Death Ward: Not Today, Death!
Spell Level: 4
School: Abjuration
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Duration: 8 hours
Components: V, S
You touch a creature and grant it a measure of protection from death.
The first time the target would drop to 0 hit points as a result of taking damage, the target instead drops to 1 hit point, and the spell ends.
If the spell is still in effect when the target is subjected to an effect that would kill it instantaneously without dealing damage, that effect is instead negated against the target, and the spell ends.
Review by Sam West, Twitter:@CrierKobold
Death Ward is a rare case where some subclasses getting access to it completely change the functionality. Clerics and paladins can get a fine enough amount of value from a death prevention tool for a 4th level slot. Clerics obviously get a lot more out of it, given that they’re comparative resource cost is so much lower, but every now and then an upper tier paladin absolutely will want to Death Ward the bard or druid to make sure the group has a consistent ally that can bring up people close to death. You don’t ever really want to be spending your highest level slots on this, making it something I’d consider more as I get higher level in cleric and paladin than the moment its available, but in those situations, it's a decent option worth some slots, especially if those slots were otherwise being unused.
HOWEVER: there are two particularly interesting cases with Death Ward, and they are the two warlock subclasses, the Undying and Undead. Warlock’s pact magic feature changes fundamentally how the class's resources work. When you complete a short rest, you get your spell slots back. Death Ward has a duration of eight hours. If you’ve ever got spell slots laying around unused before a short rest, sinking them into Death Ward is going to feel free. What’s more, if you can spare an hour after a long rest, warlocks can spend all their slots on Death Wards post long rest, take a quick short rest before the adventuring day starts, and be left with two to four seven hour duration Death Wards for nearly nothing. This game play pattern leaves Death Ward feeling closer to a passive class feature than a spell, as you’re never actually planning on spending spell slots on the effect, but instead taking advantage of the long duration with your shorter duration recharge to juice unused slots.
The vast majority of characters interfacing with Death Ward are clerics, and on clerics post 9th level, giving yourself or another critical ally a free way to not go down once is entirely reasonable. The Undead and Undying warlocks really get to run with it, though, and will often feel like they can passively Death Ward the majority of the party at nearly no cost, which is pretty freaking sweet.
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