D&D 5E Conditions Explained — And How to Track Them at the Table
Conditions are some of the most powerful tools in D&D — and the most frequently forgotten mid-combat.
Every experienced D&D player has been there: the wizard casts Hold Person, the fighter charges in for the auto-crit, and then someone asks "wait, what does Paralyzed actually do?" Combat pauses. The DM opens the rulebook. The momentum dies.
Conditions are central to how D&D 5E combat works — they shift the battlefield, create tactical decisions, and make abilities feel impactful. But they only work if everyone at the table understands them. Here's a complete breakdown of every condition in D&D 5E, plus the best tools for tracking them in play.
The Complete Condition List
A blinded creature can't see and automatically fails ability checks that require sight. Attack rolls against it have advantage; its own attack rolls have disadvantage.
Most impactful when combined with other effects — a Blinded, Restrained creature is nearly helpless.
A charmed creature can't attack the charmer or target them with harmful abilities or spells. The charmer has advantage on Charisma checks to interact with the creature.
Charmed doesn't make the creature friendly to everyone else — it just removes the charmer as a valid target.
A deafened creature can't hear and automatically fails ability checks that require hearing. Rarely game-changing alone, but it blocks certain spells that require verbal components.
A frightened creature has disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls while the source of its fear is within line of sight. It also can't willingly move closer to the source of fear.
Positioning matters — if you can force the frightened creature between its fear source and a wall, it's effectively paralyzed.
A grappled creature's speed becomes 0 and can't benefit from speed bonuses. The condition ends if the grappler is incapacitated or the creature is moved out of reach.
An incapacitated creature can't take actions or reactions. This is the base condition for several others — Paralyzed and Stunned both impose Incapacitated on top of their own effects.
An invisible creature is impossible to see without special sense or magic. It has advantage on attack rolls; attack rolls against it have disadvantage. It can still be detected by sound or tracks.
A paralyzed creature is Incapacitated, can't move or speak, fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws, and attack rolls against it have advantage. Melee hits from within 5 feet are automatic critical hits.
Auto-crits from Paralyzed are one of the most powerful effects in the game. Coordinate with your caster.
A petrified creature is transformed into stone — Incapacitated, can't move or speak, unaware of its surroundings, and has resistance to all damage. It fails Strength and Dexterity saves and is immune to poison and disease.
A poisoned creature has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks. Simple but consistently impactful — many monsters and spells can inflict it.
A prone creature can only crawl unless it stands up (costing half its movement). Attack rolls against it have advantage if the attacker is within 5 feet; disadvantage if the attacker is further away. Ranged attacks are effectively nerfed against prone targets.
Knocking a creature prone next to a melee attacker is often better than dealing direct damage.
A restrained creature's speed becomes 0. Attack rolls against it have advantage; its own attack rolls have disadvantage. It also has disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws.
Restrained is one of the best battlefield control conditions — it debuffs offense, defense, and movement simultaneously.
A stunned creature is Incapacitated, can't move, and can only speak falteringly. It fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws, and attack rolls against it have advantage.
Stunned is the most powerful non-lethal condition in the game. A stunned boss for even one round can completely change an encounter.
An unconscious creature is Incapacitated, can't move or speak, drops whatever it's holding, falls prone, and fails Strength and Dexterity saves. Attacks against it have advantage and hits from within 5 feet are critical hits.
Exhaustion has six levels, each adding a cumulative penalty — disadvantage on checks (level 1), halved speed (2), disadvantage on attacks and saves (3), halved hit point maximum (4), speed reduced to 0 (5), and death (6). It's removed at a rate of one level per long rest.
Exhaustion is rarely used in combat but incredibly effective as a consequence of wilderness travel, failed forced marches, or specific monster abilities.
How to Track Conditions at the Table
Knowing the conditions is step one. Tracking them during a hectic combat with five players, three monsters, and a dungeon on fire is step two — and it's where most tables fall down.
- Relying on memory alone
- Sticky notes that fall off
- Saying "someone track that"
- Pausing to reread the rulebook
- Physical condition cards
- One card per affected creature
- Player holds their own card
- DM holds monster cards
When a creature becomes Poisoned, hand the Poisoned card to whoever controls that creature. They're now responsible for remembering the effect — and the card explains exactly what it does. No more mid-combat rulebook checks.
Illustrated Condition Cards give you one card per condition with clear rules text and artwork. The illustrated version also includes standard condition cards if you prefer a more minimal style — both formats in one download.
Conditions in the 2024 Edition
The 2024 Player's Handbook added one new condition — Dazed — which limits a creature to either moving or taking an action (not both) and prevents reactions. It's a lighter version of Stunned that appears on several new class features.
The Illustrated Condition Cards cover both 2014 and 2024 editions, so you're covered regardless of which rulebook your table is using.
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