Conditions

Conditions alter a creature’s capabilities in a variety of ways and can arise as a result of a spell, a class feature, a monster’s attack, or other effect. Most conditions, such as blinded, are impairments, but a few, such as invisible, can be advantageous.

A condition lasts either until it is countered (the prone condition is countered by standing up, for example) or for a duration specified by the effect that imposed the condition.

If multiple effects impose the same condition on a creature, each instance of the condition has its own duration, but the condition’s effects don’t get worse. A creature either has a condition or doesn’t.

The following definitions specify what happens to a creature while it is subjected to a condition.

Blinded

• A blinded creature can’t see and automatically fails any ability check that requires sight.

• Attack rolls against the creature have advantage, and the creature’s attack rolls have disadvantage.

Charmed

• A charmed creature can’t attack the charmer or target the charmer with harmful abilities or magical effects.

• The charmer has advantage on any ability check to interact socially with the creature.

Deafened

• A deafened creature can’t hear and automatically fails any ability check that requires hearing.

Exhaustion

Some special abilities and environmental hazards, such as starvation and the long-term effects of freezing or scorching temperatures, can lead to a special condition called exhaustion. Exhaustion is measured in six levels. An effect can give a creature one or more levels of exhaustion, as specified in the effect’s description.

Level Effect

1 Disadvantage on ability checks

2 Speed halved

3 Disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws

4 Hit point maximum halved

5 Speed reduced to 0

6 Death

• If an already exhausted creature suffers another effect that causes exhaustion, its current level of exhaustion increases by the amount specified in the effect’s description.

• A creature suffers the effect of its current level of exhaustion as well as all lower levels. For example, a creature suffering level 2 exhaustion has its speed halved and has disadvantage on ability checks.

• An effect that removes exhaustion reduces its level as specified in the effect’s description, with all exhaustion effects ending if a creature’s exhaustion level is reduced below 1.

• Finishing a long rest reduces a creature’s exhaustion level by 1, provided that the creature has also ingested some food and drink.

Frightened

• A frightened creature has disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls while the source of its fear is within line of sight.

• The creature can’t willingly move closer to the source of its fear.

Grappled

• A grappled creature’s speed becomes 0, and it can’t benefit from any bonus to its speed.

• The condition ends if the grappler is incapacitated (see the condition).

• The condition also ends if an effect removes the grappled creature from the reach of the grappler or grappling effect, such as when a creature is hurled away by the thunderwave spell.

Incapacitated

• An incapacitated creature can’t take actions or reactions.

Invisible

• An invisible creature is impossible to see without the aid of magic or a special sense. For the purpose of hiding, the creature is heavily obscured. The creature’s location can be detected by any noise it makes or any tracks it leaves.

• Attack rolls against the creature have disadvantage, and the creature’s attack rolls have advantage.

Paralyzed

• A paralyzed creature is incapacitated (see the condition) and can’t move or speak.

• The creature automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws.

• Attack rolls against the creature have advantage.

• Any attack that hits the creature is a critical hit if the attacker is within 5 feet of the creature.

Petrified

• A petrified creature is transformed, along with any nonmagical object it is wearing or carrying, into a solid inanimate substance (usually stone). Its weight increases by a factor of ten, and it ceases aging.

• The creature is incapacitated (see the condition), can’t move or speak, and is unaware of its surroundings.

• Attack rolls against the creature have advantage.

• The creature automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws.

• The creature has resistance to all damage.

• The creature is immune to poison and disease, although a poison or disease already in its system is suspended, not neutralized.

Poisoned

• A poisoned creature has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.

Prone

• A prone creature’s only movement option is to crawl, unless it stands up and thereby ends the condition.

• The creature has disadvantage on attack rolls.

• An attack roll against the creature has advantage if the attacker is within 5 feet of the creature. Otherwise, the attack roll has disadvantage.

Restrained

• A restrained creature’s speed becomes 0, and it can’t benefit from any bonus to its speed.

• Attack rolls against the creature have advantage, and the creature’s attack rolls have disadvantage.

• The creature has disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws.

Stunned

• A stunned creature is incapacitated (see the condition), can’t move, and can speak only falteringly.

• The creature automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws.

• Attack rolls against the creature have advantage.

Unconscious

• An unconscious creature is incapacitated (see the condition), can’t move or speak, and is unaware of its surroundings.

• The creature drops whatever it’s holding and falls prone.

• The creature automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws.

• Attack rolls against the creature have advantage.

• Any attack that hits the creature is a critical hit if the attacker is within 5 feet of the creature.