DnD Conditions: Full Reference List

The conditions system in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition defines a structured set of status effects that alter a creature's capabilities in specific, rules-defined ways. Conditions appear across combat, exploration, and social encounter contexts, and their precise mechanical interactions determine outcomes at the table. This reference covers all 15 official conditions from the 5th Edition core rules, their mechanical definitions, how they stack and interact, and the decision points that matter most during play. For broader structural context on how the game's systems interlock, the D&D conceptual overview provides foundational framing.

Definition and scope

A condition, as defined in the D&D Basic Rules published by Wizards of the Coast via D&D Beyond, is a game state applied to a creature that modifies its capabilities until the condition ends. Conditions do not stack by repetition — a creature either has a condition or it does not. Applying the same condition twice does not double its effect; it simply resets the duration in some cases.

The 5th Edition rules recognize 15 named conditions:

1. Blinded — The creature cannot see, automatically fails any ability check requiring sight, attack rolls against it have advantage, and its own attack rolls have disadvantage.
2. Charmed — The creature cannot attack the charmer or target it with harmful abilities or spells; the charmer has advantage on social ability checks against the charmed creature.
3. Deafened — The creature cannot hear and automatically fails ability checks that require hearing.
4. Exhaustion — A tiered condition with 6 severity levels; see the exhaustion rules reference for the full progression table.
5. Frightened — The creature has disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls while the source of fear is within line of sight; it cannot willingly move closer to that source.
6. Grappled — The creature's speed becomes 0. Ends if the grappler is incapacitated or if an effect removes the creature from the grappler's reach. See grappling rules for the contested check mechanics.
7. Incapacitated — The creature cannot take actions or reactions.
8. Invisible — The creature is impossible to see without special senses. Attack rolls against it have disadvantage; its own attack rolls have advantage.
9. Paralyzed — The creature is incapacitated, cannot move or speak, automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws, attack rolls against it have advantage, and any hit from within 5 feet is a critical hit.
10. Petrified — The creature is transformed into a solid inanimate substance, incapacitated, and unaware of its surroundings. It gains resistance to all damage and immunity to poison and disease while petrified.
11. Poisoned — The creature has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks. For sources and durations, the poison rules reference details substance types and saving throw DCs.
12. Prone — The creature is on the ground. Its only movement option is crawling (which costs 1 extra foot of movement per foot traveled), and standing up costs half its movement speed. Attack rolls against it have advantage if the attacker is within 5 feet; otherwise, disadvantage.
13. Restrained — The creature's speed becomes 0, attack rolls against it have advantage, and its own attack rolls have disadvantage. It also has disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws.
14. Stunned — The creature is incapacitated, cannot move, can speak only falteringly, automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws, and attack rolls against it have advantage.
15. Unconscious — The creature is incapacitated, cannot move or speak, is unaware of its surroundings, drops whatever it's holding, and falls prone. It automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws, attack rolls against it have advantage, and any hit from within 5 feet is a critical hit.

How it works

Conditions are applied through spells, monster abilities, environmental hazards, or class features. The source of the condition — not the condition itself — specifies the ending trigger. Triggers include saving throw successes, elapsed time (measured in rounds or minutes), the removal of a restraining force, or a spell's concentration breaking. Concentration mechanics are addressed in the concentration rules.

Condition severity comparison — Paralyzed vs. Stunned:

Paralyzed is the more lethal of the two states because any melee hit automatically becomes a critical hit, doubling damage dice. This distinction is operationally significant when a Monk player decides whether to spend ki points on Stunning Strike versus relying on a party member's concentration spell.

Saving throw mechanics determine how and whether a condition takes hold. Many conditions allow a repeat saving throw at the end of each affected creature's turn.

Common scenarios

Combat application: The prone condition interacts directly with movement and positioning and produces a split-advantage effect based on attacker range. A prone creature is harder to hit with ranged attacks but easier to hit in melee — a distinction relevant when deciding whether to stand up or stay down after a knockback.

Spell-induced conditions: The Hold Person spell applies the paralyzed condition to humanoids who fail a Wisdom saving throw. Because paralyzed creatures generate automatic critical hits on melee attacks, parties frequently coordinate burst damage during the window of paralysis. The spellcasting rules govern the action economy for casting such spells.

Disease and poison overlap: Both the diseased and poisoned states can apply the poisoned condition as a downstream mechanical effect. The disease rules describe how specific diseases trigger this state. Creatures with immunity to the poisoned condition — such as Undead and Constructs — are unaffected regardless of the disease vector.

Death and the unconscious condition: When a creature drops to 0 hit points, it falls unconscious and begins making death saving throws. This is distinct from magical unconsciousness. The full mechanics appear in the death and dying rules.

Decision boundaries

Stacking conditions: Because conditions do not stack with themselves, applying Hold Person to an already-paralyzed creature produces no additional mechanical effect. However, applying paralyzed and restrained together creates compounding disadvantage structures that stack validly because they are different conditions.

Incapacitation as a subset: Paralyzed, petrified, stunned, and unconscious all include the incapacitated condition as a component. A creature subject to any of these 4 states automatically meets the requirements of incapacitation without needing a separate application. This matters for features that trigger "when a creature is incapacitated."

Advantage and disadvantage resolution: Multiple conditions granting advantage on attack rolls do not compound. The advantage and disadvantage rules establish that advantage or disadvantage is a binary state — a creature either has it or does not, regardless of how many sources apply.

Exhaustion as a unique tier system: Exhaustion is the only condition with 6 discrete severity levels, each adding cumulative penalties. Level 5 reduces speed to 0; level 6 causes death. No other condition in the 5th Edition core rules uses a tiered structure. This is addressed in full on the exhaustion rules page.

Ending conditions early: Some conditions end only through specific spells (Greater Restoration, Remove Curse), while others end automatically when a triggering circumstance resolves. Dungeon Masters applying conditions should confirm the end trigger before applying — a judgment call covered in the Dungeon Master rules reference.

For a complete list of conditions as they appear in official compiled form, the D&D conditions reference index and the full site index provide navigation to adjacent rules categories.

References

• D&D Basic Rules — Conditions (Wizards of the Coast / D&D Beyond)
• D&D Beyond Rules Glossary — Official Digital Reference
• Dungeon Master's Guide, 5th Edition — Wizards of the Coast
• Player's Handbook, 5th Edition — Wizards of the Coast