We know that D&D (especially 5e) is a game where virtually anything can happen to anyone, but it is still a game, and therefore, it conditions us to adhere to game mechanics. The sheer ability hanging in the air that allows you to fly, fall in love with NPCs, fight mythical beasts with a character that you personally created from the ground up, and many more is what has gotten so many of us blindly in love with this game.
However, there are certain effects and possibilities at the core of DnD that aren’t so great from a typical player’s point of view. Yes, we’re talking about various conditions your character might be in due to encountering a powerful foe like spells, area effects, etc.
In this blog, I will present all the conditions 5e has and the details you need to know in order to overcome them and keep your character alive.
What are the Conditions in 5e Anyway?
Conditions in DnD are best explained as effects or circumstances in the game that change various abilities of your character or any other creature in the game (in most cases, a negative change).
Some of these 5e conditions are obvious and simple to understand (like blinded), but some are a little more complex and require further explanations.
Nevertheless, I will go into each and every one of the 15 conditions that exist in the game and present them clearly and unambiguously so that you can safely jump into your new campaign!
Blinded
Blinded characters and creatures can’t see and automatically fail any ability check that requires their sight. Every attack roll against a blinded character has an advantage, and the blinded one’s rolls have a disadvantage.
Causes for blinding effects are Blindness and Darkness spells as well as some areas whose ambiance obscures sight like a really dense fog or dark room with no light (keep in mind that some creatures have Darkvision, so dark rooms wouldn’t be blinding for them).
If you possess an ability to blind enemies, remember that it’s one of the easiest ways to quickly disrupt them and make them susceptible to your allies’ future attacks. Still, it’s worth mentioning that a blinded character can still hear, smell or touch things and can defend itself.
Charmed
When you charm someone, they can’t attack you in any way (both physical attacks and spells), and you have an advantage on any ability check when socially interacting with them.
Bards are known for charming other creatures in DnD, but other classes can also do it with spells like the Charm Person or with Lamias and Dryads.
Furthermore, being charmed does not mean that you are under total control of the creature that charmed you. They can’t make you do whatever they want. Instead, they simply have a “super-persuasion” advantage over you.
Deafened
Deafened creatures can’t hear, and they all automatically fail any ability check that requires hearing.
Spells like Deafness or Silence can cause you to be deaf, but so can ambient sounds like large explosions.
Deafness as a spell can, for example, be used in combat and outside of it. If you and your party wish to sneak past a guard, you can use Deafness on him and be on your way without engaging him in a fight.
Exhaustion
Exhaustion is one of those 5e conditions that has a couple of layers. It will see you have several disadvantages depending on which level of this condition you have. Levels of exhaustion can be caused by environmental hazards set up by your DM, like starvation or freezing, or by monsters with their special abilities.
There are six levels of exhaustion:
- Level 1: You get a disadvantage on ability checks
- Level 2: Your movement speed is halved
- Level 3: You have a disadvantage on all saving throws and attack rolls
- Level 4: Your max hit points are halved
- Level 5: Your speed is 0
- Level 6: Death
Keep in mind that these levels stack even from different sources, so having level 3 exhaustion will mean that you have a disadvantage on ability checks, halved speed, and a disadvantage on all saving throws and attack rolls.
Frightened
When frightened, you will have a disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls, while the thing that frightens you is in your line of sight.
Some of the most common monsters who can cause this condition are Pit Fiends, Dragons, Scarecrows, and Bheur Hags, and of course, it can be inflicted upon you with the spell Fear.
Inflicting fear in your enemy’s bones will help you when dealing with a big group of skeletons that can overwhelm you easily since most fear abilities are AOE (area of effect).
A good thing to know: Most spells don’t need attack rolls, so spellcasters are kind of immune to the frightened condition.
Grappled
If you are a UFC fan, you will love this one. Well, the idea of it, as most conditions in 5e aren’t that fun. The grappled creature has a speed of 0 and can’t get any speed buffs. It can end this condition under these occasions: if the grappler is incapacitated, if a certain spell splits up the grappler and the grappled, or if the grappled creature escapes grapple via a successful Athletics or Acrobatics check.
You would usually end up in a grappled condition if you and your opponent are in a full takedown wrestling state or if a large monster grabs you in their claws/mouth/tentacle/you name it.
A high athletics score will benefit you greatly here. If you contest the athletics score of a bigger creature and win, you can hold him down or even drag him to any place you wish (like away from his allies or towards some sort of a spell).
Incapacitated
You can become incapacitated when you are affected by a hypnotizing spell, for example, and you can’t take any actions or reactions. Remember that incapacitation often comes in tandem with some other conditions.
If you are in combat with a couple of monsters, it’s useful to inflict an incapacitated condition on the strongest one out there. You can then finish off the weaker ones and focus on him in the end.
