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 (except for exhaustion, which has ranks). A creature either has a condition or doesn’t. Some specific abilities will impose a more severe condition if the target is already afflicted (becoming stunned if you were staggered, for example).

The following definitions specify what happens to a creature while it is subjected to a condition. As with everything, common sense and narrative consistency can override these descriptions. These are summaries, not computer code.

Blinded

Bloodied

Bloodied, by itself, does little. It is automatically applied to any creature whose hit points are below half of its maximum.

Broken

The default way of imposing the broken condition is by the creature failing a Wisdom saving throw against Morale effects (see the monsters chapter in the full pdf). Some other abilities may impose it. It lasts for one round at minimum, or more if appropriate. Mindless creatures are immune to being broken. Note: the PCs are heroes. They do not have to make Morale saves and should rarely, if ever, have the Broken condition.

Charmed

Concentrating

The Concentrating condition is applied when one begins casting a spell or activating an ability with duration involving Concentration or that says it requires concentration as if on a spell. You may only Concentrate on one effect at a time. While Concentrating, any effect that would apply the Concentrating condition again ends the first effect for all targets before the second takes effect. Similarly, if your Concentration is broken for any reason, the effect you were concentrating on ends.

Concentration lasts for the duration of the effect or until broken by one of the following.

Deafened

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.

Each level of exhaustion (up to five levels) adds a cumulative −1 modifier to all checks, saves, and attacks. It also decreases the save DC of your abilities and spells by 1. Upon taking a 6th level of exhaustion, you are incapacitated until you no longer have 6 levels.

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. 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 (or was incapacitated with 6 levels).

Frightened

Grappled

The grappled condition can be ended by succeeding on an escape attempt, which involves spending your action to make a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check opposed by either a fixed DC (from monster abilities that automatically grapple) or a Strength (Athletics) check made by the one doing the grappling. The condition can also be ended in a few other ways:

If two people wish to play tug-of-war with a third, (such as an ally trying to pull someone out of a monster’s grasp), the two opposing parties make the opposed checks. The grappled person can choose to help one side or the other or do nothing; helping grants that side advantage on the check. If not conscious or not able to take actions, the grappled person does nothing.

Hidden

Hidden is a relative condition; you can be hidden from one creature and not from another. To become hidden, you must either be impossible to detect by the other creature—have total concealment, be unable to be heard (such as by the spell), and be unable to be smelled or otherwise sensed (via senses like tremorsense or blindsight)—or have successfully taken the Hide action (which requires total concealment) and beaten that creature’s Passive Perception.

Incapacitated

An incapacitated creature can’t take actions or reactions. They can still move and speak.

Invisible

An invisible creature is impossible to see without the aid of magic or a special sense. If they are unseen as a result, see the Unseen Attackers rules.

Paralyzed

Petrified

Poisoned

Prone

Restrained

Shaken

Staggered

Stunned

Surprised

This condition is applied only on the first round of combat and automatically ends at the end of the affected person’s first turn.

Unconscious