1. Abilities

Exhaustion

RAW (Conditions)
All Conditions

Some special abilities and environmental hazards, such as starvation and the long-term effects of freezing or scorching temperatures, can lead to a special condition called exhaustion. Exhaustion is measured in six levels. An effect can give a creature one or more levels of exhaustion, as specified in the effect's description.


LevelEffect
1Disadvantage on Ability Checks
2Speed Halved
3Disadvantage on Attack Rolls and Saving Throws
4Hit Point Maximum Halved
5Speed Reduced to 0
6Death

If an already exhausted creature suffers another effect that causes exhaustion, its current level of exhaustion increases by the amount specified in the effect's description.


A creature suffers the effect of its current level of exhaustion as well as all lower levels. For example, a creature suffering level 2 exhaustion has its speed halved and has disadvantage on ability checks.


An effect that removes exhaustion reduces its level as specified in the effect's description, with all exhaustion effects ending if a creature's exhaustion level is reduced below 1.

Finishing a long rest reduces a creature's exhaustion level by 1, provided that the creature has also ingested some food and drink. Also, being raised from the dead reduces a creature’s exhaustion level by 1.

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Pushing Past Your Limits

This applies to Exhaustion as a side-effect of overexertion. Here are all the ways you can do it, Rules-as-Written (RAW):

  • Going for more than 24 hours without completing a long rest, you have to succeed on a DC 15 Constitution (CON) save or take a level of Exhaustion. The DC goes up by 5 for every consecutive time you do this in a row (XGE pg 79).
  • Traveling for more than eight hours straight, you have to succeed on a CON save or take a level of Exhaustion for each hour beyond eight. The DC is 10 + 1 for each extra hour. (PHB, pg 181). This also applies to rowing boats (DMG, pg 117).
  • When swimming for longer than one hour—eight for creatures that have a swimming speed—the above rules apply. Swimming for an hour at a depth greater than 200 ft. counts as 4 hours (DMG, pgs 116, 117).
  • When starving—you can live without food for as many days as 3+ your Con modifier (minimum 1). Every day after that, you automatically suffer a level of Exhaustion. Eating normally for a day resets the count but doesn’t get rid of the previously-acquired Exhaustion (PHB, pg 185).
  • You need to drink one gallon of water a day—two in hot weather. If you drink only half as much, you must succeed on a DC 15 CON save or suffer a level of Exhaustion. If you drink less than half the necessary water, you automatically fail the save. If you already have at least one level of Exhaustion (from any source), you take two Exhaustion levels (PHB, pg 185).
  • In a chase, you can freely use the dash action as many times as 3 + your Con modifier. For each additional dash, you have to succeed on a DC 10 Con check at the end of your turn or suffer a level of Exhaustion. You drop out of the chase at 5th level of Exhaustion because your speed drops to 0. You can remove levels of Exhaustion from the chase by finishing a short or long rest (DMG, pg 252).
  • If you’re a berserker barbarian, you can go into a frenzy when raging. You take a level of Exhaustion when your frenzied Rage ends (PHB, pg 49).

Environmental Hazards

This is an umbrella-term encompassing dangers both mundane and extraplanar, as seen in the following list:

