TOPIC: Returning from Push Death

henwy wrote: I was always told push death is permanent...

I can see a certain logic to it. You're running from the werewolves and have no time to drag your fallen comrade along with you... or something.

The only reference to death I can find is in the PHB p28, and it seems geared towards encounter death. We all know it says "rez where you died" but I can't find push damage mentioned anywhere, PHB or DMG, let alone clearly defined. Is it the last possible thing that happens in the room (if so, then by the rules as written it is permadeath), or does it just happen when the DM declares the party has failed (if so, push-death isn't necessarily permanent). Or is it the last thing that happens in the encounter, which would imply that you can't rez someone after the puzzle is solved or the monster is dead, which seems absurd. In practice the first two are often the same thing, but...

It's fuzzy. DMs frequently treat their room as a temporary extension of the previous one, allowing players to heal up before their encounter starts if they ran out of time in the last one. So a precise definition of push damage and when it happens would help.

I don't recall this situation being discussed before. It may have been, but I'm a relative newcomer. And I don't recall ever encountering it as player or DM. A clarification would be nice so that every DM rules consistently on the matter. Perma-push-death seems draconian, and in the absence of an unambiguous ruling I wouldn't want to impose it, but if that truly is the intent then so be it.

My 2bits...

If the DM that causes the Push damage won't accept a potion than the next DM should.

Technically the potion only works in the room in which you die.
There are a few ways to look at it, the damage that killed you literally pushed you out of the room. So upon death you should be in the next room wherein a death's door would be acceptable.


The only time I've encountered push damage death in my party was more of an issue with DarkStain.

I will say DMs seem very quick to mark deaths and stuff even though there are fairly common ways to avoid/reverse it. IMO they should ask for deaths door and stuff before they mark the party card.

I don't know if this answers the question, but from the DMG on Berserkers:
"While under the influence of fight after death, a
berserker is only “mostly dead” until either reaching
at least –49 HP or pushed into the next room while at
0 HP or lower. Effects that trigger on death cannot
fire until the berserker is completely dead. Therefore,
POTION DEATH’S DOOR cannot be used until the
berserker is completely dead.
ELIXIR OF LIFE can be used either to restore a dead
character to life (and full HP) or to fully heal a living
character, so it may be used at any time.
When used to revive a completely dead character,
both POTION DEATH’S DOOR or ELIXIR OF LIFE must
be administered by another living character. Life restoring
potions must be used in the room where the
character died. The aforementioned potions must be
administered before moving into the next room if the
berserker dies due to negative HP not being healed
before times runs out in a room"

So it's a similar situation. The berserker with negative HP's isn't dead until pushed to the next room, but it does seem to imply that the PoDD must, and therefore can be administered before exiting the room.