RELATED: Dungeons & Dragons: Older Monsters That Should Make A Return
Some have their benefits, and players may choose to inflict them on themselves (such as Invisibility). Most, however, are detrimental. Players may strategically use them to gain the upper hand against their foes, or may find themselves debilitated by one of these conditions themselves. Either way, it’s essential for players to know the effects and intricacies of each condition in D&D.
Incapacitated
This condition is somewhat unique, as it rarely occurs on its own. Instead, a creature is usually Incapacitated as the result of another of the conditions on this list. Thus, it is listed here first, as it appears among the effects listed in several of the descriptions below.
When Incapacitated, a creature is incapable of taking actions or reactions. This means that their turn in combat is usually skipped. Creative players may use their turn to describe their character’s appearance or mental state, but until the Incapacitated condition ends, they cannot attack, cast spells, make skill checks, or anything else that requires an action.
Blinded
This condition is basically exactly what it sounds like: a Blinded creature cannot see. This can be the result of spells like Blindness or Contagion, or an attack that successfully targets the creature’s eyes. When affected by this condition, the creature will automatically fail any ability check that requires sight, severely limiting their options in any given situation.
Because the Blinded creature cannot see its enemies, it will have disadvantage on any attack rolls it makes. Meanwhile, any attack roll against it will be made with advantage, since they cannot see the attack coming.
Charmed
Looking to catch flies with honey rather than vinegar? The Charmed condition can help. A number of spells have the ability to Charm a target, typically falling under the Enchantment school of magic. The most commonly encountered spell of this type is Charm Person.
When Charmed, a creature cannot make attacks against the one that has inflicted the condition, nor can they target their charmer with harmful magic. The charmer will also have advantage on any ability check regarding social interaction with the Charmed creature; for example, Persuasion or Deception.
Deafened
Like Blinded, Deafened is fairly self-explanatory: it describes a creature who cannot hear. As such, they will fail any ability checks that require hearing; for example, a Perception roll intended to check for the sound of footsteps.
RELATED: Dungeons & Dragons: Tips For Writing Your Own Campaign
This condition can occasionally be advantageous for the affected creature, as it can protect a creature from certain types of damage. Spells that deal thunder damage, or other sound-based spells like Vicious Mockery or Dissonant Whispers, may not affect a deafened creature. However, it can also prove detrimental, as it makes a creature easy to sneak up on.
Exhaustion
Unlike most conditions in D&D, Exhaustion has six different levels, each of which carries different effects. Typically, a creature will take one or two levels at a time, which will stack upon each other. With each level of Exhaustion, the inflicted creature will gain a new effect in addition to the effects of previous levels.
A character’s exhaustion level is reduced by one upon finishing a long rest, or being resurrected from the dead. Once the level is reduced below 1, the condition ends.
Frightened
Struck by terror, a Frightened creature has disadvantage on all Attack rolls and ability checks while the source of its fear is within its line of sight. Certain monsters have abilities that can inflict this condition, or players can inflict it on their enemies with spells, most often of the Illusion or Necromancy schools of magic.
Whatever the cause, a Frightened creature cannot willingly move closer to the source of its fear. Depending on the terms described in the spell or ability that inflicted the condition, the Frightened creature may also be forced to use their turn in combat to move away from the source of their fear, or to search for a place where they cannot see it.
Grappled
The Grappled condition means that a creature is being physically held by another. Their Speed drops to 0; this means that they cannot move from their current position. Grappling a creature typically requires a successful melee attack roll; the Grappled creature may try to escape using a Strength or Dexterity save (at the DM’s discretion).
RELATED: Dungeons & Dragons: Things You Didn’t Know About Gnomes
The Grappled condition will end if the grappler is incapacitated, and thus cannot hold their target any longer. Additionally, if the grappler is pushed away using the Thunderwave spell or a similar effect, they will lose their hold on the Grappled creature and the condition ends.
Invisible
Another fairly self-explanatory condition, an Invisible creature cannot be seen with the naked, nonmagical eye. While Invisible, a creature will have advantage on all Attack rolls, and all Attack rolls made against it will have disadvantage. After all, it’s harder to land a strike on or dodge a hit from a creature that one cannot see.
