Death Saves Tracker 5e
This free death saves tracker is for D&D 5e players and game masters who need to keep death saving throw marks in one place. Add a dying character, roll a plain d20, and record successes and failures. A natural 1 counts as two failures. A natural 20 brings the character back with 1 hit point.
Add a dying character, then roll a plain d20. A 10 or higher is a success. A natural 1 is two failures. A natural 20 restores 1 hit point.
No one is on the tracker yet.
How to use the death saves tracker
Add each dying character. Type a name and press Add. The list holds up to eight rows, which is enough for a bad round without turning into a full encounter sheet.
Roll or mark by hand. Press Roll d20 to roll a plain save with the same fair dice method as the rest of the site. If the table already rolled, press Mark success, Mark failure, or Mark two failures. Two failures cover a natural 1 or critical damage taken at 0 hit points.
Read the status. Three successes make the character stable at 0 hit points. Three failures mean the character dies. A natural 20 sets the row to conscious with 1 hit point. If a stable character takes damage, mark a failure (or two) to start dying again. The list stays in your browser on this device.
This tracker does not record hit point totals or conditions. For other dice, use the main DnD dice roller. For a visible d20 with advantage or disadvantage, use the d20 roller.
How death saving throws work
When damage drops you to 0 hit points and does not kill you outright, you fall unconscious and start dying. At the start of each of your turns while you are dying, you make a death saving throw: a d20 with no modifier. A 10 or higher is a success. A 9 or lower is a failure.
On your third success you become stable. You are still at 0 hit points and still unconscious, but you stop making these saves. On your third failure you die. These counts are their own track. They are not a normal saving throw against a DC that includes a bonus.
Two faces change the math. A natural 1 counts as two failures. A natural 20 means you regain 1 hit point and become conscious, so you are no longer dying.
The death saves tracker keeps those success and failure marks on this device until you clear the list.
Damage at 0 hit points
If you take any damage while you have 0 hit points, you suffer a death saving throw failure. If the damage comes from a critical hit, you suffer two failures. If you were stable, you start dying again and that damage is also a failure (or two, if it was a critical hit).
Massive damage is separate. If the leftover damage after you reach 0 hit points equals or exceeds your hit point maximum, you die instantly. No save is rolled. This page does not calculate that leftover; compare it to the character's maximum on the sheet.
Odds on a plain d20
Each death save is a flat roll. The chance of a success (10 or higher) is 55%. The chance of a normal failure (2 through 9) is 40%. The chance of a natural 1 is 5%, and the chance of a natural 20 is 5%. Because a natural 1 adds two failures, the chance that a single roll puts you closer to death by two marks is 5%.
Those faces are the same on any fair d20. You can confirm them on the dice probability calculator or roll a single die on the d20 roller.
Death saves tracker FAQ
Is this death saves tracker free?
Yes. It is free, with no ads and no sign up. Open the page on any device and keep count.
How do death saving throws work in 5e?
When you are dying at 0 hit points, you roll a plain d20 at the start of each of your turns. A 10 or higher is a success. A 9 or lower is a failure. Three successes mean you are stable. Three failures mean you die.
What does a natural 20 or a natural 1 do?
A natural 20 means you regain 1 hit point and become conscious. A natural 1 counts as two failures.
What happens if I take damage at 0 hit points?
You suffer one death saving throw failure. If that damage is from a critical hit, you suffer two failures. If leftover damage after you reach 0 equals or exceeds your hit point maximum, you die instantly and do not roll.
Does the tracker save if I refresh the page?
Yes. Names, success marks, failure marks and status stay in your browser's local storage on this device. Nothing is sent to a server. Press Clear to wipe the list.
Can I roll the d20 on another page?
Yes. This page can roll the save for you. You can also roll a plain d20 on the d20 roller and mark the result here by hand.
See the Nat20 Roller FAQ for more on notation, advantage and how rolls stay random.