Conditions in D&D: Rules Reference

Conditions in Dungeons & Dragons represent a structured set of defined status effects that alter a creature's capabilities during play. The fifth edition rules enumerate 15 distinct conditions, each with specific mechanical consequences that apply consistently regardless of the source that imposed them. This reference covers the definition and scope of conditions, their mechanical operation, the scenarios where they most frequently arise, and the decision-making boundaries that determine how they stack, interact, and resolve.

Definition and scope

A condition in D&D 5e is a named, rules-defined state applied to a creature that modifies what that creature can do, how it is treated by attack rolls, and which checks or saves it can make. The 15 conditions defined in the core rules are: blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, grappled, incapacitated, invisible, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, stunned, and unconscious.

Conditions are not damage; they do not reduce hit points by themselves. They alter the mechanical environment around a creature — imposing disadvantage on certain rolls, granting advantage to attackers, or restricting action types entirely. The source of a condition — a spell, a monster ability, an environmental hazard — is distinct from the condition's effect. Once applied, the condition's rules govern, not the narrative description of the source. For a broader view of how status-modifying mechanics fit into D&D's action economy, see the D&D Core Rules Overview.

Exhaustion occupies a special position among conditions. Rather than a binary on/off state, exhaustion operates on a numbered scale from 1 to 6, with each level adding cumulative penalties. At level 1, the creature suffers disadvantage on ability checks; at level 6, the creature dies. This makes exhaustion the only tiered condition in standard 5e rules, and it is covered in greater detail at Exhaustion Rules.

How it works

Conditions apply when a creature fails a saving throw, is hit by a specific attack, or enters a defined zone or state. The condition persists until its source specifies an end condition — typically the end or start of a turn, the expenditure of an action, a successful saving throw, or removal by a spell such as lesser restoration.

The core mechanical patterns across conditions follow a consistent logic:

  1. Disadvantage on attack rolls — Blinded, frightened (when the source of fear is in line of sight), poisoned, and restrained all impose disadvantage on attack rolls.
  2. Advantage granted to attackers — Blinded, paralyzed, petrified, prone (for melee attacks within 5 feet), restrained, stunned, and unconscious all grant advantage to attackers targeting the affected creature.
  3. Restriction of movement — Grappled reduces speed to 0. Restrained also reduces speed to 0 and additionally imposes disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws. Prone halves speed and requires the creature to spend half its movement to stand.
  4. Restriction of actions — Incapacitated prevents actions and reactions. Stunned produces this same restriction plus grants attackers advantage and forces the creature to fail Strength and Dexterity saves. Paralyzed replicates stunning effects but additionally causes any melee hit from within 5 feet to automatically qualify as a critical hit.
  5. Immunity and neutralization — Charmed prevents a creature from attacking the charmer and grants the charmer advantage on Charisma checks against the creature. It does not control the charmed creature's actions beyond that constraint.

Conditions do not stack with themselves. Applying blinded to a creature already blinded produces no additional mechanical change. Multiple conditions of different types, however, accumulate independently. For interactions between conditions and dice mechanics, see Advantage and Disadvantage Rules.

Saving Throws Rules govern the most common mechanism for resisting condition application — the Constitution save against paralysis, the Wisdom save against frightened, and the Dexterity save against prone from area effects all represent distinct saving throw types tied to specific conditions.

Common scenarios

Conditions arise across combat, exploration, and social contexts. The most frequently encountered scenarios in standard play include:

The Combat Rules framework governs the turn-by-turn resolution of conditions during initiative order.

Decision boundaries

Three boundary questions arise frequently in condition adjudication:

Does a condition from one source suppress or override a condition from another? No. Conditions from different sources are tracked independently. A creature can be simultaneously grappled, poisoned, and frightened, with each condition's rules applying simultaneously.

What distinguishes incapacitated from stunned from paralyzed? The hierarchy is additive: incapacitated restricts actions and reactions; stunned adds auto-failing Strength and Dexterity saves and grants attacker advantage; paralyzed adds the critical hit threshold for melee. Each level encompasses the prior.

Can conditions apply to objects or structures? The core rules define conditions as applying to creatures. Dungeon Masters retain authority to apply condition-like effects to objects as a descriptive tool, but official condition mechanics target creatures only.

For the broader framework governing recreational play contexts and how structured rules systems operate as recreation, see How Recreation Works: Conceptual Overview. The full rule index is at dndrules.com.

References

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