Learn how the frightened condition works and how you can take advantage of it and protect yourself from it
Adventurers in D&D 5e face many perilous situations from deadly dungeons to malicious monsters and mages. A party will often have their bravery severely tested in most campaigns and some situations represent something so terrifying that those adventurers might just bottle it in fright.
This is where the frightened condition comes into play. A character can become frightened by certain abilities and spells if they fail a wisdom saving throw. Of course, your gnarly warriors may also invoke fear themselves so not only have we got a guide to explain how the frightened condition works and how to optimise against it, but also how you can use it to your own advantage.
Frightened rules
The Player’s Handbook explains the rules for the frightened condition, explaining that it causes the following effects:
Player’s Handbook, p290
- A frightened creature has disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls while the source of its fear is within line of sight.
- The creature can’t willingly move closer to the source of its fear.
How does the frightened condition work?
If you come up against something fear inducing, you will need to take a wisdom saving throw to determine if that thing frightens you.
In addition to the rules explained above that always accompany the frightened condition, many fear abilities and spells will add in additional effects, perhaps because the frightening thing is particularly terrifying. This is the case with the fear spell which causes frightened creatures to drop what they’re holding and run away from the source of their fear.
The frightened condition isn’t an automatic condition, you do have a chance to not become frightened by taking a wisdom saving throw. Wisdom saving throws are very common so it can be a good ability to at least improve a little (and depending on your class, maximising).
What can cause you to be frightened?
Primarily, there are 2 ways the frightened condition might be imposed. Through spells and abilities. Fear inducing abilities are more common among monsters, and normally only for particularly terrifying foes. Of course, the more powerful the creature imposing fear, the more difficult the wisdom saving throw is to pass. Of course, by this point, characters are normally tougher too, though low wisdom will become more of a challenge at higher levels.
Spells that cause frightened
Below are the spells that can cause the frightened condition:
| Spell | Level | Casting Time | Range | Saving Throw | Duration | Classes | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antipathy / Sympathy | 8th | 1 hour | 60ft | Wisdom | 10 days | Druid, wizard | Can cause those in the area to become frightened or not leave the area |
| Cause Fear | 1st | 1 action | 60ft | Wisdom | 1 minute concentration | Warlock, Wizard | Can frighten a creature |
| Eyebite | 6th | 1 action | Self | Wisdom | 1 minute concentration | Bard, Sorceror, Warlock, Wizard | Can cause a target to be frightened, unconscious or sickened |
| Fear | 3rd | 1 action | Self (30ft cone) | Wisdom | 1 minute concentration | Bard, Sorceror, Warlock, Wizard | Frightened and cause targets to take the dash action away from you |
| Hallow | 5th | 24 hours | Touch (60ft radius) | Wisdom | Until dispelled | Cleric | Various including frightened and immunity to fright |
| Illusory Dragon | 8th | 1 action | 120ft | Wisdom | 1 minute concentration | Wizard | Frightened and 7d6 damage |
| Phantasmal Killer | 4th | 1 action | 120ft | Wisdom | 1 minute concentration | Wizard | Frightened and 4d10 psychic damage |
| Summon Shadowspawn | 3rd | 1 action | 90ft | Wisdom | 1 hour concentration | Warlock, Wizard | Summon a shadow spirit which can cause fear |
| Symbol | 7th | 1 minute | Touch | Various | Until dispelled or triggered | Bard, Cleric, Wizard | Various including being frightened |
| Weird | 9th | 1 action | 120ft (30ft radius sphere) | Wisdom | 1 minute concentration | Wizard | Creatures in the area become frightened and take 4d10 psychic damage |
| Wrathful Smite | 1st | 1 bonus action | Self | Wisdom | 1 minute concentration | Paladin | Frightened and 1d6 psychic damage |
Abilities that cause frightened
If you’re not a spellcaster (or don’t want to use precious spell options on a frightened spell), then there are also a number of abilities that you can use to cause frightened including:
- Berserker Barbarian – Intimidating presence
- College of Whispers Bard – Words of Terror
- Battle Master Fighter – Menacing Attack maneuver
- Oath of Vengeance Paladin – Channel Divinity: Abjure Enemy
- Oath of Vengeance Paladin – Avenging Angel
- Oath of Conquest Paladin – Various abilities that utilise fright
- Draconic Ancestry Sorceror – Draconic Presence
- The Archfey Warlock – Fey Presence and Dark Delirium
- Pact of the Chain Warlock – Quasit familiar has a fear ability
Monsters that cause frightened
If you’re a DM and really want to terrify your players, then you can also introduce creatures that cause the frightened condition. Some of these creatures include:
| Monster | Source Book | Challenge Rating | Experience | Saving Throw |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variant Satyr Pipes | Monster Manual, p267 | 1/2 | 100xp | Wisdom (DC13) |
| Scarecrow | Monster Manual, p268 | 1 | 200xp | Wisdom (DC11) |
| Quasit | Monster Manual, p63 | 1 | 200xp | Wisdom (DC10) |
