Recently, my PC was brought to 0 hp by a trap—hit by three huge blades erupting from walls and ceiling—, leaving my PC unconscious in the centre of the area of effect.
In a bid to rescue my PC, a party member pulled my character from the centre of the trap, triggering the trap again, but this time only 1 of the blades hit my character.
This prompted the most experienced player in our group to say that my PC automatically failed two death saving throws, as being hit while unconscious is automatically a critical hit. Is he correct?
I know that attack rolls against an unconscious character have advantage, and any attack that hits the character is a critical hit if the attacker is within 5 ft. of the character (PH 292), but, in this case, because the attacker is a trap, is it technically within 5 feet of my PC? Is there another rule that would make this attack from a trap an automatic critical hit?
Best Answer
The rules for conditions are written with creatures attacking creatures in mind. The "position" of a trap is not defined anywhere. Thus this little blind spot has to be filled in with a DM ruling.
I would recommend basing the decision on the circumstances and the nature of the trap. If you are lying prone on the floor, a trap that attacks with spears rising up from the ground would probably be quite dangerous and I would rule for an automatic critical. If a trap swings blades attached to the ceiling and is designed to hit standing creatures, it could be a normal hit.