[RPG] How does instant death work while wild shaped and using Orc’s relentless endurance

character-deathdnd-5edruidhalf-orcwild-shape

I'm playing a half orc druid, level 4, and I got knocked down a 250 ft pit. I was at full health and have a max HP is 34 life. My first thought was to transform into a Dire Wolf and hopefully mitigate some of the damage I'd take. The Dire Wolf has 37 hp. After my DM rolls the 20d6 he gets a total falling damage of 110, meaning instant death. I however still had my Relentless Endurance left but didn't really know when or where I could've used it to save myself (if even possible) and neither myself or DM could really agree on where to use it. We kind of just ended the session assuming my character was still in free fall and decided we'd discuss it later.

So the question is this: is there any time between reverting from wolf to orc or from orc to dead that I can use Orc's Relentless Endurance to stay alive?

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

Best Answer

RAW, you are dead

Xanathar's Guide to Everything states you move 500 feet in the first round* of falling. If you fall anything between 200 and 499 feet, you take 20d6 damage, and don't have time for Wild Shape.

Your DM can save you

Based on your question, your DM is willing to let you use Wild Shape while falling.
Dire Wolf is not enough, you will need a form with 110 - 2 x 34 = 42 HP. There are 2 of these in the official sources:

  • Giant Hyena
  • Giant Octopus

If your DM lets you take any of these, you not only survive, but you can walk away thanks to Relentless Endurance.


*) This is pretty good physics for the first round. Unfortunately for subsequent rounds it still sets your speed to 500 feet per round, while it should be closer to 1100.