| Sea Hag | Monster Manual, p179 | 2 | 450xp | Wisdom (DC11) |
| Mummy | Monster Manual, p228 | 3 | 700xp | Wisdom (DC11) |
| Spectator | Monster Manual, p30 | 3 | 700xp | Wisdom (DC13) |
| Ghost | Monster Manual, p147 | 4 | 1,100xp | Wisdom (DC13) |
| Banshee | Monster Manual, p23 | 4 | 1,100xp | Wisdom (DC13) |
| Beholder Zombie | Monster Manual, p316 | 5 | 1,800xp | Wisdom (DC14) |
| Revenant | Monster Manual, p259 | 5 | 1,800xp | Wisdom (DC15) |
| Chain Devil | Monster Manual, p72 | 8 | 3,900xp | Wisdom (DC14) |
| Cloaker | Monster Manual, p41 | 8 | 3,900xp | Wisdom (DC13) |
| Beholder | Monster Manual, p28 | 13 | 10,000xp | Wisdom (DC16) |
| Nalfeshness | Monster Manual, p62 | 13 | 10,000xp | Wisdom (DC15) |
| Death Tyrant | Monster Manual, p29 | 14 | 11,500xp | Wisdom (DC17) |
| Mummy Lord | Monster Manual, p229 | 15 | 13,000xp | Wisdom (DC16) |
| Androsphinx | Monster Manual, p281 | 17 | 18,000xp | Wisdom (DC18) |
| Pit Fiend | Monster Manual, p77 | 20 | 25,000xp | Wisdom (DC21) |
| Ancient White Dragon | Monster Manual, p100 | 20 | 25,000xp | Wisdom (DC16) |
| Ancient Brass Dragon | Monster Manual, p104 | 20 | 25,000xp | Wisdom (DC18) |
| Lich | Monster Manual, p202 | 21 | 33,000xp | Wisdom (DC18) |
| Ancient Copper Dragon | Monster Manual, p110 | 21 | 33,000xp | Wisdom (DC21) |
| Ancient Black Dragon | Monster Manual, p87 | 21 | 33,000xp | Wisdom (DC19) |
| Ancient Green Dragon | Monster Manual, p93 | 22 | 41,000xp | Wisdom (DC19) |
| Ancient Bronze Dragon | Monster Manual, p107 | 22 | 41,000xp | Wisdom (DC20) |
| Ancient Blue Dragon | Monster Manual, p90 | 23 | 50,000xp | Wisdom (DC20) |
| Ancient Red Dragon | Monster Manual, p97 | 24 | 60,000xp | Wisdom (DC21) |
| Ancient Gold Dragon | Monster Manual, p113 | 24 | 62,000xp | Wisdom (DC24) |
| Tarrasque | Monster Manual, p286 | 30 | 155,000xp | Wisdom (DC17) |
How do you prevent frightened?
Typically, the frightened condition will give you the opportunity to retake saving throws each turn to determine if you recover from being frightened. Beyond this, there are abilities and spells that can stop you being frightened or boost your ability to resist fright. These include:
Spells that prevent frightened
| Spell | Level | Casting Time | Range | Saving Throw | Duration | Classes | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aura of Purity | 4th | 1 action | Self (30ft radius) | None | 10 minutes concentration | Paladin | Allies in the area receive buffs including advantage on frightened saving throws |
| Calm Emotions | 2nd | 1 action | 60ft (20ft radius sphere) | Charisma | 1 minute concentration | Bard, Cleric | Suppresses effects of frightened and charmed conditions |
| Dispel Evil and Good | 5th | 1 action | Self | Wisdom | 1 minute concentration | Cleric, Paladin | Can end frightened condition among others |
| Hallow | 5th | 24 hours | Touch (60ft radius) | Wisdom | Until dispelled | Cleric | Various including frightened and immunity to fright |
| Heroes’ Feast | 6th | 10 minutes | 30ft | None | Instantaneous | Cleric, Druid | Immunity to frightened condition among other buffs |
| Heroism | 1st | 1 action | Touch | None | 1 minute concentration | Bard, Paladin | Immunity to frightened and target gains temporary hit points |
| Magic Circle | 3rd | 1 minute | 10ft (10ft radius, 20ft tall cylinder) | None | 1 hour | Cleric, Paladin, Warlock, Wizard | Immunity to fright from certain creature types among other benefits |
| Power Word Heal | 9th | 1 action | Touch | None | Instantaneous | Bard | Target’s hit points all restored and several conditions end including frightened |
| Protection from Evil and Good | 1st | 1 action | Touch | None | 10 minutes concentration | Cleric, Paladin, Warlock, Wizard | Protection from a creature type including frightened immunity |
Abilities that prevent frightened
- Berserker Barbarian – Mindless Rage
- Bard – Countercharm
- Circle of the Land Druid – Immune to fright from elementals and fey creatures
- Monk – Stillness of Mind
- Paladin – Aura of Courage
- Hunter Ranger – Defensive Tactics (Steel Will)
The other way to reduce how much you might be affected by the frightened condition is to invest in your wisdom ability score as all frightened conditions come down to a wisdom saving throw.
All condition guides
Conditions are powerful tools or problematic obstacles in D&D 5e. You can learn more about all the conditions of D&D 5e in our guides below:
| Blinded | Grappled | Poisoned |
| Charmed | Incapacitated | Prone |
| Deafened | Invisible | Restrained |
| Exhaustion | Paralyzed | Stunned |
| Frightened | Petrified | Unconscious |
FAQs
Does the frightened condition always work the same?
No, some abilities and spells will outline additional rules that apply in this instance of a condition. For example, the frightened condition does not state that characters must run away from a creature they are frightened of, but some spells such as fear, do state that characters will use the dash action to run away from the source of their fear.
If a creature is frightened, can they look away from the source of their fear to remove disadvantage?
Although the condition states disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks while in line of sight of the source of our fear, this does not mean that looking away from the source of your fear will stop its effects. Instead, what it means is if you are in a position where if you looked at the creature, you could see them, then you’re within line of sight.