PC Last Words

[FrancisBean]

So has anybody found a good way to deal with the drama of a player character's last words in 5e? What with pop-up and yo-yo healing and the whole "up at 1hp, down at 0" mechanics, it's really hard to provide space for that aspect of story telling. It's such a trope of heroic sagas that it seems like there should be a way to manage it more often.

[Skrum]

In my group we usually do last words when a character dies (not just dropping to zero, cause yeah, they usually get back up again seconds later). If a character actually dies, we'll play it as them being mortally wounded and beyond the point of even magical healing being able to save them. We'll have a little scene, and then the character dies-dies.

Unless someone has Revivify, in which we'll switch it up to say the character is actually dead, and the caster just walks over and gets them back up again.

Point is, don't be beholden to the mechanics to that degree. Have the RP scene you want, and narrate/handwave as needed.

[kazaryu]

So has anybody found a good way to deal with the drama of a player character's last words in 5e? What with pop-up and yo-yo healing and the whole "up at 1hp, down at 0" mechanics, it's really hard to provide space for that aspect of story telling. It's such a trope of heroic sagas that it seems like there should be a way to manage it more often.

yeah i only ever treat 0hp as 'unconscious' for the purposes of mechanics. if they *die* then its a situation of 'oh yeah they may as well be unconcious. they can hardly move, their breathing is weak,...' that type of thing. or at least, thats my plan. haven't needed to yet.

[Unoriginal]

So has anybody found a good way to deal with the drama of a player character's last words in 5e? What with pop-up and yo-yo healing and the whole "up at 1hp, down at 0" mechanics, it's really hard to provide space for that aspect of story telling. It's such a trope of heroic sagas that it seems like there should be a way to manage it more often.

Can just give them their last words to say when they fail their third death save.

"Seconds away from dying, but wakes up just long enough for some last words" is a trope even in heroic sagas.

[Samayu]

One could rule that a character at 0 HP is not necessarily unconscious, but can't take any actions, move or do anything that makes a difference to what is happening. They can croak out a few last words, maybe notice something (speak with dead, anyone?), things like that.

[Kane0]

So has anybody found a good way to deal with the drama of a player character's last words in 5e? What with pop-up and yo-yo healing and the whole "up at 1hp, down at 0" mechanics, it's really hard to provide space for that aspect of story telling. It's such a trope of heroic sagas that it seems like there should be a way to manage it more often.

Refuse the healing :P