Paralyzed Condition 5e
by Prince Phantom
Horribly devastating and thankfully rare, the Paralyzed condition is rightfully feared in 5e. Here are the exact rules:
Paralyzed
A paralyzed creature is incapacitated (see the condition) and can’t move or speak.
The creature automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws.
Attack roles against the creature have advantage.
Any attack that hits the creature is a critical hit if the attacker is within 5 feet of the creature.
Yikes. There are a few conditions that immobilize a creature, but none quite as effective as this. Not only are we incapacitated (which prevents us from taking any actions), automatically fail two common saves, and all attacks against us have disadvantage, we are crit by any attack made within 5ft of us. Note the difference between 5ft and melee range. Many monsters have melee attack ranges of more than 5ft, not to mention polearms, so just make sure not to be confused by that.
How many monsters are immune to the Paralyzed condition?
362/2624 monster are immune to Paralysis. That’s actually a pretty good ratio, considering most conditions have around 500 or more monsters immune to them. The downside is that it’s not always as obvious when a monster is immune to Paralysis as it is for something like fear or charm. High CR enemies in general are more likely to be immune, especially high level undead. Many constructs and elementals are also immune, but not all. Also, note that many boss monsters like Astral Dreadnaughts and campaign BBEGs like Rime of the Frostmaiden’s Auril are immune, likely because the designers don’t want you to stomp a big important monster just by getting lucky with a save or suck spell.
How do we inflict the Paralyzed condition?
Spells:
Class Abilities:
Nothing.
Yeah it’s really just the two “Hold” spells as our options for inflicting the Paralyzed condition. Notably, that’s also the only thing these spells do, which should speak volumes to the power of this condition. There might be a couple of magic items that inflict Paralysis, but these are the only options that you can for sure have access to. Thankfully, they are available to darn near every casting class in the game, so if you want these spells, you can probably have them.
As for exactly how good they are, that depends. They upcast well, enabling you to target more creatures for each level up you go. I’m not the biggest fan of gambling my entire turn on a save-or-suck spell, but if you back it up with things like Silvery Barbs or class abilities like Portent to make sure that the enemy fails their save, I’m more likely to give these a shot. Also, make sure your party is actually well suited to take advantage of this condition. You want to have at least a few people who can take advantage of these crits like Paladins or Rogues, or summoned allies like from Conjure Animals or Animate Dead.
How many monsters can inflict Paralysis?
In my searching through the Monster Manual and other source books, I found that most monsters who can Paralyze do it through on of the “Hold” spells. There are exceptions of course, some undead like Ghouls can Paralyze on hit if you fail their save DC by a lot, Beholders can have a Paralysis beam, and other miscellaneous examples, but they are few and far between. You’ll also find that you face Paralysis more commonly at high level play, where spellcasters who can cast and upcast those two spells are more common.
How do we resist Paralysis?
Since most instances of Paralysis targeted at players come from Hold Person, bolstering your Wisdom saves are a great way to make sure you never face this condition. If your class doesn’t get Wisdom save proficiency, consider taking the feat Resilient for Wisdom saves probably around level 12 or so, as that’s when you’ll start to encounter this condition more often. Aside from that, here are a few other options:
Racial Features:
Class Features:
None, surprisingly.
Spells:
The lack of options here is telling, so much so that I had to include Lesser Restoration, a spell that normally isn’t worth it to cast, but definitely could be if you are removing Paralysis. The same goes for Freedom of Movement, a spell that is incredibly situational but could save someone’s life in that situation. It’s still pretty rare to encounter Paralysis though, so packing those spells can be a tough sell if you aren’t sure you’ll encounter it during your day. Dispel Magic will likely be a better alternative, as the majority of the time Paralysis will be delivered through spells.
In Summary:
Paralysis is by far the most deadly of all conditions, both in its sheer power but also in the lack of easy ways to defend against it. Thankfully, it is rare to see on your average adventure, but not so rare that it won’t come up. Watch out dungeon delvers, many a character has been lost to a Hold Person followed by multiple consecutive crits. Bump up those Wisdom saves, pack some emergency options, and pick a god and pray.
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