The rules
When a character drops to 0 hit points and isn't killed outright, they roll a death saving throw at the start of each of their turns: a plain d20, no ability modifier.
- 10 or higher is a success. 9 or lower is a failure.
- Three successes and the character is stable: still unconscious, but no longer dying.
- Three failures and the character dies.
- A natural 20 brings them straight back with 1 hit point.
- A natural 1 counts as two failures.
- Taking damage while at 0 hit points counts as a failure, and a critical hit counts as two. Damage that drops them to 0 with enough left over to equal their hit point maximum kills them outright, no saves.
The successes and failures don't need to come in a row. Both counts reset to zero when the character regains any hit points or becomes stable. A stable character who isn't healed regains 1 hit point after 1d4 hours.
The odds
Each roll: 50% success (10 to 19), 5% natural 20, 40% failure (2 to 9), 5% natural 1. Left alone, with nobody healing them and nothing hitting them, a dying character:
| Outcome | Chance |
|---|---|
| Rolls a natural 20 and gets back up | 18.1% |
| Stabilizes with three successes | 41.4% |
| Dies | 40.5% |
So about three times in five they live, and about two in five they don't. It takes 3.6 rolls on average to settle, and nobody dies on their first roll: a natural 1 then any failure ends it on the second.
Your chance of living from here
Find your current tally. These count both ways of living: a natural 20 and three successes.
| Successes | Failures | Lives |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 59.5% |
| 0 | 1 | 41.8% |
| 0 | 2 | 21.3% |
| 1 | 0 | 73.5% |
| 1 | 1 | 56.5% |
| 1 | 2 | 32.5% |
| 2 | 0 | 88.6% |
| 2 | 1 | 77.0% |
| 2 | 2 | 55.0% |
At two failures each roll is close to a coin toss: any roll under 10 ends it. That is the moment to spend a healing word, a potion or an action on a Medicine check.
How to keep them alive
- Any healing brings them back up, conscious, with that many hit points. A potion of healing, 2d4 + 2, does it.
- Spare the Dying stabilizes a creature at 0 hit points with no roll, by touch (15 feet in the 2024 rules), as a cantrip.
- A DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check stabilizes them. A healer's kit does it with no check.
- Bless adds a d4 to saving throws, and a death saving throw is a saving throw. With Bless on for every roll, the chance of living rises from 59.5% to 76.9%. Natural 1s and 20s still read off the d20 alone.
Questions
How do death saving throws work in 5e?
At the start of each turn at 0 hit points, roll a d20. 10 or higher is a success, 9 or lower a failure. Three successes and you stabilize, three failures and you die. A natural 20 gets you up with 1 hit point; a natural 1 counts as two failures.
What are the odds of surviving death saves?
With no help, 59.5%: 18.1% from a natural 20 and 41.4% from three successes. The other 40.5% of the time the character dies. The table above gives the odds from every tally.
Do you add a modifier to death saving throws?
No ability modifier and no proficiency. Effects that add to all saving throws still apply, such as Bless or a paladin's Aura of Protection, because a death saving throw is a saving throw.
Is a 10 a success on a death save?
Yes. 10 or higher succeeds, so 10 through 19 are successes and 20 is better still. That makes each roll 55% good for you, counting the natural 20.
What happens if you take damage at 0 hit points?
Each hit counts as one failed death save, and a critical hit counts as two. Any attack from within 5 feet that hits an unconscious creature is a critical hit, so a monster standing over you can end it in two blows.
Do death save successes and failures reset?
Yes. Both counts go back to zero when the character regains any hit points or becomes stable. They don't have to come in a row while dying.