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Cockatrice 5e: The Bite That Turns You to Stone
A cockatrice is a CR 1/2 Small Monstrosity with AC 11, 27 hit points (22 in 2024), a 40-foot fly speed and one attack: a +3 bite that deals 3 damage and starts petrification. A bitten creature makes a DC 11 Constitution save. Fail once and it's Restrained; fail again at the end of its next turn and it's Petrified for 24 hours. It's the lowest-CR petrifying monster in the SRD (the basilisk, gorgon and medusa start at CR 3), and it can take a character out of the adventure for a day. The 2024 version has 5 fewer hit points and is immune to being Petrified.
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Cockatrice Stat Block (2014)
Cockatrice
Small monstrosity, unaligned
Armor Class 11
Hit Points 27 (6d6+6)
Speed 20 ft., fly 40 ft.
STR
6 (−2)
DEX
12 (+1)
CON
12 (+1)
INT
2 (−4)
WIS
13 (+1)
CHA
5 (−3)
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages —
Challenge 1/2 (XP 100; PB +2)
Actions
Bite.Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) piercing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw against being magically petrified. On a failed save, the creature begins to turn to stone and is restrained. It must repeat the saving throw at the end of its next turn. On a success, the effect ends. On a failure, the creature is petrified for 24 hours.
Stat block from the SRD 5.1 (2014 rules) by Wizards of the Coast, licensed under CC-BY-4.0. Check an encounter with this monster in the encounter calculator.
•The target makes a DC 11 Constitution save against being magically petrified. On a success, nothing else happens.
•On a failure, it begins to turn to stone and is restrained.
•At the end of its next turn it saves again. Success ends the effect. Failure means it's petrified for 24 hours.
Everything else about the cockatrice is weak: Strength 6, a 20-foot walking speed, no immunities.
The Cockatrice in the 2024 Rules
Cockatrice
Small Monstrosity, Unaligned
Armor Class 11
Initiative +1 (11)
Hit Points 22 (5d6 + 5)
Speed 20 ft., fly 40 ft.
STR
6 (−2)save −2
DEX
12 (+1)save +1
CON
12 (+1)save +1
INT
2 (−4)save −4
WIS
13 (+1)save +1
CHA
5 (−3)save −3
Immunities Petrified
Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 11
Languages None
Challenge 1/2 (XP 100; PB +2)
Actions
Petrifying Bite.Melee Attack Roll: +3, reach 5 ft. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) Piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it is subjected to the following effect. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 11. First Failure: The target has the Restrained condition. The target repeats the save at the end of its next turn if it is still Restrained, ending the effect on itself on a success. Second Failure: The target has the Petrified condition, instead of the Restrained condition, for 24 hours.
Stat block from the SRD 5.2.1 (2024 rules) by Wizards of the Coast, licensed under CC-BY-4.0. Check an encounter with this monster in the encounter calculator.
2014
2024
HP
27 (6d6 + 6)
22 (5d6 + 5)
Attack name
Bite
Petrifying Bite
Condition immunities
None
Petrified
Save sequence
DC 11 Con; Restrained, then Petrified for 24 hours
Same, in First Failure / Second Failure format
The bite works the same. The 2024 text says the target repeats the save "if it is still Restrained," so anything that ends the Restrained condition early also stops the second save. The new Petrified immunity only matters if someone tries to petrify the cockatrice itself.
How Cockatrices Fight
The odds per bite. Against AC 15, the +3 bite hits on a 12 or higher (45%). A character with Constitution +2 and no save proficiency fails DC 11 on an 8 or lower (40%), and has to fail twice. That's about a 7% chance of petrification per bite. Against a wizard with AC 12 and Constitution +0 (hit on 9+, fail on 10 or lower), it rises to 15%.
Gang up on one target. Each bite starts its own save sequence, and Restrained gives attackers advantage, so once one bite sticks, the others swarm that character. Four bites on that wizard in one round give at least a 48% chance (1 − 0.85⁴) that one of them ends in stone, before counting the advantage.
Fly and peck. A 40-foot fly speed lets them bite and climb out of reach. With Intelligence 2 they fight like animals: once two are down, the rest scatter.
A petrified character isn't dead. They're stone for 24 hours, weigh ten times as much, and have resistance to all damage. Carrying a 1,500-pound statue out of a swamp is its own adventure.
Running a Cockatrice Encounter
For four level 1 characters, the 2024 Low budget (200 XP) is two cockatrices, and three (300 XP) is Moderate. For four level 2 characters, four cockatrices (400 XP) are Low.
The 2014 guidelines in our encounter calculator make three cockatrices worth 600 adjusted XP: Hard for four level 2 characters.
Two cockatrices are enough for a level 1 party. The real cost is a character petrified for a day, so think about what that does to your session before you add a third.
How Players Beat a Cockatrice
•Kill them fast. AC 11 and 22 to 27 HP. A level 1 party drops one in two or three hits.
•Protect the low-Constitution characters. Put wizards and rogues behind the front line. Characters proficient in Constitution saves (fighters, barbarians, sorcerers) fail far less often.
•Stack the saves.Bless adds 1d4 to saving throws, which turns a 40% failure chance on DC 11 (Constitution +2) into about 27% per save.
•Remember the cure. Greater Restoration ends petrification. At low levels the party usually has to wait out the 24 hours.
Cockatrice Encounter Ideas
The statue garden. A farmer's orchard has new "statues": a fox, two crows, and the farmer's son. Three cockatrices nest in the hollow of the old pear tree. The son wakes up tomorrow, if nobody knocks him over first.
The egg contract. A wizard pays well for an intact cockatrice egg. The nest is on a cliff ledge, and both parents fly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What CR is a cockatrice in 5e?
CR 1/2, worth 100 XP, in both editions.
How long does cockatrice petrification last?
24 hours. The character is petrified for a day, then returns to normal. Greater Restoration can end it sooner.
How does the cockatrice's bite work?
On a hit, the target makes a DC 11 Constitution save. On a failure it's restrained and makes the save again at the end of its next turn. A second failure petrifies it for 24 hours; a success ends the effect.
What's the difference between a cockatrice, a basilisk and a gorgon?
The cockatrice (CR 1/2) petrifies with its bite, one target at a time, for 24 hours. The basilisk (CR 3) and medusa (CR 6) use a gaze, and their petrification lasts until magic ends it. The gorgon (CR 5) uses a breath weapon cone, also with no time limit.
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.
This page includes material from the System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2.1 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Loreify is not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.