Poison damage vs the poisoned condition
These are separate things:
- •Poison damage is a damage type. Resistance or immunity to poison damage reduces or prevents it.
- •The poisoned condition is a status effect. Immunity to it is listed separately, under condition immunities.
Many effects do both (a giant spider's bite deals poison damage, and can leave you poisoned), but resisting the damage doesn't stop the condition unless the feature says so. Dwarves are the classic example: Dwarven Resilience gives resistance to poison damage and advantage on saves against being poisoned (2014 and 2024).
What causes poisoned
Spells
- •Contagion (2024): 11d8 necrotic damage and poisoned on a failed Constitution save, with disadvantage on saves of one chosen ability.
- •Eyebite (2024 Sickened option).
- •Ray of Sickness (1st level, 2024 SRD): on a hit, 2d8 poison damage and poisoned until the end of your next turn.
Monsters
- •Dretch's Fetid Cloud and the ghast's Stench: poisoned until the start of your next turn on a failed save.
- •Giant spider, giant wasp and giant centipede bites: in the 2014 stat blocks, a creature dropped to 0 HP by the poison is stable but poisoned for 1 hour, and paralyzed while poisoned.
- •Drow hand crossbow: poisoned for 1 hour on a failed DC 13 Constitution save (2014).
- •Devils and demons like the bearded devil, bone devil and pit fiend.
Items and hazards
- •Poisons such as assassin's blood, drow poison and purple worm poison (2014 SRD).
How to cure poisoned
- •Lesser Restoration (2nd level): ends poisoned. It's a bonus action in 2024.
- •Protection from Poison (2nd level): neutralizes the poison (2014) or ends poisoned (2024), then gives advantage on saves against being poisoned and resistance to poison damage for 1 hour.
- •Heal (6th level): ends poisoned in 2024.
- •Paladin's Lay on Hands: in 2014, spend 5 points from the pool to neutralize one poison.
- •Potion of Vitality (2024): ends poisoned and removes all exhaustion.
- •Wait it out. Many poisons last a set time or until the end of your next turn.
Common rulings and edge cases
- •Saves aren't affected. A poisoned wizard still forces normal saves with spells like Fireball, and still makes saving throws normally.
- •Initiative is an ability check. Rolling initiative while poisoned means rolling with disadvantage.
- •Advantage cancels it. If you also have advantage (an ally's Help, a prone target in melee), the two cancel and you roll one d20.
- •Many monsters are immune. Undead, constructs, fiends and elementals often list poisoned as a condition immunity.
- •Petrified creatures are immune to poisoned in 2024 (and to poison and disease in 2014).
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the poisoned condition do in 5e?
It gives disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks. It doesn't affect saving throws, damage, speed or spellcasting.
Does poisoned affect saving throws?
No. Only attack rolls and ability checks. Some poisons add their own extra effects, but the condition itself leaves saves alone.
How do you cure poison in D&D 5e?
Lesser Restoration ends the poisoned condition. Protection from Poison ends it and protects against more poison for an hour. Waiting also works for short effects.
Is poison damage resistance the same as poison immunity?
No. Resistance to poison damage halves the damage, but you can still gain the poisoned condition unless you're immune to it as a condition.
Can you be poisoned more than once?
Conditions don't stack. If two effects poison you, you're poisoned until both end, but the penalty is still just disadvantage.
Rules checked against the D&D 5e SRD 5.1 (2014) and SRD 5.2.1 (2024).