[RPG] Can the Half-Orc’s Relentless Endurance trait protect them from things that would normally kill someone instantly

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In our campaign, we have a Half-Orc Barbarian. Very original. We are going along this cliff-side fortress and are worried about falling off. The Half-Orc's player jokingly says that he'll be fine, due to his Relentless Endurance. But I was thinking about it, and it seems like he's right, but this seems excessive.

Could he really survive the fall? Or survive lava? Or anything else that should kill instantly?

Best Answer

No, Relentless Endurance cannot save you from instant death

The half-orc feature specifically mentions this in the text of the Relentless Endurance racial feature (PHB, p. 41):

Relentless Endurance. When you are reduced to 0 hit points but are not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can't use this feature again until you complete a long rest.

If you take enough falling damage such that the excess damage exceeds your hit point maximum, Relentless Endurance cannot save you. If you do not take quite enough damage to exceed your hit point maximum, it can save you and you drop to 1 hit point instead of being put on death saving throws.

For reference, the Instant Death rules:

Massive damage can kill you instantly. When damage reduces you to 0 hit points and there is damage remaining, you die if the remaining damage equals or exceeds your hit point maximum.

For example, a cleric with a maximum of 12 hit points currently has 6 hit points. If she takes 18 damage from an attack, she is reduced to 0 hit points, but 12 damage remains. Because the remaining damage equals her hit point maximum, the cleric dies.