserker has an ability that is meant to work this way, but as I recall there's a RAW issue with the way it is written. I think it was that a Frenzied Berserker with even one point of nonlethal damage immediately falls unconscious.

Edit: Actually, most of these fail to appropriately work with nonlethal damage.

The fix I use for these is that instead of falling unconscious when your nonlethal hp exceeds your current hp, you instead fall unconscious when your nonlethal damage exceeds your current hp + the negative value at which you die (for 3.5 it's 10, for pathfinder it's your con score, I know different people also houserule as other numbers), but while your nonlethal damage equals or exceeds your current hp, you are staggered, which I think best mimics the normal hit point analogue of abilities like diehard.

[Doctor Despair]

Really? I thought that you can't become unconscious within a Death Frenzy:

And the only thing remains from non-lethal dmg is, that you can be staggered if your "current HP equals your non-lethal dmg". As soon you pass the point, you would normally fall unconscious, but Death Frenzy can ignore that.

Did I missed something here? I'm curious.

The effect does say that they scorn unconsciousness, but scorn, even by common English definition, doesn't mean "becomes immune to." It then proceeds to describe the mechanical effects As long as her frenzy continues, she:


is not treated as disabled at 0 hit points,
nor is she treated as dying at —1 to —9 hit points.
Even if reduced to —10 hit points or less, she continues to fight normally until her frenzy ends.


So at 0, you aren't disabled. Nonlethal damage isn't an issue.

At -1 through -9, you aren't dying. However, you can be rendered unconscious, as that is a separate condition from "dying."

At -10 or less, you "fight normally." That's a weird phrase. It probably at least implies you don't die, but are you still considered not "dying?" Not "unconscious?" The ability doesn't confer in specific language that you're immune to either of those anymore. Technically, dying only applies up to -9, so let's be generous and say you're immune to the "dead" condition. Normally, fighting with nonlethal damage greater than your hitpoints means you'd be unconscious. That's why this is dysfunctional. If you deal one hitpoint of nonlethal damage, the ability is nonfunctional.

[PhantasyPen]

Abilties that allow you to remain conscious and fight at negative HP, from what I remember off the top of my head

Feats

Diehard
Boar's Ferocity
Shifter's Ferocity


Class Features

Knight: Loyal Beyond Death
Frenzied Berserker: Deathless Frenzy
Totemist: Rageclaws soulmeld


Spells

Delay Death

[Glimbur]

You can get Diehard without the pre-req via Shape Soulmeld: Rage Claws from Magic of Incarnum. Just watch out for getting them suppressed at the wrong moment.