Invisibility also proves useful for sneaking, as they cannot be seen without the use of certain spells. However, players should keep in mind that they can still be detected by any noise they make, or traces such as footprints that they leave behind.
Paralyzed
Most often inflicted by the Enchantment spells Hold Person or Hold Creature, this condition will Incapacitate the creature and cause them to automatically fail all Strength and Dexterity saving throws. A Paralyzed creature cannot move or speak, and is thus incapable of taking offensive action.
Paralyzed creatures are also much easier to hit. Any Attack roll made against a creature will have advantage, and if the Paralyzed creature’s attacker is within 5 feet, any attack that lands will automatically be a critical hit.
Petrified
Most often inflicted by the Transmutation spell Flesh to Stone, Petrified creature has been transformed from flesh and blood into a solid object. This material is usually stone, but can be metal, glass, crystal, or whatever the players and DM deem fair game. The creature’s weight increases tenfold, and it cannot age while Petrified. Being made of inanimate material, it is obviously Incapacitated and unaware of its surroundings, it cannot move or speak, and fails all Strength and Dexterity saves. All Attacks made against it will have advantage.
RELATED: Dungeons & Dragons: Things You Didn’t Know About Mind Flayers
Though the effects are mainly negative, being turned to stone has a few slim benefits. A Petrified creature gains resistance to all damage, and cannot be poisoned or stricken with disease. Note, however, that any disease or poison already in their system does not go away. Instead, its effects are suspended, and resume when the Petrified condition ends.
Poisoned
This condition should not be confused with the damage type of the same name. They may come from the same source, but do not always occur together; taking poison damage does not necessarily mean that a creature will be inflicted with the Poisoned condition, nor vice versa.
When under this condition, which usually comes about as the result of Necromancy spells, toxic substances have weakened the creature in question. This causes them disadvantage on all Attack rolls and ability checks.
Prone
A Prone creature has been knocked flat on their back. While Prone, they can only move by crawling, and will have disadvantage on all Attack rolls. A Prone creature may take an Action on their turn to stand up, ending the condition. This will usually take half of their movement for that turn, although this may be adjusted at the DM’s discretion.
Attack rolls made against a Prone creature will typically have disadvantage, presumably because it is more difficult to hit someone lying on the ground. However, if the attacker is within 5 feet of the Prone creature (i.e., more or less within arm’s reach), their Attack roll will have advantage due to their opponent’s vulnerable position.
Restrained
The Restrained condition is somewhat similar to Grappled, in that the affected creature’s movement has been restricted in some way. It may have been caught in a net, entangled in conjured tentacles, or be suffering the slow onset of a spell that will eventually leave it Petrified. Its speed drops to 0, all Attack rolls against it have advantage, and all Attacks it makes have disadvantage.
A restrained creature is still capable of movement, but will have disadvantage on any Dexterity saving throws due to its limited movement. Depending on the source of the condition, the DM may allow a player to take an action attempting to free their character (or free someone else) from restraints, such as cutting someone’s bonds.
Stunned
The Stunned condition is similar to Paralyzed, but in some respects is slightly less severe. Like a Paralyzed creature, a Stunned creature is incapacitated. It cannot move; however, it can speak falteringly. Usually, an incapacitated creature cannot take any actions or reactions; however, a DM may allow a Stunned creature to use spells that have only verbal components.
Also like Paralyzed creatures, a Stunned creature will automatically fail Dexterity and Strength saving throws. All attack rolls made against the Stunned creature have advantage.
Unconscious
When knocked unconscious, a creature is, naturally, incapacitated and cannot move or speak. They fall prone, unaware of their surroundings, and drop anything they are holding. Like most other incapacitating effects, an Unconscious creature will fail all Strength and Dexterity saving throws.
This condition is most often the result of a creature’s hit points dropping below 0. While in this state, the player or DM must roll death saves on each turn, which eventually result in the character either dying or stabilizing. If stabilized, the creature does not lose any more HP, but they will remain unconscious until healed.
MORE: Dungeons & Dragons: Tips For Running The Wild Beyond The Witchlight
