Basilisk 5e: Stats, Petrifying Gaze and How to Survive It

A basilisk is a CR 3 Medium monstrosity with 52 hit points, a slow 20-foot speed, a 17-damage poisonous bite, and a Petrifying Gaze that can turn a character to stone after two failed DC 12 Constitution saves. Its AC is 15 in both editions. The gaze works very differently between editions: in 2014 it is a passive effect you can dodge by averting your eyes, and in 2024 it is a 30-foot cone, used as a bonus action on a 4-6 recharge, with no option to avert your eyes. Petrification from either version lasts until Greater Restoration or similar magic ends it, and Greater Restoration is a 5th-level spell that a level 3 party can't cast itself (casters reach 5th-level spells at level 9).

Table of Contents

• •Basilisk Stat Block (2014)
• •The Basilisk in the 2024 Rules
• •How Petrifying Gaze Works
• •How the Basilisk Fights
• •Running a Basilisk Encounter
• •How Players Beat a Basilisk
• •Basilisk Encounter Ideas
• •Frequently Asked Questions

Basilisk Stat Block (2014)

This is the basilisk from SRD 5.1, the same creature as the 2014 Monster Manual.

On paper this is a modest CR 3 creature: AC 15 from its natural armor, 52 hit points, Dexterity 8 and a single bite. A level 3 party can deal 52 damage in two or three rounds. The CR comes from the gaze. One character petrified at level 3 is out of the fight, and out of the campaign, until the party finds someone who can cast Greater Restoration.

The bite is no joke either. It deals 10 piercing plus 7 poison, 17 on average, enough to take a level 3 wizard from full to near zero in one hit.

The Basilisk in the 2024 Rules

The 2024 basilisk (SRD 5.2.1) has the same AC, hit points, bite, CR and save DC. What changed is the gaze.

The two changes that matter most:

• •The gaze becomes a bonus action on a recharge. The 2014 gaze threatens every creature within 30 feet at the start of that creature's turn, every turn. The 2024 gaze only comes on a 4-6, but the basilisk can bite and gaze in the same turn.
• •The gaze stops being avoidable by choice. The 2014 rule lets characters trade accuracy for safety by looking away. The 2024 cone has no eye-contact requirement in its text, so the only defenses are a good Constitution save, staying out of the cone, and killing the basilisk fast.

How Petrifying Gaze Works

Petrification takes two failed saves in both editions. The details around those saves differ.

2014 rules, step by step:

1. •A creature starts its turn within 30 feet of the basilisk, and the two can see each other. If the basilisk isn't incapacitated, it can force a DC 12 Constitution save.
2. •On a failure, the creature "magically begins to turn to stone" and is Restrained.
3. •At the end of its next turn, it saves again. Success ends the effect. Failure means it is Petrified until freed by the Greater Restoration spell or other magic.
4. •Averting eyes. A creature that isn't surprised can avert its eyes at the start of its turn to skip the save. It then can't see the basilisk until the start of its next turn. If it looks at the basilisk before then, it must save immediately.

2024 rules:

1. •As a bonus action, when the gaze is recharged, the basilisk targets every creature in a 30-foot cone with a DC 12 Constitution save.
2. •First failure: the target is Restrained and repeats the save at the end of its next turn if it is still Restrained. Success ends it.
3. •Second failure: the target is Petrified instead of Restrained.
4. •At the start of each of its turns, the basilisk rolls a d6. On a 4, 5 or 6 the gaze is ready again.

The odds. A character with +2 to Constitution saves fails a DC 12 save on a 9 or lower, 45% of the time. Two failures in a row is 0.45 × 0.45, about a 20% chance of petrification per gaze. A character with +5 fails on a 6 or lower (30%), so about 9% per gaze.

