Exhaustion

Exhaustion is a condition that beyond hit points measure a creature's life force. It is one of the two main ways to perish in combat and should be respected when it is accrued.

Some special abilities and environmental hazards, such as starvation and the long-term effects of freezing or scorching temperatures, can lead to it as well.

Exhaustion is measured in 10 levels. An effect can give a creature one or more levels of exhaustion, as specified in the effect's description.

Exhaustion levels

Level	Effect
0	None
1	Base speed reduced by 2/3
2	Disadvantage on Strength, Dexterity, Constitution & Perception ability checks
3	Base speed reduced by 1/2
4	Disadvantage on all ability checks.
5	Hit point maximum halved.
6	Incapacitated
7	Prone
8	Stunned
9	Unconscious
10	Death

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. Also, being raised from the dead reduces a creature's exhaustion level by 1.

Exhaustion Removal

Levels of Exhaustion can be removed in the following ways:

Greater Restoration spell

Reduces the target's exhaustion level by 1 (RAW).

Finishing a short rest

Creature's may spend 1 hit dice to reduce exhaustion level by one, this can be done once every long rest, provided that the creature has also ingested some food and drink.

Finishing a long rest

Reduces a creature's exhaustion level by 1, provided that the creature has also ingested some food and drink.

• Healer’s Supplies and a Medicine check may remove an additional exhaustion level during a long rest.

Exhaustion Gain

Forced March

The Travel Pace table assumes that characters travel for 8 hours in day. They can push on beyond that limit, at the risk of exhaustion. For each additional hour of travel beyond 8 hours, the characters cover the distance shown in the Hour column for their pace, and each character must make a Constitution saving throw at the end of the hour.

• The DL is 10 + 1 for each hour past 8 hours. On a failed saving throw, a character suffers one level of exhaustion.

Food

A character can go without food for a number of days equal to 3 + his or her Constitution modifier (minimum I). At the end of each day beyond that limit, a character automatically suffers one levei of exhaustion.

• A normal day of eating resets the count of days without food to zero.

Going without long rest

A long rest is never mandatory, but going without sleep does have its consequences. If you want to account for the effects of sleep deprivation on characters and creatures, use these rules.

Whenever you end a 24-hour period without finishing a long rest, you must succeed on a DL 10 Constitution saving throw or suffer one level of exhaustion. It becomes harder to fight off exhaustion if you stay awake for multiple days.

• After the first 24 hours, the DL increases by 5 for each consecutive 24-hour period without a long rest. The DL resets to 10 when you finish a long rest.

Water

A character needs one gallon of water per day, or two gallons per day if the weather is hot. A character who drinks only half that much water must succeed on a DL 15 Constitution saving throw or suffer one level of exhaustion at the end of the day.

• A character with access to even less water automatically suffers one level of exhaustion at the end of the day. If the character already has one or more levels of exhaustion, the character takes two levels in either case.

Extreme Weather

Example 1, Extreme Cold

Whenever the temperature is at or below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, a creature exposed to the cold must succeed on a DL 10 Constitution saving throw at the end of each hour or gain one level of exhaustion.

• Creatures with resistance or immunity to cold damage automatically succeed on the saving throw, as do creatures wearing cold weather gear (thick coats, gloves, and the like) and creatures naturally adapted to cold climates.

Example 2, Extreme Heat

When the temperature is at or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, a creature exposed to the heat and without access to drinkable water must succeed on a Constitution saving throw at the end of each hour or gain one level of exhaustion. The DL is 5 for the first hour and increases by 1 for each additional hour. Creatures wearing medium or heavy armor, or who are clad in heavy clothing, have disadvantage on the saving throw.

• Creatures with resistance or immunity to fire damage automatically succeed on the saving throw, as do creatures naturally adapted to hot climates.

Minor Exhaustion

Minor Exhaustion has the same detrimental effect as the regular Exhaustion and they stack up together, the difference is that all Minor Exhaustions are removed upon finishing a short or long rest.