5e - Death Ward Automation

5E – Automatic Death Ward & Last‑Stand Effects
Current Version: v1.0.0 • Updated: 2026‑02-11

https://forge.fantasygrounds.com/shop/items/2839/view

DW – Death Ward Automation adds a lightweight “last‑stand” system leveraging simple tags on Combat Tracker effects.

By adding `DW` tags to effects on actors, this extension automatically intercepts lethal damage and prevents a creature from dropping to 0 HP or dying. Instead, the effect absorbs the blow and leaves (or restores) the target to a configurable HP threshold.

Single‑use death protection (`DW`)
Custom HP thresholds (`DW: 10`)
Multiple charges (`3DW`)
Mixed labels such as `Super death protection for legendary monster; 3DW: 100`

A note from the author

I created this extension to restore a feature that the TMT extension allowed me to achieve (I tried to repair TMT but it is too complex for me).
It was built with the help of AI to speed up iteration, but that does not replace the work of an amateur or professional developer — there may be mistakes. Please report issues so we can make it better!

What it does

When a creature takes damage in the Combat Tracker:

Checks for an effect marked with a `DW` token on the target
Any effect whose label contains a `DW` token is eligible:
[LIST][*]`DW`[*]`DW: X`[*]`nDW`[*]`nDW: X`

Note: For my own gameplay reasons, if the DW tag has **no explicit charge** (plain `DW`), the entire effect is removed when it triggers.
I treat this as a true one‑shot effect, like a spell:

`Death Ward; DW` → once it saves the target, the whole effect disappears.

In contrast, `1DW` only removes the `DW` token and leaves the rest of the effect untouched.
The idea behind this is to manage the half‑orc’s *Relentless Endurance* trait like this:

`Relentless; 1DW; RELOAD; RESTL` (with my ELT extension and BCEG for RESTL), which will automatically reload the effect — and thus re‑add `1DW` — whenever it expires on a long rest.

GM‑only visibility
When a `DW` effect triggers, a custom chat message is sent:
The message includes:

The target’s name
The resulting HP threshold (1 HP or X HP)
Optionally, the name of the source effect in brackets (e.g. `[Super death protection]`
If the `DW` effect is marked **GM Only** in the Combat Tracker. The DW chat message is sent as **secret**, visible only to the GM.

Changelog

* v1.0.0: Initial public release.

If you try it, feedback and edge cases are highly appreciated!
Contributions welcome — especially for a safe, clean approach to player‑side prompts or robust handling of damage type augmentation.

Vaall

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