In 2014, a character who keeps its eyes open within 30 feet faces a new first save at the start of each turn it isn't already turning to stone. Over three such turns, a +2 character's chance of ending up Petrified is about 31% (0.45 × 0.45, plus 0.55 × 0.45 × 0.45 for failing on the second turn instead). In 2024, a fresh gaze comes on half the basilisk's turns, and every character in the cone rolls.

What petrified means. The creature turns to stone with its nonmagical gear, weighs ten times as much, is Incapacitated, has resistance to all damage, and automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saves. Attack rolls against it have advantage. The full rules are on our Petrified condition page.

The cure. Greater Restoration ends petrification in both editions. It's a 5th-level spell with a 100 gp diamond dust component that the spell consumes, so a cleric or druid needs to be 9th level to cast it. At levels 3 to 8, a petrified character means a trip to a temple, a favor owed, or an NPC with a price. Lesser Restoration does not cure it.

How the Basilisk Fights

A basilisk is slow (20 feet), dim (Intelligence 2) and patient. It wins by being where the party has to go.

Fight in a 30-foot room. In 2014 the gaze reaches everyone within 30 feet who can see it, so a basilisk in the middle of a 40-by-40-foot chamber threatens nearly every square. Characters must choose each turn between rolling the save or averting their eyes, and averting has a cost.

Make averting expensive (2014). A character who averts can't see the basilisk until its next turn. Attacks against a creature you can't see are made with disadvantage, and when a creature can't see the basilisk, the basilisk has advantage on its attacks against it. The bite numbers against an AC 16 character:

So the basilisk should bite whoever looked away. Meanwhile the fighter who averts swings at AC 15 with disadvantage: a +5 attack drops from a 55% hit chance to about 30%.

Use the cone (2024). The 2024 basilisk moves up to 20 feet, lines up its 30-foot cone to catch as many characters as possible, bites, and gazes in the same turn. Its threat range is about 50 feet on any turn the gaze is ready. On turns it isn't ready, it bites and repositions so the cone will cover the party next turn.

Bite the restrained. Restrained characters have disadvantage on attacks and Dexterity saves, and attacks against them have advantage. A basilisk that has a restrained target in reach should bite it: that character is a stone statue next turn on a failed save anyway, and if it passes the save, it's at low hit points.

Hold the chokepoint (2014). The 2014 gaze happens when a creature starts its turn within 30 feet, so a character who walked away at the end of their turn is safe, and one who stayed is not. A basilisk at 20 feet of speed can't chase, so it should hold a doorway and let the party come to it.

Running a Basilisk Encounter

A basilisk is a classic level 3 to 5 encounter. The 2024 XP budget for four characters (the basilisk is worth 700 XP):

Using the 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide guidelines (the method our encounter difficulty calculator uses), one basilisk is a Medium fight for four level 3 characters.

The XP math doesn't capture the real risk, which is permanent removal of a character. Before you run a basilisk at levels 3 to 5, decide how the party can get a petrified friend back. A temple two days away, a hag who wants a favor, or a scroll of Greater Restoration in the basilisk's lair all work. A petrification with no path back is a character death the player didn't see coming.

Foreshadow it. Basilisks are best when the party knows what they're facing. Stone animals at the cave mouth, a statue of a scout with its arm raised against its eyes, a shepherd who lost three goats to "the stone." Players who figure it out bring mirrors and plans, and that's the fun version of this fight.

Pairings. A basilisk works well as a guardian. Put it in a chamber the party needs to cross, with kobolds or other servants who know to approach only from behind it. For a petrification-themed dungeon, compare it with the cockatrice (CR 1/2, a weaker petrifying bite), the gorgon (CR 5, petrifying breath) and the medusa (CR 6, a stronger gaze).

