I'm building an encounter for my players where some of the monster’s abilities also apply a status effect like charmed and stunned. Would certain status effects override one of the others?
Like Xalthu said, you can have multiple status effects, but how they interact with each other can come into conflict. Your example of charmed and stunned is a good one. If the monster ability applies charm and has the character do some action (like defend them or something) then being stunned as well would cause them to do nothing. Both effects are still in play, but stunned would effectivly nullify the charm. If the stun effect went away, they would still be charmed.
I'm building an encounter for my players where some of the monster’s abilities also apply a status effect like charmed and stunned. Would certain status effects override one of the others?
Certain effects make others irrelevant, but it's still possible to have both at once.
If multiple effects impose the same condition on a creature, each instance of the condition has its own duration, but the condition's effects don't get worse. A creature either has a condition or doesn't.
so... it depends on what you mean by 'have the same effect twice'?
If multiple effects impose the same condition on a creature, each instance of the condition has its own duration, but the condition's effects don't get worse. A creature either has a condition or doesn't.
so... it depends on what you mean by 'have the same effect twice'?
I think for examples like Charmed - the creature would remain charmed by every creature that has charmed it. The charmed condition caused by one creature or event does not over-write the charmed condition caused by something else. On the other hand, there are no condition like double stunned, double incapacitated, double restrained - even if applied by multiple sources the effects of the condition remain the same.
If multiple effects impose the same condition on a creature, each instance of the condition has its own duration, but the condition's effects don't get worse. A creature either has a condition or doesn't.
so... it depends on what you mean by 'have the same effect twice'?
I mean, while you couldn’t be doubly restrained, if someone casts flesh to stone on you, and then a gorgon comes along and breaths all over you, then at the end of each of your turns you gotta make two saving throws. Once you’re restrained you’re restrained, you can’t be any more restrained than restrained. (Just like that stoned kid in Super Troopers couldn’t pull over any further,* or like once you’re pregnant you’re pregnant.) But you would still have to escape each effect restraining you individually.
Yeah, I was thinking in terms of spells effects that don't stack (can't double enlarge, for example), or how something like double resistance doesn't add up to immunity, but I should have been more careful with my wording.
Generally speaking an effect is the same if it has the same name. So spike growth and plant growth both create an area that difficult to move through but they have different names so they aren't the same effect. Also to interact spells must occur at the same time the means that they have the same trigger on the same turn. You can only be effected by one of a thing of a given name at the same time when you gain a second effect of the same name the weaker of the two is suppressed until one of them runs out. The exception is effects that are relative to another creature because these effects have elements that only apply when interacting with a specific creature. For example when you are charmed you are charmed by a specific creature and the effects of the condition apply to that creature only as a result you can be charmed by multiple creatures at the same time. The same is true for frightened and grappled, the parts of the effects that relate only to the target don't stack so you don't get double disadvantage for being frightened but there can be multiple creatures that you can't move towards.
So as an example let's say there are two flaming sphere spells, both spheres could exist at the same time and both spheres could be used on different players on their turns to ram and deal damage because those are different triggers. However, at the start of an adjacent creatures turn make only 1 save and take the damage of only one sphere because it is the same name effect occurring at the same time. If for example a DM allows a home brew acidic sphere which was flaming sphere but did acid damage then the creature would need to make two saves and take two lots of damage due to these spells now having different names. If you had a homebrew traumatic sphere that did psychic damage and then made creatures frightened of it when rammed then the creature could be afraid of both spheres.
The exception is effects that are relative to another creature because these effects have elements that only apply when interacting with a specific creature. For example when you are charmed you are charmed by a specific creature and the effects of the condition apply to that creature only as a result you can be charmed by multiple creatures at the same time. The same is true for frightened and grappled, the parts of the effects that relate only to the target don't stack so you don't get double disadvantage for being frightened but there can be multiple creatures that you can't move towards.
That depends entirely on what effect is causing the condition. If someone casts charm person on you and then someone else comes along and does the exact same thing then no, you are not charmed by both creatures. Whichever spell was cast at a higher level or the one with the higher save DC would suppress the other. If they were both cast at the same level and have the same DC, then the more recently cast spell would suppress the earlier one as long as it remains active. The only way you would end up charmed (or frightened) by multiple creatures is if the conditions were imposed by effects with different names. For example, if an autumn eladrin were to use its Enchanting Presence trait on you and someone else were to cast charm person on you, then you could be charmed by both.
I'm building an encounter for my players where some of the monster’s abilities also apply a status effect like charmed and stunned. Would certain status effects override one of the others?