  • When in temperatures below 0°F (-17 °C), you must succeed on a DC 10 Con save at the end of each hour or gain one level of Exhaustion. That is, unless you’re immune or resistant to cold damage, or wearing cold-weather gear (DMG, pg 110).
  • You can stay in frigid water for as many minutes as your Con score before you have to succeed on a DC 10 CON save or take a level of Exhaustion. Immunities and resistances from the above apply. (DMG, pg 110)
  • When buried under an avalanche, you suffer 1 level of Exhaustion for every 5 minutes trapped under the snow (TCE, pg 169).
  • In temperatures above 100°F (38°C) without access to drinking water, you must succeed on CON save every hour to avoid taking an Exhaustion level. The DC starts at 5 and increases by 1 for each additional hour. Wearing medium/heavy armor or warm clothing imposes disadvantage on this. You’re safe if you’re immune or resistant to fire damage (DMG, pg 110).
  • Spending time in haunted places, you may find yourself surrounded by supernatural mist. If you start your turn in it, you must succeed on a DC 10 CON save or take a level of Exhaustion. This Exhaustion can’t be removed while you’re in the mist. (96-00 in the D100 Haunted Effects table, TCE, pg 155)
  • Traversing areas taken over by insects, you may have to succeed on a DC 10 CON save or suffer a level of Exhaustion due to the swarming blood-suckers unless you’re immune to disease (96-00 in the D100 Infested Effects table, TCE, pg 157)
  • When taking a long rest in an incompatible plane of existence, you may suffer Psychic Dissonance. You have to succeed on a DC 10 CON save at the end of the rest or take a level of Exhaustion. If your lawful and chaotic alignments are incompatible, this effect is ignored, meaning it doesn’t happen in Mechanus and Limbo (DMG, pg 59).
  • Hearing the Mad Winds of Pandemonium, you must succeed on a DC 10 Wisdom (WIS) save after every hour or take a level of Exhaustion. If you reach 6th level of Exhaustion, you gain a form of indefinite madness instead of dying. You can only remove these Exhaustion levels with a long rest if you escape the maddening winds (DMG, pg 62).
  • When taking a long rest in Hades, you may suffer the Vile Transformation (Optional Rule; DMG, pg 63). You must succeed on a DC 10 WIS save or take one level of Exhaustion that can’t be removed while you’re in Hades. If you reach 6th level Exhaustion, you permanently transform into a larva (DMG, pg 63).
  • When trapped in the Far Realm, you might have to succeed on a DC 10 CON save or suffer a level of Exhaustion (64-72 in the D100 Far Realm Effects table, TCE, pg 152).

Magic Use

This covers Exhaustion as the intended result or as a side effect of magic use:

  • Someone could deny you all the benefits from a long rest by using the Dream spell, which would impose a level of Exhaustion on you.
  • If you start your turn within the area of effect of the Sickening Radiance spell, you must succeed on a CON save (DC depends on the caster) or suffer 4d10 radiant damage and a level of Exhaustion (XGE, pg 164).
  • Immediately after the effect of Tenser’s Transformation ends, you must succeed on a DC 15 CON save or suffer one level of Exhaustion (XGE, pg 168).
  • If you use the Ring of X-Ray Vision more than once between long rests, you must succeed on a DC 15 CON save or take a level of Exhaustion. Same applies for Vecna’s Eye unless you are also attuned to Vecna’s Hand (DMG, pg 224). 
  • If you use the Teeth of Dahlver-Nar (TCE, pg 137):
  • Item 5 on the d20 table, Dooms of Malpheggi: You get a +2 bonus to AC in the form of reptile scales. Additionally, when you finish a long rest, you must succeed on a DC 15 Con save or suffer a level of Exhaustion.
  • Item 13 on the d20 table, Three Bridges to the Sky: You can fly and Detect Magic at will. While you are attuned to less than 3 magic items, you suffer a level of exhaustion that can’t be removed until you are attuned to three or more magic items.
  • Item 19 on the d20 table, Incendax Tooth: you get an ancient red dragon‘s breath weapon, but you suffer two levels of Exhaustion immediately after using it.

Disease

  • If you’re infected with Cackle Fever, you take one level of Exhaustion that can’t be removed until the disease is cured (DMG, pg 257).
  • When afflicted by Sewer Plague, you have to succeed on a DC 11 CON save or suffer one level of Exhaustion. On a successful save, your Exhaustion level decreases by one level, and if it reaches zero this way, you’re cured (DMG, pg 257).

Misc

  • One effect of eating Primal Fruit on the D8 table (TCE, 169) has you take a level of Exhaustion after experiencing a surge of might. 
  • Poison and “recreational substances” are also conceivable ways to become exhausted, but there’s no RAW for it in the core books. 
  • Suffering Exhaustion due to withdrawal effects from addiction or when crashing after a big boost—like with the primal fruit—isn’t much of a stretch.
July 5th, 2022