New Death Mechanics

Adventurers are just plain tougher than normal people and do not go unconscious when they reach 0 hit points, but instead can remain conscious until they reach negative their maximum hit points, so if a player has 20HP, they can remain conscious until they reach -20HP or fail 3 Death Saves, whichever comes first.

When you drop to 0 hit points, instead of falling unconscious, you gain the Dying Condition. While effected by the Dying Condition you can still take your normal actions on your turn, move, action, and bonus action, but you can’t take reactions.

Dying Condition: While affected by the Dying Condition your base speed is halved. Also, attacks, skill checks, ability checks, and saving throws (except death saves) are all made with disadvantage, and any damage you deal is halved.

Creatures have advantage on attacks against you, as well as advantage on saving throws against your spells and abilities.

Additionally, while affected by the Dying Condition you can choose to use your action to spend a hit die and heal yourself.

 

You now make Death Saves at the end of your turn, they still work like originally written (3 success before 3 failures and 1’s and 20’s counting as two) and as long as you haven’t accumulated 3 failures you remain conscious.

Taking damage while affected by the Dying Condition doesn’t count as automatic failed Death Saves.

When you accumulate 3 success you stabilize, meaning you no longer having to make Death Saves.

When you accumulate 3 failures you fall unconscious and have until the end of your next turn to be healed or stabilized, if not you die.

If you are stabilized, either by a Healer’s Kit, Spare the Dying, making 3 successful Death Saves, or by some other means, but still have negative hit points you retain the Dying Condition and any damage you take starts the cycle of Deaths Saves again.

If you are healed above 0 hit points you are automatically stabilized and lose the Dying Condition.

If you are reduced to negative your hit point maximum, you die instantly.