Using Heal to distinguish between Unconscious and Dead characters.

[Ring_of_Gyges]

As far as I can tell there are no rules for the difficulty or time required to use a Heal check to distinguish between an unconscious dying character and a dead one.

Having players announce their HP totals (i.e. "I'm only at -5, I've got a few rounds" or "I'm at -12! Help!") seems impermissibly metagamey to many.

The traditional solution has been to allow Perception or Heal checks to distinguish between the savable and the dead, but what sort of action should it be and how difficult? The following are some suggestions.

Base DC:
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DC 10: You can tell if an unresponsive person is dead by checking for breath, pulse, small movements, and other signs.

Time Taken
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Full Round Action (+0 DC)
Standard Action (+5 DC)
Move Action (+10 DC)
Swift Action (+15 DC)
Free Action (+20 DC)

Distance from Target
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Touch (+0 DC)
Within 30' (+5 DC)
Beyond 30' (+10 DC)

Degree of Damage
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At GM's discretion some corpses are so heavily damaged that it is obvious they are dead. Someone at -50 requires no check, they're a red smear. Possibly double negative Con as a rule of thumb (i.e. -30 if you're Con 15)?

[Kazaan]

How about false results if you fail by 10 or more. If they are alive, but you fail by 10 or more, you checked their pulse in the wrong spot. If they are dead, you checked using your thumb and thought your own pulse was theirs. Conversely, if you succeed by 10 or more, you can tell how much longer they have left, if alive, or how long ago they died otherwise.

[Ciaran Barnes]

The system should be simplified.

With a successful Heal check you can determine if a creature within your reach is living or dead, and if it is stable or losing hit points (DC = 10 + the creature's negative hit points, if any). Failure simply indicates that sure are unsure. You can use this ability on a creature that is further away, but you suffer a -2 penalty to your check for every 5 feet out of your reach it is. With a second successful check, you also learn how many hit points the creature currently has.