How Players Beat a Basilisk

• •Use a mirror. In 2014, if the basilisk sees its reflection within 30 feet in bright light, it targets itself with its gaze. In 2024, if it sees its reflection in its own cone, it must make the save. Its Constitution save is +2, so it has the same 20% chance of turning itself to stone that a +2 character has, and a 45% chance of restraining itself on the first save. A restrained basilisk has speed 0 and its attacks have disadvantage. A polished shield works at the DM's discretion; a hand mirror costs 5 gp.
• •Avert at the right time (2014). Averting is best for the characters who don't need to attack it that turn: the cleric healing, the wizard casting an area spell, anyone repositioning. Attackers who must look should be the ones with the best Constitution saves.
• •Kill it at range (2014). The 2014 gaze reaches 30 feet. Archers and spellcasters at 35 feet or more are completely safe, and a 20-foot speed means the basilisk can't close that distance quickly. AC 15 means plenty of misses, so expect two or three rounds of focused ranged fire, and step back when it advances.
• •Spread out (2024). A 30-foot cone is 30 feet wide at its far end, so characters standing on different sides of the basilisk can't all be caught by one gaze. The recharge is a coin flip at the start of each of its turns, so there is no fully safe window; closing in right after it gazes only halves the risk.
• •Target Wisdom and Charisma. Its saves are Strength +3, Dexterity -1, Constitution +2, Intelligence -4, Wisdom -1, Charisma -2. In 2024, Command is a cheap answer: "Halt" means it takes no action or bonus action on its next turn, so no bite and no gaze. The 2014 Command fails on any creature that doesn't understand your language, and basilisks speak none. It's a Monstrosity, so Hold Person can't target it in either edition.
• •Light the room (2014). The mirror trick needs bright light in 2014, and the basilisk has darkvision. A Daylight spell or a lantern makes the mirror plan possible in a dark cave.

Basilisk Encounter Ideas

The sculptor's garden. A wealthy collector's sculpture garden has grown by a dozen pieces in a month, each one remarkably lifelike. The collector bought a "rare beast" from a traveling menagerie and keeps it in the hedge maze. Some of the statues are missing guests. With enough Greater Restoration, they're witnesses.

The quarry. Miners at a marble quarry keep finding stone rabbits, foxes and one stone miner in the lower galleries. The basilisk lives in a flooded side tunnel. The quarry master won't close the quarry, so the party has to clear it while miners keep working nearby. Miners with lanterns and polished cutting saws know more about mirrors and light than they realize.

The petrified rescue. A paladin who went to deal with a basilisk six months ago is still standing in its cave, as a statue. Her order will pay for her return and has a scroll of Greater Restoration but no one willing to carry it inside. The party has to get in, keep the scroll user from becoming the next statue, and deal with a basilisk that has been eating well.

Frequently Asked Questions

What CR is a basilisk in 5e?

A basilisk is CR 3 (700 XP) in both the 2014 and 2024 rules. It has 52 hit points and AC 15 in both editions.

How does the basilisk's Petrifying Gaze work?

A target makes a DC 12 Constitution save. On a failure it is Restrained, and it saves again at the end of its next turn. A second failure turns it to stone (Petrified); a success ends the effect. In 2014 the gaze affects creatures that start their turn within 30 feet and can see the basilisk. In 2024 it's a 30-foot cone used as a bonus action, recharging on a 4-6.

Can you avoid a basilisk's gaze by closing your eyes?

In the 2014 rules, yes: a creature that isn't surprised can avert its eyes at the start of its turn and skip the save, but it can't see the basilisk until its next turn. The 2024 version has no averting option. Every creature in the cone makes the save.

How do you cure basilisk petrification?

Greater Restoration ends it in both editions. The 2014 stat block also allows "other magic." Lesser Restoration does not work, and the petrification does not wear off with time.

Does a mirror work against a basilisk?

Yes. A 2014 basilisk that sees its reflection within 30 feet in bright light targets itself with its gaze. A 2024 basilisk that sees its reflection in its gaze cone must make the save itself. Either way, it can petrify itself.

Stat blocks: System Reference Document 5.1 (2014) and 5.2.1 (2024), Wizards of the Coast, CC-BY-4.0. Tactics, encounter math and ideas are Loreify's own.