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The description of the wither and bloom spell states (Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos, p. 38; emphasis mine):

You invoke both death and life upon a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on a point within range. Each creature of your choice in that area must make a Constitution saving throw, taking 2d6 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Nonmagical vegetation in that area withers.

In addition, one creature of your choice in that area can spend and roll one of its unspent Hit Dice and regain a number of hit points equal to the roll plus your spellcasting ability modifier.

There are a few questions on RPG.SE about the wither and bloom spell:

However, neither of these clarify how it is handled if the target of the HP-regain portion of the spell is unconscious or dying.

(There are also questions related to short and long rests, like this one: Can a zero-HP, unconscious and stable character be woken up prematurely?)

Can you use wither and bloom in combat to bring a PC back to > 0 hit points when they are unconscious or dying?

V2Blast
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James Risner
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1 Answers1

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Yes it can

Rolling hit dice is not an Action, and the unconscious condition (which includes the incapacitated condition) only blocks you from taking actions and reactions. The spell says:

In addition, one creature of your choice in that area can spend and roll one of its unspent Hit Dice and regain a number of hit points equal to the roll plus your spellcasting ability modifier.

It does not require an action or reaction by the creature. There is nothing in either the spell, or the condition, that indicates you cannot take hit dice. The reason that you normally cannot take hit dice when you are unconscious is that you have no feature that allows you to. The spell provides this.

Nobody the Hobgoblin
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    I think the confusion is because of the "[you] can", which implies making a choice, which logically isn't possible while unconscious. I would still rule that it's possible, but one could also argue along the lines of the usual 5e-argument of "common sense" to interpret it as not possible. – PixelMaster Jan 03 '23 at 08:30
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    @PixelMaster: I would oppose to the "common sense" line that since creatures do not roll the die in game, their in game condition does not influence whether they can. – Matthieu M. Jan 03 '23 at 12:00
  • @MatthieuM. fair enough – PixelMaster Jan 03 '23 at 12:27