When a character is unconscious owing to a negative hit point total, but is stable because she's received magical healing or First Aid and thus is no longer dying, what happens if the character receives further damage?
I could have sworn that she "destabilized" and resumed dying (losing 1 hp per round, making those Constitution checks, etc). But I actually can't find anything in the Injury and Death section of Chapter Eight of the Core Rulebook that backs that up.
I suppose I'm looking for a sentence that says something like: "If an unconscious but stable character with negative hit points receives further damage, she is no longer stable and resumes dying"
But I'm not finding anything like that.
As near as I can tell—and if I was confident in this interpretation I wouldn't be bugging you good people—once a character is stable she remains stable even if she receives further damage, by rules-as-written.
What am I missing?
yup, you are correct. If they stabilized, but recieved further damage, they will be back to dying and bleeding.
If they haven't already died from said further damage. Generally, unless the damage is low, taking more damage while you're in the negatives generally leads to your death :(
Thanks, Marthian.
Can you point to the rules in the Injury and Death section (or elsewhere) that back up our interpretation?
Is the rule about how you become "dying" in the first place contingent upon having had a positive HP total beforehand?
Hmmm, not sure where you're going with this. But I think the rule you're referring to is at the bottom of p. 189 of the CRB and reads: "If your hit point total is negative, but not equal to or greater than your Constitution score, you're dying."
Don't see anything helpful there for my question, do you?
From the PRD:
"On the character's next turn, after being reduced to negative hit points (but not dead), and on all subsequent turns, the character must make a DC 10 Constitution check to become stable."
I believe what Jiggy is trying to say is that all you need to resume dying is have your hit points reduced to a negative, yet non-fatal, value. There is nothing saying they have to be reduced from 0 or more hit points for this to take effect. So, if you are at -1 but stable and take 3 damage, your hit points have been reduced to a negative value that doesn't kill you. Hence, you need to restabalize.
Okay, Dominigo, I can see that, and agree that it makes sense. Don't agree that it's clear, but agree that it makes sense.
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It's not specified in the PRD_on_injury_and_death but the question is, I think:
Does a character who was dying, and is now stable, and who takes more damage but not enough to die, resume dying? Or is that character still stable?
I think common sense would indicate that the character resumes dying, but it isn't stated.
It is not directly stated, no, but it is at the very least implied. Characters under the effect of constant damage sources, for instance, are unable to stabilize. It is probably fair to assume they can't stabilize because the damage he takes each round removes the "stable" condition.
It's not specified in the PRD_on_injury_and_death but the question is, I think:
Does a character who was dying, and is now stable, and who takes more damage but not enough to die, resume dying? Or is that character still stable?
I think common sense would indicate that the character resumes dying, but it isn't stated.
Yes, well-stated!
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From the PRD:
"On the character's next turn, after being reduced to negative hit points (but not dead), and on all subsequent turns, the character must make a DC 10 Constitution check to become stable."I believe what Jiggy is trying to say is that all you need to resume dying is have your hit points reduced to a negative, yet non-fatal, value. There is nothing saying they have to be reduced from 0 or more hit points for this to take effect. So, if you are at -1 but stable and take 3 damage, your hit points have been reduced to a negative value that doesn't kill you. Hence, you need to restabalize.
Emphasis mine. I think this does make it so. The hit points are reduced by damage, and the number is negative.