Invisible
This is among the rare conditions that you wouldn’t mind being in 5e. Invisible characters and monsters are impossible to see (unless you have some sort of ability or spell for detection), but they will still make sounds and tracks.
You will have an advantage on attack rolls when invisible since it’s considered a sneaky, unexpected attack, and your opponent will have a disadvantage when rolling for the attack.
Various spells, potions, and items can cause you to become invisible, and as you probably expect, they can be used for various purposes.
I have used it mostly for scouting in my games, but you can effectively escape and ambush people with it as well.
Paralyzed
Paralyzed creatures will be incapacitated while at the same time unable to move or talk. They will automatically fail Strength and Dexterity saving throws, every attack roll against them will have an advantage, and every attack from an enemy within 5 feet that hits them is a critical hit.
Translating these rules’ definitions to a real combat situation – a paralyzed opponent will literally stand there and do nothing while you attack them.
It’s a pretty strong option up your sleeve, so save it for the strongest of enemies.
Petrified
When you petrify someone, you get one of the scariest abilities from the ancient Greek world – that of Medusa and her snakes. Like Medusa’s gaze that turned everyone to stone, you will turn your opponents into nothing more than a piece of rock.
Petrified units’ weight increases ten times, and they stop aging. The creature will also be incapacitated, riveted to the spot, mute, and unaware of what’s happening around it.
Moreover, when petrified, a character would fail all Dexterity and Strength saving throws, and attack rolls against them will have an advantage. But on the upper hand, they would have resistance to all damage and become immune to poison and disease.
The petrified condition is really bad to get into, and you can only get out of it with Greater Restoration or a handful of other things (there can be more options if your DM decides to allow it).
Poisoned
The poisoned condition is quite simple to grasp – you just get a disadvantage on your attack rolls and ability checks.
Besides being a “not so bad” condition, it is also easily removed. You can remove poison with a bunch of spells, some class features, and sometimes just by having a high level of your character (Monk).
Poison attacks your constitution, so warrior classes will be less affected by this than classes with a smaller health pool.
You can purchase poison or loot from dead enemies. Just remember that monsters such as fiends and the undead are entirely immune to it.
Prone
When you are in a prone condition, you are essentially crawling and have all advantages and disadvantages that position entails. You have a disadvantage on attack rolls, and attack rolls against you have an advantage as long as that enemy is within 5 feet of you. If the creature is further away and attacking with a ranged weapon, it will have a disadvantage on the attack roll.
To exit prone condition, you only have to stand up, which will take half of your turn’s movement. Also, standing up will have to be done during your own turn.
Being prone doesn’t have to be a condition that someone else has forced upon you. Imagine a situation where long-distance bowmen attack you and your party. If you are all prone and crawl towards them, you reduce the chances of getting hit.
Restrained
Think of restrained conditions as being in chains. Your speed becomes 0, you can’t benefit from any speed buffs due to the shackles around your ankles, all attack rolls against you have an advantage, and all your attacks have a disadvantage.
Also, you get a disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws.
Restrained would be a baby from Grappled and Prone conditions with further improvements. If you happen to have this spell, its most effective use is to restrain enemies at the beginning of a fight and set them up for an attack from the highest damage dealer in your party.
If you happen to be on the bad side of this effect, though, Athletics and Acrobatics check will be able to save you as well as teleporting out (if you got it).
Stunned
People coming from the video game world will not be strangers to a stunning effect. Stunned is among the most useful DnD conditions for me.
A stunned character will be incapacitated, unable to move, and speak only in a slow way. Attack rolls against it will have an advantage.
The stunned condition is restrained and incapacitated on steroids. Stunned targets won’t fight back, will fail all Strength and Dexterity saving throws, and will all in all be a sitting duck.
Unconscious
Losing consciousness is never a good thing, whether it’s in real life or in DnD. The rules say that when knocked unconscious, you will be incapacitated, wouldn’t be able to move or speak (duh), and will drop whatever it was you were holding beforehand. Moreover, you would fail Strength and Dexterity saving throws, suffer from attack rolls that have an advantage against you, and any attack within 5 feet that hits you is a critical hit.
You can be knocked unconscious by someone’s attack or a spell, or you can end up in this condition by being tired. Remember that this condition will cause you to skip your turn until someone wakes you up (the most common ways are taking damage and being shaken by someone).
Good Luck!
There they are! I’ve listed all 15 conditions in DnD 5e so you can follow up on the game much easier. Don’t forget that a lot of minor details and updates can be changed and added by your DM, so make sure to talk with them about conditions before you and your team start the next campaign.
Conditions can be fun and dangerous, so the better you learn them, the more prepared you will be to increase the fun part and decrease the danger.
