#D&D #dungeonsanddragons #5thEdition

    I enjoy gaming...  I recently had another player bring up a ruling for 5^th edition Dungeons and Dragons as posted at dnd.wizards.com/articles/featu… for Disintegration versus Relentless Endurance (pg 41, racial), Relentless Rage (pg 49, 11th level), and Undying Sentinel (pg 87, 15th level).  

    I think this ruling is incorrect.  
    
    Each of these uses the words “killed outright”, or “die outright”.  A search of the PHB for the word ‘outright’ reveals three other uses of outright, only one of which is relevant to this discussion. 

     On page 197 of the PHB it says under Dropping to 0 Hit Points “When you drop to 0 hit points, you either die outright or fall unconscious, as explained in the following sections.”

     The die outright is referencing the check for remaining damage exceeding the character hit point total successfully.

     The Disintegrate spell in no way changes this check or replaces it.  A character with 10 of 50 hit points takes 70 damage from the disintegrate spell he dies, and then becomes disintegrated.  A character with 10 of 71 hit points takes 70 damage from the disintegrate spell he falls unconscious, and then becomes disintegrated.  A character that 71 of 71 hit points takes 70 damage from the disintegrate spell he is at 1 hp and suffers no other effects from the disintegrate spell. 

     So then we come back to the effects of Relentless Endurance, Relentless Rage, and Undying Sentinel.  Each of these checks for the outright death and we can look again at the three previous examples.   The only change is made for the middle example which then becomes:  A character with 10 of 71 hit points takes 70 damage from the disintegrate spell and does not die outright.  His ability can kick in - dropping the character to 1 hit point - and he suffers no other effects from the disintegrate spell.

     Relentless Endurance, Relentless Rage, and Undying Sentinel are all interrupts done after the outright death is checked for but before other effects are applied. It stops all conditions that apply like unconsciousness, falling prone, etc. including this special effect of being disintegrated. 

     If you're saying these abilities do not work this way, then how does it work? Is it just 1 hit point of healing after everything resolves then? So every time a character uses this ability they have to spend their next actions standing, picking up weapons, etc.?  

     This does not sound like the intent of these abilities to me.  I think Jeremy E Crawford of Sage Advice should reconsider his ruling.  What do you think?