In D&D 5e, the Paladin feature Aura of Protection allows allies within 10 feet of you to add your charisma modifier as a bonus to their saving throws, as long as you are conscious.
Certainly this bonus would not affect the Paladin's own death saves, as they are unconscious while they make them. However a death saving throw doesn't use any abilities or proficiencies and is determined as:
Roll a d20: If the roll is 10 or higher, you succeed. Otherwise, you fail.
The question is, would the bonus from Aura of Protection be added to the death saving throws of affected creatures? Or would the nature and specific phrasing of death saves dictating that the roll must be 10 or higher overrule Aura of Protection's general application to all saves?
If the bonus is added, would it be correct to state that is does not have any bearing on the results associated with rolling a 1 or 20 on a death save, meaning those would remain tied to the number on the die only?
Best Answer
A Death Save is, in fact, a save so bonuses to "all saves" apply to them as well. Just like a Monk gaining proficiency in "all saves" means they apply their proficiency bonus to Death Saves as well starting at Level 14.
The intent of the wording for Death Saves seems to make them special but it is only in the fact that your proficiency bonus is not added nor are they tied to a specific ability. No class starts at 1st level with proficiency in Death Saves. Monks gain it much later. Other bonuses applying to all saves such as the Paladin's ability and Rings/Cloaks of Protection will apply to them as normal.
PHB p. 197 says:
Normally, a natural 1 is not a failure for a saving throw however the more specific verbiage for Death Saves trumps this. So even if you somehow have a +9 to Death Saves you will still suffer 2 failures unless you have some other mitigating factor such as something that automatically stabilizes you.
All of this intent is substantiated by Jeremy Crawford (thanks @NautArch):