Charmed 5e

The charmed condition in DnD 5e is one of the most misunderstood conditions in the game. It doesn’t help that, in many cases, specific spells and abilities that cause the charmed condition also come with secondary effects specific to those abilities.

If you’re a 5e player or DM looking for guidance on how the charmed condition works, how to end charm effects, or monsters and spells that cause the charmed condition, this guide will cover everything you need to know.

How Does the Charmed Condition Work in 5e?

The charmed condition does two things in DnD 5e:

• Prevents the charmed creature from harming the charmer in any way.

• Gives the charmer advantage on social ability checks.

That’s it. Unless a specific ability comes with additional effects on top of charming a creature, those are the only two effects of the charmed condition on its own.

The charmed condition is not mind control, domination, or anything else — just a way to make conversation easier and prevent being attacked.

The duration of the charmed condition is dependent on the ability that causes it — Charm Person lasts for 1 hour, while Hypnotic Pattern lasts for 1 minute, etc.

How to Break Charm in 5e

Here’s how to end the charmed condition in 5e:

• Make a saving throw. Almost all charm effects in 5e require a Wisdom saving throw, so passing that is the most straightforward way to avoid the charmed condition entirely or end it early (if the effect calls for repeat saving throws under certain conditions, like at the end of a turn or upon taking damage).

• Spells.

  • Calm Emotions

  • Hallow (against celestials, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead)

  • Dispel Evil and Good (against celestials, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead)

  • Greater Restoration

  • Power Word: Heal

• Taking damage. In many cases, a spell or effect that causes the charmed condition will either immediately end if the charmed creature is attacked by the charmer, or taking damage from any source will cause the charmed creature to make a saving throw to possibly break out of being charmed. This can be useful if you want to use a low-damage attack against your ally to snap them out of being charmed.

• Racial features.

• Fey Ancestry (many races)

• Psionic Fortitude (Duergar)

• Mental Discipline (Githzerai)

• Class/subclass features.

  • Mindless Rage (Barbarian – Path of the Berserker)

  • Countercharm (Bard)

  • Nature’s Ward (fey/elementals) (Druid – Circle of the Land)

  • Stillness of Mind (Monk)

  • Aura of Devotion (Paladin – Oath of Devotion)

  • Beguiling Defenses (Warlock – The Archfey)

  • Guarded Mind (Fighter – Guarded Mind)

  • Beguiling Twist (Ranger – Fey Wanderer)

  • Psychic Defenses (Sorcerer – Aberrant Mind)

Charm Spells 5e

Here are all of the spells that cause the charmed condition in DnD 5e’s three main sourcebooks (Player’s Handbook, Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything):

Charm Class Features 5e

In addition to spells, many class and subclass features can cause the charmed condition in 5e:

• Channel Divinity: Charm Animals and Plants (Cleric – Nature Domain)

• Draconic Presence (Sorcerer – Draconic Bloodline)

• Fey Presence (Warlock – The Archfey)

• Beguiling Defenses (Warlock – The Archfey)

• Dark Delirium (Warlock – The Archfey)

• Create Thrall (Warlock – Great Old One)

• Hypnotic Gaze (Wizard – School of Enchantment)

• Entralling Performance (Bard – College of Glamour)

• Shadow Lore (Bard – College of Whispers)

• Arcane Shot: Beguiling Arrow (Fighter – Arcane Archer)

• Panache (Rogue – Swashbuckler)

• Channel Divinity: Order’s Demand (Cleric – Order Domain)

• Rune Carver: Stone (Fighter – Rune Knight)

Creatures Who Charm 5e

Here are all the creatures who charm in 5e’s three main monster sourcebooks (Monster Manual, Volo’s Guide to Monsters, Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes).

Note that more creatures can cause the charmed condition if they are spellcasters with access to charm-inducing spells. Almost all of the monsters below have charm effects that come with additional rider effects.

For example, a vampire’s charm will cause the charmed creature to defend the vampire and become a willing target for its bite attack, and a creature charmed by a harpy is also incapacitated, but will Dash to move toward it when it moves out of melee range, even taking opportunity attacks to do so.

List of Creatures Immune to Charm 5e

Here is a list of all the creatures who are immune to the charmed condition in 5e’s three main monster sourcebooks (Monster Manual, Volo’s Guide to Monsters, Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes).

Note that, in total, 166 of 818 creatures (not all listed below) are immune to the charmed condition — about 20% in total. Oozes, constructs, and undead are among the most common types of creatures to sport charm immunity in DnD 5e.

What Are the Rules for the Charmed Condition in 5e?

The rules for charmed in DnD 5e are as follows:

• Unless a spell or effect specifically states that it causes the charmed condition, it doesn’t cause the charmed condition. Common examples of this are spells like Friends or Suggestion. They act like the charmed condition in some ways, and creatures immune to charmed are also immune to Suggestion, but neither spell actually causes the charmed condition itself.

  This is important for features like Fey Ancestry, which only works on the charmed condition — not charm-like effects.

  Here is a list of spells that are SIMILAR to the charmed condition, but are nonetheless NOT the charmed condition:

  • Friends

  • Sleep

  • Calm Emotions

  • Entrall

  • Suggestion

  • Compulsion

  • Mass Suggestion

  • Otto’s Irresistible Dance

  • Command

  • Compelled Duel

  • Dissonant Whispers

  • Tasha’s Hideous Laughter

  • Confusion

  • Antipathy/Sympathy

DnD 5e Charmed FAQ

Charmed DnD 5e FAQ:

1. Is command a charm? No, the command spell does not cause the charmed condition, nor are creatures who are immune to the charmed condition immune to command. However, undead creatures or creatures that don’t understand your language are not affected by the command spell.

2. How long does charm last? Charm lasts for as long as the specific spell or effect that causes it. For spells, this can range between 1 minute (e.g., dominate beast) to 24 hours (e.g., Animal Friendship), or even 30+ days in the case of Geas, extending to indefinite duration (until dispelled) if upcast as a 9th-level spell.

3. Can you be charmed twice? Yes, you can be charmed twice, meaning you are under the charmed condition for two different targets (they both have advantage on social checks, and you can attack neither of them). This gets a bit more complicated with charm abilities that have additional rider effects, but as long as the two rider effects aren’t contradictory, they’re both in effect simultaneously.