No it wouldn't overide one another or get worse than it is, each different effect applying the same condition would apply until seperately ended.
What about two conditions like charmed and frightened? Could a player be charmed by the monster it's fighting, and then frightened by another PC to limit its movement a bit and/or make it attack its friends at disadvantage?
What about two conditions like charmed and frightened? Could a player be charmed by the monster it's fighting, and then frightened by another PC to limit its movement a bit and/or make it attack its friends at disadvantage?
I'm building an encounter for my players where some of the monster’s abilities also apply a status effect like charmed and stunned. Would certain status effects override one of the others?
Someone can have multiple effects at the same time. They can’t have the same effect twice, though.
Like Xalthu said, you can have multiple status effects, but how they interact with each other can come into conflict. Your example of charmed and stunned is a good one. If the monster ability applies charm and has the character do some action (like defend them or something) then being stunned as well would cause them to do nothing. Both effects are still in play, but stunned would effectivly nullify the charm. If the stun effect went away, they would still be charmed.
Certain effects make others irrelevant, but it's still possible to have both at once.
Why not. If two different things are restraining a creature then that creature should have to escape both of them independently.
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Per the basic rules
so... it depends on what you mean by 'have the same effect twice'?
I think for examples like Charmed - the creature would remain charmed by every creature that has charmed it. The charmed condition caused by one creature or event does not over-write the charmed condition caused by something else. On the other hand, there are no condition like double stunned, double incapacitated, double restrained - even if applied by multiple sources the effects of the condition remain the same.
I mean, while you couldn’t be doubly restrained, if someone casts flesh to stone on you, and then a gorgon comes along and breaths all over you, then at the end of each of your turns you gotta make two saving throws. Once you’re restrained you’re restrained, you can’t be any more restrained than restrained. (Just like that stoned kid in Super Troopers couldn’t pull over any further,* or like once you’re pregnant you’re pregnant.) But you would still have to escape each effect restraining you individually.
*👇😂😂
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Yeah, I was thinking in terms of spells effects that don't stack (can't double enlarge, for example), or how something like double resistance doesn't add up to immunity, but I should have been more careful with my wording.
Generally speaking an effect is the same if it has the same name. So spike growth and plant growth both create an area that difficult to move through but they have different names so they aren't the same effect. Also to interact spells must occur at the same time the means that they have the same trigger on the same turn. You can only be effected by one of a thing of a given name at the same time when you gain a second effect of the same name the weaker of the two is suppressed until one of them runs out. The exception is effects that are relative to another creature because these effects have elements that only apply when interacting with a specific creature. For example when you are charmed you are charmed by a specific creature and the effects of the condition apply to that creature only as a result you can be charmed by multiple creatures at the same time. The same is true for frightened and grappled, the parts of the effects that relate only to the target don't stack so you don't get double disadvantage for being frightened but there can be multiple creatures that you can't move towards.
So as an example let's say there are two flaming sphere spells, both spheres could exist at the same time and both spheres could be used on different players on their turns to ram and deal damage because those are different triggers. However, at the start of an adjacent creatures turn make only 1 save and take the damage of only one sphere because it is the same name effect occurring at the same time. If for example a DM allows a home brew acidic sphere which was flaming sphere but did acid damage then the creature would need to make two saves and take two lots of damage due to these spells now having different names. If you had a homebrew traumatic sphere that did psychic damage and then made creatures frightened of it when rammed then the creature could be afraid of both spheres.
That depends entirely on what effect is causing the condition. If someone casts charm person on you and then someone else comes along and does the exact same thing then no, you are not charmed by both creatures. Whichever spell was cast at a higher level or the one with the higher save DC would suppress the other. If they were both cast at the same level and have the same DC, then the more recently cast spell would suppress the earlier one as long as it remains active. The only way you would end up charmed (or frightened) by multiple creatures is if the conditions were imposed by effects with different names. For example, if an autumn eladrin were to use its Enchanting Presence trait on you and someone else were to cast charm person on you, then you could be charmed by both.
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No it wouldn't overide one another or get worse than it is, each different effect applying the same condition would apply until seperately ended.
What about two conditions like charmed and frightened? Could a player be charmed by the monster it's fighting, and then frightened by another PC to limit its movement a bit and/or make it attack its friends at disadvantage?
Probably not worth doing, but possible.
Assuming they had nothing else to do with their bonus action or something, it would be possible?
Sure, it would be possible.
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Cool, thanks for the input! If anyone has any other thoughts on this feel free to add them